This release was issued under a previous government.

Alberta Tourism, Parks and Recreation has awarded grants totalling $431,000 to eight organizations around the province with unique initiatives to help grow in tourism Alberta.

“These grants make it possible for organizations to do research, capitalize on new opportunities, and deliver exciting new events and experiences for travellers. They will enhance Alberta’s ability to attract tourists and make their visits truly memorable.”

Dr. Richard Starke, Minister of Tourism, Parks and Recreation

Grants have been awarded to the following organizations and projects:

  • Canadian Curling Association – for staging a winter festival in Camrose to complement the Canada Cup of Curling in December;
  • Alberta Professional Outfitters Society – to support an economic impact study of Alberta’s outfitted hunting industry;
  • Jasper Destination Marketing Corporation – to support the implementation of a Jasper Event Tourism Strategy;
  • Town of Bon Accord – for development work on a multi-use tourism and recreation facility that will include a library, business incubator and observatory park with global network telescopes;
  • Calgary Zoological Society – to support the Illuminasia Festival, which will combine traditional Chinese lantern light figures with the zoo’s botanical gardens;
  • Drumheller Festival Society – to help support the staging of a complementary festival during the Tough Mudder international endurance obstacle event in Drumheller in September;
  • Friends of Medalta Society – to develop new guided tours, workshops and concerts/events at the Medicine Hat Historic Clay District; and
  • Camrose Regional Exhibition – to support the Growing Rural Tourism Conference in March, 2015, and to develop an Entrepreneurship Competition as part of the conference.

Tourism contributes more than 100,000 jobs and $7 billion to Alberta’s economy from more than 30 million person-visits annually. The Alberta Tourism Framework aims to increase the economic impact to $10.3 billion by 2020 through a collaborative approach with the tourism industry to create, enhance and market the experiences that make Alberta a must-see destination for travelers everywhere.