Sustainable Journeys from Prairies to Pacific

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Overview

^{Photo credit: Travel Alberta / Roth & Ramberg}

The Sustainable Journeys from Prairies to Pacific Corridor is one of three corridors being supported through Destination Canada’s Tourism Corridor Strategy Program.

Learn more about the program through the following links:

Each year, millions of visitors from around the world make their way to Canada to explore its westernmost provinces, Alberta and British Columbia (BC). While many choose the TransCanada Highway as their travel route through this region, Highway 3 offers a scenic, less-travelled but spectacular alternative.

The Highway 3 corridor – which is within a few hours of Calgary and Vancouver, the large urban hubs of southern Alberta and BC’s lower mainland - winds its way across the two provinces, passing through cities, resort towns, and small rural communities and connects the city of Hope in British Columbia with Lethbridge in Alberta. Along the way, guests can take part in Indigenous, agritourism, and outdoor recreation experiences, while also discovering National and Provincial parks, viewing wildlife, and learning about western culture and heritage.

Thanks to its stunning geography and wealth of experiences, developing the Sustainable Journeys from Prairies to Pacific Corridor along Highway 3 supports the existing traveller dispersion strategies of both Travel Alberta and Destination BC. There is also a network working to improve safety and transportation infrastructure along Highway 3, which will be integrated into the project. This will support both sustainable tourism development and area locals who travel the corridor regularly.

The Sustainable Journeys from Prairies to Pacific Corridor project will also incorporate existing key strategies and experience themes that have been developed by Travel Alberta and Destination BC to develop an actionable strategy that will identify the corridor’s:

Competitive advantage.
Key strengths and challenges.
Experiences and assets that should be prioritized for development, enhancement and investment.

Through the Tourism Corridor Strategy Program, a detailed road map and development and investment financial plan will be developed, outlining short-, medium-, and long-term initiatives that will support new economic opportunities, attract high-value guests, and draw investment to enhance the corridor’s strengths. Ultimately, the strategy will seek to further connect locals and guests to this exceptional part of Western Canada, generating wealth and wellbeing for the regions along the corridor.

Sustainable Journeys Corridor Map

Timeline

The Sustainable Journeys from Prairie to Pacific Corridor project, which started in June 2023 and will wrap up at the end of December 2023, involves three co-created deliverables:

Corridor Strategy: Existing strategies will be incorporated to define the vision for the entire corridor, align resources, and engage stakeholders.
Implementation Plan: Plan execution, identify timeline/priorities, inform or establish governance.
Financial Plan: Identify investment needed, suggest opportunities, identify potential funding sources.

These deliverables will be completed through a three-phase workplan, which is rooted in stakeholder and community engagement:

Phase 1: Analysis of existing research, data, and assets will be completed. Interviews, online surveys, workshops, and engagement sessions with up to 30 Indigenous and non-Indigenous stakeholders and other community groups will also take place during this phase.
Phase 2: Collected data will be analyzed, validated, and used to develop the corridor strategy.
Phase 3: The corridor strategy and financial plan will be presented to those leading the project and the implementation plan will be developed.

Team

In partnership with Destination Canada, the Sustainable Journeys from Prairie to Pacific Corridor project is co-led by Travel Alberta and Destination BC.

With the participation of the project leads, Destination Canada selected and engaged experts from tourism consultancy firm, Twenty31, to guide the project and co-create the key deliverables. By way of its work, Twenty31 reimagines tourism through the lens of sustainability and opportunity for tourism development, enhancement and investment. They specialize in several core areas, including destination development strategy as it aligns with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The firm’s team has a wealth of industry experience and works closely with experts in sustainable tourism and management.

Additional partners in Alberta and BC that will be engaged throughout the project include destination management organizations (DMOs), local chambers, economic development organizations, and other relevant organizations representing the regions and communities within the corridor.

If you have any questions about the Sustainable Journeys from Prairie to Pacific Corridor, please reach out to Jennifer, Yvonne, or Emilie for further details.

Jennifer Horsnell
Senior Program Manager, Destination Development
Destination Canada
[email protected]

Yvonne Chau
Manager Destination Development
Travel Alberta
[email protected]

Emilie Cayer-Huard
Manager, Destination Development
Destination BC
[email protected]

Additional Information

What is a corridor?

A corridor connects a concentration of similar businesses or institutions together, creating synergies that drive regional economies by leveraging each other’s resources and customers. Collectively, they create greater overall demand for the area and their experiences and give even more reasons for visitors to stay longer and travel through the area.

Why is Destination Canada focusing on corridors?

