Tourism now seen as a serious business and economic growth support

By Lethbridge Herald on March 27, 2026.

Photo by Alejandra Pulido-Guzman Katie Rabbit Young Pine with Tourism Lethbridge, Dion Red Gun with Rover Ranche Lodge, Quinton Crow Show with Head Smashed in Buffalo Jump, and Will Big Bull with the Allied Arts Council, provide indigenous perspectives in tourism, during the inaugural Tourism Day at the 2026 Southern Alberta Economic & Tourism Summit.

By Alejandra Pulido-Guzman

Lethbridge Herald

Tourism Lethbridge partnered with SouthGrow Regional Initiative to expand the Southern Alberta Economic Summit with the addition of a dedicated Tourism Day on Wednesday. 

The event brought together municipal leaders, tourism operators, economic development professionals, and industry organizations to explore how tourism supports regional growth, investment, and collaboration. 

The agenda featured speakers and panels focused on the economic impact of tourism and opportunities for regional collaboration. Sessions included insights from Travel Alberta, perspectives from the Tourism Industry Association of Alberta, a discussion on Indigenous tourism, and panels highlighting regional initiatives such as Savour Alberta’s South and collaboration along the Highway three corridor.

President and CEO of Tourism Industry Association of Alberta, Darren Reeder said tourism is now seen as a major industry, which is something that has changed over the year. 

“Tourism is now seen as a serious business; it is economic development. In Alberta alone, since coming out of 2020, we’ve seen 150 per cent growth in tourism spending within our own province,” said Reeder. 

He said this is evidence of the fact that Albertans resonate with the products that exist in this province, and their desire for more innovative experiences. 

“We’ve set a provincial target to grow to a $25 billion industry. I think recent years’ math suggests we’re well on track to do that,” said Reeder. 

He said from an international perspective, the hunger for indigenous tourism experiences is one of the province’s biggest selling propositions. 

“This region is ripe with opportunities to tell those stories. It’s about the authentic connection to place, how food has grown, about a culture and history of place,” said Reeder. “This is what people are looking for in their travel experiences, to really connect with the local stories. 

Reeder said tourism is an export industry and it is now Alberta’s fourth largest export, measuring $3.5 billion a year.

“Tourists come to the country, they come to places like Lethbridge, they spend money here. If they’re coming from abroad and they’re leaving money here, but they’re taking the experiences home, in the global context, we refer to that as export value,” explained Reeder. 

He said from an Alberta perspective, it is one of the fastest growing exports sectors, and it is important to note, that it is one of the least dependent on the trading relationship with the United States. 

“About half of international spending dollars are originating from the U.S., but then the other half is distributed amongst other countries that we do trade with,” said Reeder. 

Board Chair of Tourism Lethbridge, Greg Robinson said the summit offered an opportunity for conversation with key stakeholders to offer some of the insights on what they are seeing in travel, and what issues need to be addressed.

“Having it here in Lethbridge and be able to show our city, it’s an amazing opportunity to sit back and reflect on what is truly amazing right here in our own backyard. We really do have so many things that we have to offer,” said Robinson. 

Chief Commercial Officer with Travel Alberta, Jon Mamela said the summit is something that was happening across the province, and while it was the first one to take place here in Lethbridge, the same type of events has been happening across the province for the last few years, as tourism continues to grow. 

He said that with that tourism growth across the province, each area deals with some challenges. 

“Challenges of competing for visitors to come into the province, for Albertans to come and see and explore the destination, to see what is all out there, and competing for being top of mind,” said Mamela. 

He said in addition making sure Lethbridge and surrounding area stands out as a destination. 

“Tourism is on another positive growth here in 2026, here in Lethbridge, in particular, Whoop-Up Days looks very promising, another outstanding event, the number of powwows, and other events, and the indigenous from the Blackfoot Nation,” said Mamela. “People getting out in the land, getting to see firsthand the producers of the culinary scene here in the province, as well as the opportunity to get out and experience nature and really just enjoy the region in itself.”