Final Report
Dinosaur Provincial Park and Area Tourism Development Plan Study EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Submitted to: Canadian Badlands Ltd. Alberta Tourism, Parks and Recreation by IBI Group July 2010 IBI GROUP FINAL REPORT
DINOSAUR PROVINCIAL PARK AND AREA TOURISM DEVELOPMENT PLAN STUDY REPORT
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Canadian Badlands Region is located in Southern Alberta and is comprised of spectacular natural features such as glaciated hills and hoodoos made of mud and sand and the Red Deer River valley. Over the past several years numerous market studies and visioning strategies have been undertaken to identify opportunities for further developing and promoting tourism in the greater Canadian Badlands Region.
The following vision was established by the Canadian Badlands Ltd. for the region:
A region that will become a major iconic destination for Alberta, to complement the role played by the Canadian Rockies in encouraging travel to and in the Province.
Dinosaur Provincial Park (DPP) is a key destination within the Canadian Badlands Region. It straddles the County of Newell and lands governed under the Special Areas Act. DPP is a designated United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Site and home to some of the most important fossil specimens in the world. The lands and communities surrounding DPP also include a number of tourist attractions (e.g. Lake Newell, the Brooks Aqueduct, the Silver Sage Agribition Grounds, the Brooks and District Museum, the Patricia Hotel and Restaurant, etc.). On a daily basis approximately 7,400 vehicles pass through the area on the Trans Canada Highway and a significant number of visits occur annually to the area’s provincial parks and campground’s:
90,000 people visiting Dinosaur Provincial Park; 108,000 people visiting Kinbrook Island Provincial Park; 20,000 people visiting Tillebrook Provincial Park; and 10,000 campsite reservations made at Rolling Hills Reservoir Campground.
With almost 23 million person visits taking place in Alberta in 2008 (generating revenues of $5.69 billion) and growing visitor markets, significant opportunity exists to increase visitation to the Canadian Badlands Region. With the range of natural, cultural and recreational assets, tourism represents an important and emerging sector within the County of Newell, Special Areas and the City of Brooks. A broad range of tourism infrastructure developments, activities and programming opportunities were identified for DPP and surrounding areas (herein after referred to as the ‘DPP area’) within previous
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DINOSAUR PROVINCIAL PARK AND AREA TOURISM DEVELOPMENT PLAN STUDY REPORT
studies. These opportunities ranged from smaller scale activities/initiatives such as bird watching tours and bed and breakfast establishments to large developments such as boutique or themed hotels. Previous market and economic feasibility studies and information from seasoned tourism developers/investors suggest that this area of the Canadian Badlands Region is not yet ‘ripe’ for major tourism development and that in order to attract the necessary critical mass to support larger-scale ‘signature projects’, additional visitor activities, amenities and attractions, as well as investment into community infrastructure, is required.
IBI Group was retained by Alberta Tourism, Parks and Recreation and Canadian Badlands Ltd. to prepare a Tourism Development Plan for the central portion of the Canadian Badlands Region that is comprised of 480,000 hectares of land and extends from:
Valley lands surrounding DPP and the Red Deer River (Special Area No. 2) to the north;
The Hamlet of Jenner (Special Area No. 2) to the east;
Lake Newell/Kinbrook Island Provincial Park (County of Newell) to the south; and
Lands between the Village of Duchess and the Village of Rosemary (County of Newell) to the west.
The purpose of the Dinosaur Provincial Park and Area Tourism Development Plan Study is to identify the most achievable or critical opportunities and actions that will help:
Remove barriers to investment; Create investment readiness; and Create the critical mass to support new tourism development.
IBI Group undertook a detailed assessment of the character of the study area, historic visitation, tourist motivations, market trends and best practice research. Working closely with the study Steering Committee and using input from stakeholders, the following two-pronged vision for the study area was recommended:
Recognize and further enhance opportunities in Dinosaur Provincial Park to experience the landscape and a sense of geological time and place; and
Recognize and further enhance opportunities to establish Kinbrook Island Provincial Park and Lake Newell as an increasingly important (seasonal) tourism and recreation asset.
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A review of historic visitation to Alberta and the Canadian Badlands Region, an assessment of existing tourism assets within the study area and a review of visitor motivations resulted in the following being identified as key market segments (i.e. most likely consumers/visitors) for the DPP area:
Geotourists/Ecotourists: More people are looking for environmentally responsible travel opportunities to natural, relatively undisturbed areas. Geotourism is one of the fastest travel markets. Geotourists/ecotourists are one the most affluent market segments and are interested in paying for a quality, customized experience; Learning Vacationers: Travel motivated by learning about a particular topic such as archaeology and palaeontology. Learning vacations are popular with families; Camping/Recreational Vehicle (RV) Travellers: Over 40% of Albertans take part in overnight camping as a leisure activity. Inter-provincial and cross border RV travel is significant and the use of campers as a mode of travel and accommodation is also popular with international visitors to Alberta, particularly Europeans; Aging Population: Seniors today are living longer and healthier lives and the growing number of persons aged 65 and older represents a significant proportion of the ecotourism, learning vacation and RV markets. There is also a growing trend for multi- generational family travel; and Sports Tourists: A growing proportion of the pleasure travel market either participates in sports or attends sporting events while on vacation. Local governments and sports groups have experienced considerable growth in annual visitation and tourist spending by actively marketing community facilities for tournaments, meets, training camps, etc.
