News & Stories
Sep 17, 2024Stories From the Trails: Banff Businesses Committed to Supporting Pride
Through partnerships and initiatives, BLLT member businesses are working with Banff Pride to foster an environment where diversity is celebrated every day.
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Sep 16, 2024Thought Leadership: Why Destination Brand and Values Matter to Banff and Lake Louise
We caught up with Heather Szpecht, leader of the Banff & Lake Louise Tourism Brand and Strategy team to dive deeper into the how - and why - of our destination’s brand and values.
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Aug 14, 2024Stories From the Trails: Banff Adventures Annual Canoe for a Cause Supports Jasper Recovery Efforts
Find out how Banff Adventures annual Canoe for a Cause community event aligns with our Community Wellbeing trail.
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Aug 7, 2024Stories From the Trails: Banff Tea Co. Makes a Big Impact with Small Leaves
Siona Gartshore, a passionate Zero Waste Trailblazer has transformed her love for the environment into a thriving business.
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Jul 23, 2024Stories From the Trails: Meet the Minds Behind Banff Borrows - A Conversation with Karli Fleury
We caught up with Karli Fleury in early July to chat about Banff Borrows.
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Jul 18, 2024Stories From the Trails: A Sweet Approach to Community Wellbeing
Find out how a small donut business fosters connection, conversation, and community.
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Jul 8, 2024Stories From the Trails: The Hotel Canoe & Suites Serves Up Zero-Waste Coffee
The Hotel Canoe & Suites has said ‘no more’ to disposable coffee cups.
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Jun 24, 2024Stories From the Trails: Chateau Lake Louise Uses Data For Good
For over 20 years, the hotel has been a key contributor to Parks Canada’s No Net Negative Environmental Impact (NNNEI) initiative.
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Jun 24, 2024Stories From the Trails: Murals Showcase Emerging Indigenous Artists
Now in its third year, the Cave and Basin Mural Project showcases ten mural boxes each created by an emerging Indigenous artist.
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Lead Tourism for Good in the News
May 29, 2024
Karbon-X (OTC PINK:KARX), a leading provider of carbon offset solutions, is proud to announce its partnership with the Banff Marathon to offset the environmental impact of the event. Through this collaboration, Karbon-X will neutralize the carbon footprint of the Banff Marathon, ensuring a more sustainable and eco-friendlier race.
Read on.
Mackenzie Rhode, April 19, 2024
The Town of Banff on Wednesday launched a reusable cup program aimed at reducing single-use cup waste and preserving the natural beauty of Banff National Park.
The program, dubbed Banff Borrows, allows users to borrow cups from participating locations for up to 30 days at no cost. Borrowers choose a cup, scan a code and register for the program using a credit card, which is only charged if the cup is not returned.
Read on.
Nicole Hansen, Nov 5, 2023
National parks are widely considered one of the greatest examples of conservation around the world. Preserving fragile environments, vulnerable wildlife, and historically significant locations, national parks are a critical part of sustainability and ecological health.
Read on.
Nov 7, 2023
In a room where the climate crisis meets housing emergencies — the mayors of Calgary, Canmore and Banff spoke to planners and developers about the challenges ahead.
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Nov 9, 2023
Collaboration in business is the catalyst for solving challenges. Over the years, traffic management has come into sharper focus for Parks Canada, the Town of Banff, local businesses operating in the park and Banff residents.
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Robyn Trueman, Sep 3, 2023
Ecotourism and going green are important these days, and these initiatives are especially abundant in Canada. It’s the second-largest country in the world by land area, spanning 8,788,702.8 square kilometers.
Read on.
June 7, 2023
Banff’s list of accolades reads like a brag sheet for Mother Nature’s masterpiece.
It’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the third oldest National Park in the world, home to the iconic, emerald-hued Lake Louise, and a habitat for a diverse range of wildlife, from elk to the elusive grizzly bear.
Beyond its ecological significance, Banff also has a substantial economic footprint. Amidst all its natural splendor, Banff generates a staggering 3.1 billion Canadian dollars a year in tourism revenue, proving that preserving nature can be a treasure trove in its own right.
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Cathy Ellis, Jun 29, 2023
BANFF – Banff residents feel positive overall about life in the national park tourist town, but believe the quality of life has worsened because of a lack of affordable housing, high cost of living and too much tourism.
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Paula Duhatschek, Jun 27, 2023
On a sunny afternoon, a group of cyclists tours through Banff National Park, stopping midway to hike through the park's Sundance Canyon.
When they stop for a break, Heather Black leads the group through a smudge ceremony, followed by a snack of Alberta-made pemmican strips.
The trip was a trial run for a new partnership between Bikescape, a Banff-based bike tour company, and Black's guided hike business, Buffalo Stone Woman Iinisskimmaakii.
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Stephanie Swensrude, Mar 10, 2023
The number of annual visitors to Alberta’s parks has been steadily rising, sparking a question of how to balance the desire for recreation with environmental concerns.
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Gaurav Banerji, Mar 16, 2023
Banff & Lake Louise Tourism (BLLT) has announced the launch of a first-of-its-kind program for Canada’s business events industry. The "Community Impact Program," a new initiative enhancing business events, is designed to help improve the long-term economic and social sustainability of Canada’s first and most visited national park.