Destination Canada can play role in corridor development by facilitating connections and leveraging federal and national partners to encourage engagement and build a more robust network of resources. The cluster and corridor-based approach is informed by theoretical approaches and best-practices from around the globe. For more information, please see the following links:

Who is funding the strategy development for each corridor?

Destination Canada is funding the development of a strategy, implementation plan, and financial plan for each corridor in the program.

Does this plan include any marketing or branding work?

This project will deliver a strategy, implementation and financial plan and focuses on advancing investment readiness for the corridor.

What regions are included within the geographic boundary of the Sustainable Journey from Prairies to Pacific Corridor?

There are four main regions included in the corridor:

Southern Alberta, including the Káínawa and Pi'ikanni Nations.
Kootenay Rockies, including the Ktunaxa Nation and more specifically ?aqam and the Yaqan Nukiy First Nations.
Thompson Okanagan, including the Okanagan Nation and more specifically the Osoyoos, Lower and Upper Similkameen First Nations.
Vancouver Coast and Mountains.

Isn’t this duplicating already existing Destination Development work in BC and Alberta?

This project will leverage the already existing Destination Development strategies in BC and Alberta and focus on the investment attraction to have these strategies come to fruition. As well, through this project, inter-provincial collaboration is at the forefront, allowing for synergies and scale that the individual provinces cannot advance on their own.

Who is leading the Sustainable Journeys from Prairie to Pacific Corridor project?

In partnership with Destination Canada, the Sustainable Journeys from Prairie to Pacific Corridor project is co-led by Travel Alberta and Destination BC.

Destination management organizations (DMOs), local chambers, economic development organizations, and other relevant organizations representing the regions and communities within the corridor will also be engaged in the project.

How are Indigenous people engaged in this project?

The Sustainable Journeys from Prairie to Pacific Corridor includes several First Nations (as noted earlier); these vital rightsholders, along with other noted Indigenous businesses and community members such as Indigenous Tourism Alberta and Indigenous Tourism BC, will be engaged in the project during Phase 1 of the workplan.

When will the strategy development process be completed?

The Tourism Corridor Strategy Program is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2023. Engagement opportunities related to the Sustainable Journeys from Prairie to Pacific Corridor will take place from July to September 2023, with the three key deliverables finalized by the end of December 2023 and ready for public distribution in early 2024.

Who is developing the strategies and plans for each corridor?

Destination Canada has contracted the services of industry experts who will co-create strategies and plans with the selected corridors and their stakeholders. Twenty31, a tourism consultancy focused on sustainable tourism and destination development strategy, is leading the provision of services for the Sustainable Journeys from Prairie to Pacific Corridor.

Who is responsible for implementing the strategy?

The Implementation Plan will identify governance for the implementation of the strategy. Upon completion of the program, Destination Canada cannot fund infrastructure. Given the pilot nature of the program, Destination Canada will explore with the corridor leads on how best to advance the work.

Who will be included in the engagement process for the development of the corridor strategy?

Twenty31 has an extensive engagement strategy that includes residents, business operators, government and suppliers. If you would like to contribute to the engagement process, please contact a member of the corridor team.

How is this work related to the Destination BC Invest in Iconics work?

Destination BC’s Invest in Iconics Strategy is a long-term strategy to responsibly increase the benefits of tourism throughout British Columbia through the integration of Place Branding and Destination Development to competitively differentiate BC on the world stage. One of the first compelling route brands to be launched in Fall 2023 is the Rockies to Rainforest. Highway 3 is a key segment of the Rockies to Rainforest journey, along with Highway 1, Highway 5 and Highway 99.

The DC Tourism Corridor Strategy is focused predominantly on the Highway 3 corridor and will be supporting economic development and investment attraction primarily. This Strategy is strictly related to the supply-side of tourism and does not include a branding or marketing component. It is leveraging the great momentum underway for destination development along Highway 3, both in BC and in Alberta.

The work conducted in the context of the Tourism Corridor Strategy will help support new economic opportunities for communities located along Highway 3 and contribute to making this segment of Rockies to Rainforest more resilient and compelling for visitors and investors alike – which supports and aligns with the strategic goals of Invest in Iconics.

How is this work related to the Destination BC Destination Development Strategies?

In 2019, Destination BC, in partnership with the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sports, Indigenous Tourism BC and the tourism regions, completed 19 Destination Development Strategies, including a Strategy for the Highway 3 Corridor. Since then, tremendous progress has been made on the implementation of the Strategy and new partnerships have been formed. The Destination Canada Tourism Corridor Strategy is an opportunity to further support the implementation of the Highway 3 Destination Development Strategy, namely by stimulating investment opportunities, as well as integrating with Travel Alberta and communities along the Alberta portion of the corridor.