Dinosaur Provincial Park and Area Tourism Development Plan Study
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Final Report Dinosaur Provincial Park and Area Tourism Development Plan Study Submitted to: Canadian Badlands Ltd. Alberta Tourism, Parks and Recreation by IBI Group July 2010 Government of Alberta and Canadian Badlands Ltd. DINOSAUR PROVINCIAL PARK AND AREA TOURISM DEVELOPMENT PLAN STUDY REPORT FINAL REPORT JULY 2010 IBI GROUP FINAL REPORT TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .................................................................................................................... 1 1. INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................................... 7 1.1 Purpose and Scope of the Study ......................................................................................................... 8 1.2 Study Limitations .................................................................................................................................. 9 1.3 Outline of Report ................................................................................................................................... 9 2. CHARACTERIZATION OF THE STUDY AREA .................................................................... 10 2.1 County of Newell ................................................................................................................................. 13 2.2 City of Brooks ...................................................................................................................................... 16 2.3 Special Area No. 2 ............................................................................................................................... 19 3. TOURISM PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT PRECIDENTS .............................................. 21 3.1 Land Use Framework of Alberta ........................................................................................................ 21 3.2 Dinosaur Provincial Park (DPP) ......................................................................................................... 22 3.2.1 UNESCO Designation/Criteria ..................................................................... 22 3.2.2 Management Plan ...................................................................................... 23 3.2.3 Overview of DPP’s Assets and Amenities .................................................... 23 3.3 Lake Newell Area ................................................................................................................................. 28 3.3.1 Kinbrook Island Provincial Park (KIPP) ....................................................... 28 3.3.2 Eastern Irrigation District .......................................................................... 29 3.3.3 Lake Newell Resort Development ................................................................ 30 4. OVERVIEW OF THE VISITOR MARKET .............................................................................. 32 4.1 National Context .................................................................................................................................. 32 4.2 Provincial Context ............................................................................................................................... 33 4.3 Southern Alberta ................................................................................................................................. 35 4.4 Canadian Badlands Region ................................................................................................................ 38 4.5 Study Area ........................................................................................................................................... 43 4.6 Key Target Visitor Markets ................................................................................................................. 43 4.6.1 International/Overseas Travel .................................................................... 43 4.6.2 Domestic, Intra-Provincial Travel ............................................................... 44 4.6.3 Aging Population ....................................................................................... 46 4.6.4 Geotourism/Ecotourism ............................................................................. 46 4.6.5 Learning Vacations .................................................................................... 46 4.6.6 Camping (RV and Tent) .............................................................................. 48 4.6.7 Sports Tourism ......................................................................................... 49 July 2010 Page i. IBI GROUP FINAL REPORT TABLE OF CONTENTS (CONT’D) 4.7 Product/Market Match ......................................................................................................................... 51 5. BEST PRACTICE RESEARCH .............................................................................................. 52 5.1 Case Study Research .......................................................................................................................... 52 5.1.1 Forever Resorts and the Badlands National Park, South Dakota (USA) ....................................................................................................... 52 5.1.2 Turlee Station Stay and the New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service (Australia) ........................................................................ 55 5.1.3 Mount Assiniboine Lodge and British Columbia Parks (BC Parks) ................. 58 5.1.4 Lajitas Resort & Spa, Texas ....................................................................... 60 5.1.5 Examples of Local/Regional Lodging and Destinations ................................ 60 5.1.6 Examples of Downtown Renewal ................................................................. 62 5.2 Stakeholder Input ................................................................................................................................ 64 5.3 Key Findings of Case Study Research and Stakeholder Input ....................................................... 65 6. OPPORTUNITY ASSESSMENT ............................................................................................ 68 6.1 Vision for the Study Area ................................................................................................................... 68 6.2 Review of Previously Identified Opportunities ................................................................................. 68 6.3 Recommended Actions and Highest Priority Opportunities ........................................................... 69 6.3.1 Planning and Development of New Tourist Facilities and Activities in DPP ...................................................................................................... 72 6.3.2 Positioning Lands and Communities Surrounding DPP as Service and Activity Centres .................................................................................. 78 6.3.3 Attracting New Tourism-Related Development and Increased Activities to Lake Newell and KIPP ............................................................. 83 6.3.4 Increasing Tourism Investment Readiness in the City of Brooks ................... 88 6.3.5 Organizational Capacity Building to Support Tourism Development in the DPP Area ......................................................................................... 91 REFERENCES .................................................................................................................................. 96 APPENDIX A - Stakeholders Who Provided Input to the Study APPENDIX B - Opportunities Identified for Dinosaur Provincial Park and Surrounding Area 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