Intra-provincial travellers (i.e. Albertans travelling within Alberta) currently generate the largest share of person visits and visitor spending in the Province. Alberta’s regional travel base will steadily increase with the Province’s population estimated to grow by over half a million in the next fifteen years, and with trends such as the aging population and immigration. There is a growing interest in authentic rural or Canadian experiences and UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and as such, international and overseas travellers represent an important and growing source of tourists.
In terms of product/market matches, the identified key market segments will likely seek the following types of services and amenities if travelling within the DPP area:
Dinosaur Provincial Park Lands and Hamlets Near Lake Newell and Kinbrook The City of Brooks Dinosaur Provincial Park Island Provincial Park • Additional campsites • Alternative forms of • Additional campsites • Additional sports and • Roofed accommodation overnight • Fully serviced western Canadian such as platform tents, accommodation (e.g. campgrounds that can activities and events yurts and cabins bed and breakfasts, accommodate large, 5- • Commercial tours, ranch or farm stays) • Opportunities to explore wheel RVs offering day trips to DPP, other areas of the Park – • Fully serviced • Cottages or cabins circle tours, etc. while still ensuring the campgrounds that can available for rent or to • Unique restaurants and protection/conservation of accommodate large, 5- purchase fine dining the sensitive landscape wheel RVs • Rental equipment (e.g. • A revitalized Downtown and features as well as • Recreational motorized and non- with additional visitor scientific activities tours/adventures (e.g. motorized boats, amenities and services horseback riding, • Customized, small-group bicycles) • A pedestrian-friendly experiences hunting, hiking, mountain biking) • Connections (e.g. trails) environment • Additional activities, to other attractions • Opportunities to programs and amenities within the County of purchase locally grown for visitors staying for Newell and the City of or crafted goods several days in the Park Brooks
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IBI Group assessed a broad range of tourism opportunities brought forward with the vision for the study area in mind, along with an understanding of the likelihood of capturing visitor markets and investment in the context of Alberta tourism, financial and market realities and planning/policy goals and objectives.
A total of 17 opportunities are considered by IBI Group to offer the best product/market match, potential to help create a critical visitor mass and to be the most feasible from a financial, market and planning/development perspective. These are opportunities that are considered to be actionable in the next few years and that are physical developments, programs/activities or processes which can be controlled and where intervention is required. As illustrated in the 'Recommended Tactical Framework' diagram shown on page 6, a Tactical Framework was prepared that outlines different avenues of action, responsibilities and necessary tools to facilitate the realization of a series of 'umbrella' directions to help 'ripen’ the area:
1. Planning and Development of New Tourism Facilities and Activities in DPP 2. Positioning Lands and Communities Surrounding DPP as Service and Activity Centres 3. Attracting New Tourism-Related Development and Increased Activities to Lake Newell and Kinbrook Island Provincial Park 4. Increasing Tourism Investment Readiness in the City of Brooks 5. Organizational Capacity Building to Support Tourism Development in the DPP and Surrounding Area
The following five (5) opportunities were identified as being the highest priority opportunities, which could help to further ripen the area for future tourism development:
Escorted Overnight Hikes in DPP; Backcountry Cabins in DPP; Full Service recreational vehicle (RV) park near DPP or Lake Newell; Development of Cabins at Lake Newell; and Packaging/Promotion of Silver Sage Agribition Grounds.
The Tactical Framework will be used by local governments, Canadian Badlands Ltd., Alberta Tourism, Parks and Recreation, and other sectors to continue the process of attracting new investment and development to the DPP area. Various levels of government and community organizations/agencies will need to take a lead role in helping to achieve the recommended vision for the DPP area, using their roles as policy makers, regulators of land and development, providers of infrastructure and facilitators of community improvement.
Numerous benefits and long-term payback could result from the various sectors working together to develop the area’s tourism industry, such as, but not limited to:
Diversification of the local economy and long-term stability; Job creation (full and part-time): Helping retain youth and other residents in the area Taxes generated for all three levels of government Revenue generated by the Parks Division that would be rolled back into the facilities and programs offered at the provincial parks;
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Tourists spending more time and money on local: Accommodation Rental services (e.g. cars, recreational equipment) Food, meals, gas, souvenirs Other goods and services
Improved quality of life for residents and business owners: Community pride and increased participation/partnerships Additional recreational opportunities New commercial services and amenities.
How the vision for DPP and Lake Newell unfolds, and the impact it has on other areas within the County of Newell, Special Areas and the City of Brooks, will depend on the commitment of various levels of government and community/regional organizations to grow tourism in the area and the level of risk and investment the private sector is willing to take.
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Recommended Tactical Framework to Help ‘Ripen the Area’ and Create the Critical Mass Required for Future Tourism Development
July 2010