TOURISM INVESTMENTS IN THE HUB REGION

Tourism is promoted in the Alberta HUB Region through (www.kalynacountry.com) “Where Culture Meets Adventure” and Alberta’s Lakeland (www.albertaslakeland.ca).

TOURISM ASSETS

ŸOver 150 lakes, including Alberta’s 6th and 7th largest lakes, are found ŸThe Alberta HUB Region contains: 7 Provincial Parks, 10 Provincial in the Alberta HUB Region. The Region also includes one of Western Recreation Areas, and 20 golf courses. Canada’s largest inland marinas at Cold Lake, 20% of Alberta’s white ŸCasino Dene (www.casinodene.com) near Cold Lake is run by the sand beaches, and the historic and scenic North Saskatchewan River. Cold Lake First Nations. ŸCanada’s Largest Ecomuseum. Visitors are encouraged to travel ŸAlberta’s Iron Horse Trail (www.ironhorsetrail.ca) is a 260 km corridor around the area to explore the history, culture, landscape, and of abandoned CN Rail Line which has been transformed into a multi- natural recreation areas of this “living” outdoor museum. use recreational trail. ŸThe Alberta HUB Region has a one of the provinces most multi-cultural landscapes. It holds Canada’s largest Ukrainian settlement, and some of Alberta’s largest concentrations of French, Cree, Métis, Lebanese and Romanian people. The local cuisine and numerous cultural celebrations MARKET reect the region’s rich cultural diversity. Ÿ The Alberta HUB Region has a population of well over 133,000. It is The province’s nest collection of historic Byzantine style churches. ideally located to draw visitors from the city of , with a ŸThe Region borders the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village population of over 1 million. Lac La Biche County is well positioned to (www.ukrainianvillage.ca) and Elk Island National Park (www.pc.gc.ca) attract visitors from the Fort McMurray area, with a population close to where herds of plains and woods bison, moose, deer, and elk roam 90,000. freely. ŸThe Region’s rich cultural history is demonstrated at its many museums and interpretive centres including: TRAVEL CORRIDORS wVictoria Settlement (www.culture.alberta.ca/vs) is where a Methodist Mission and a trading post were established in the 1860’s. The Yellowhead (Highway 16) is the northern part of the Trans-Canada wSmoky Lake Métis Crossing (www.metiscrossing.com) is a Métis Highway system, which runs from Victoria, BC to St. John’s, NF. It is a Cultural Interpretive Centre. four-lane divided highway, running east-west through the Alberta HUB wThe Historical Village and Outdoor Pioneer Museum at Shandro, Region from to Edmonton. located 9kms North of Willingdon on Highway 857 depicts The Northern Woods and Water Route (Highway 55) is a northern scenic a pioneer settlement from the 1900's. route through the provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and British Columbia. wFort George & Buckingham House (www.culture.alberta.ca/fgbh) in Elk Point is the location of two competing fur trade posts. wLac La Biche Mission (www.laclabichemission.com) is one of Alberta’s oldest settlements and was an important transportation hub in the Canadian Northwest before the arrival of the railway. ŸThe area is also famous for the Giants of the Prairies, a series of roadside attractions including the World’s Largest Mushrooms in Vilna, Pyrogy in Glendon, Pysanka in , UFO Landing Pad in St. Paul, Duck in Andrew, the David Thompson Monument in Lac La Biche, the Peter Fidler Monument in Elk Point, and the Giant Pumpkins in . TOURISM INVESTMENT ALBERTA’S TOURISM OPPORTUNITIES INDUSTRY The Alberta HUB Region has many opportunities for tourism investment: Ÿ Alberta’s tourism expenditures were $5.87 billion in 2011 with ŸRV Parks and Campgrounds. The Praxis Group recently completed 47% attributed to out of province visitors. a study for Alberta Tourism, Parks and Recreation’s Tourism Business Ÿ Alberta had 23.5 million person-visits in 2011, an increase of Development Branch which identied an insufcient supply of full 1.8% from 2007. service & amenity campsites throughout the province of Alberta. Ÿ Ÿ Alberta’s tourism industry derives its strength from its Accommodations such as hotels, motels, resorts, and bed & magnicent scenery, world-class attractions, and service breakfasts. excellence. ŸOutdoor Adventures. With its scenic lakes, trails, North Saskatchewan River, and wilderness, the Alberta HUB Region is an ideal location for the development of Adventure Tourism activities such as: canoeing, cycling, shing, rafting, wildlife viewing, horseback riding, camping, and educational tours. ŸAg Tourism. The Alberta HUB Region’s diverse agricultural landscape with over 5,000 farms presents some excellent opportunities for Ag Tourism development.

ŸAboriginal Tourism. With 7 Aboriginal communities and 4 Métis Settlements, the Alberta HUB Region is ideally positioned to capitalize upon Aboriginal Tourism opportunities (www.albertaaboriginaltourism.com).

For more information on the Alberta HUB Region, please contact: Northeast Alberta Information HUB Ltd. Ph: (780) 645-1155 e-mail: [email protected] www.albertahub.com www.albertaopportunity.com