Read on.
Olivia Condon, Jan 10, 2023
An expert advisory panel tasked with finding more efficient ways to manage the soaring flow of visitors to Banff National Park outlined eight key strategies this week, including restricting private vehicles, greater co-operation with Indigenous Peoples and using pricing to influence visitor behaviour.
Read on.
Aug 3, 2023
CHANGE MAKERS
Category: People & Community
… The outcome was the creation of “Lead Tourism for Good- 10 Year Vision for Tourism in Banff and Lake Louise”, capturing the shared sense of privilege and responsibility to protect the area that emerged while surfacing the deep personal connection people have with the park.
Olivia Condon, Jan 03, 2023
The new year will bring a fresh vision for the future of tourism in Banff National Park. …
The Lead Tourism for Good 10-year Vision for Tourism in Banff and Lake Louise is a blueprint led by Banff and Lake Louise Tourism, with support from the Town of Banff and Parks Canada. Community leaders and stakeholders were also involved in the process. …
Banff Mayor Corrie DiManno said at a Dec. 19 council meeting that the town is committed to helping achieve the plan’s goals. …
“Although this is called a tourism vision, it goes beyond the visitor economy and the tourist trade. We heard loud and clear this is about our communities and the future of anyone who chooses to live in the park, so we must take the steps to make sure Banff has the type of tourism we love.
Helen Pike, Nov 22, 2022
Tourism Together aims to bring region into next decade with community in mind …
“We’re feeling and seeing the need for us to really come together as a community to focus on the right kind of tourism, ” said Banff and Lake Louise Tourism CEO Leslie Bruce. “The kind of tourism that we can sustain and the kind that really helps share this wonderful place and protect this place for generations to come.”
At an open house on Monday, more than 200 people met at the Banff Park Lodge to look at what the working groups have come up with so far. …
“Community well-being is at the heart of our desire for successful tourism, ” Bruce said.
Jessica Lee, Nov 22, 2022
…A tourism vision for Banff National Park for the next 10 years looks set to focus on the preservation of nature, quality of life for residents, a strong economy, enhanced transportation and improvements on Indigenous cultural awareness and education.
Banff and Lake Louise Tourism (BLLT), working with the Town of Banff, Parks Canada and an Indigenous working group, completed an engagement process that allowed national park residents, tourism employees, industry partners and visitors to provide feedback on the plan, generating more than 2,000 responses. …
At a more granular level, conversations arose around providing authentic Indigenous tourism experiences and increasing representation; affordability and housing; traffic and public transit; and environment.
“Across all the research, the stand out is this appreciation and love of place, and from that, of course, follows a strong sense of need to take care of place,” said Jungersted.
Cathy Ellis, Jun 14, 2022
…In addition, for the first time, a tourism master plan is being developed for Banff that will consider community well-being, the environment and economic prosperity. The plan is being developed by Banff and Lake Louise Tourism, Parks Canada and the Town of Banff.
Mayor DiManno said she believes part of that conversation will include discussions on a car-free Banff, whereby visitors park and shuttle for the most part. … “Within that tourism master plan or tourism visioning for the next 10 years, I think we’re going to have a community conversation about what we want the future to be, and I think a part of that will be the concept of exploring a car-free Banff,” she said. “I think the Town of Banff is a partner in that conversation, but it’s got to be a community-wide one in terms of strategies.”
Cathy Ellis, May 30, 2022
…Officials with Banff and Lake Louise Tourism (BLLT) say the master plan, which is being co-developed with the Town of Banff and Parks Canada, will consider community well-being, the environment and economic prosperity.
“There was so much that changed over COVID, that it really gave everyone time to pause and reflect,” said Nancy DaDalt, BLLT’s director of visitor experience. …
Mayor Corrie DiManno said it is important for residents to share their thoughts in the survey on what sustainable tourism could look like and what they want for the future of the community. “As we’ve heard in the past from residents, there are challenges, as well as perks, to living where the world visits and this tourism master plan really is going to focus on that community well-being piece,” she said. “This plan will truly be co-owned by the Town of Banff, Parks Canada and Banff Lake Louise Tourism, and we will need that community buy-in to move the needle on any of the big ideas that are coming with this plan.” …
Development of a tourism master plan aligns with other long-range plans including Banff National Park Management Plan, which is expected to be tabled in parliament, and existing municipal community planning documents such as the environmental and transportation master plans.
Dylan Short, May 25, 2022
…“The tourism master plan will become the guidepost for sustainable tourism in our destination,” Banff and Lake Louise Tourism president and CEO Leslie Bruce said… “Through the community survey, we’ll gain the insights we need to ensure the plan considers all aspects of our community well-being, environment and economic prosperity.”
Banff and Lake Louise Tourism is working alongside Parks Canada and the Town of Banff to create a 10-year plan for tourism in the region. Several working groups are collaborating with various groups in the area on consultations.
“It’s a critical time for tourism in our area, and we have the perfect opportunity to rethink our approach,” Cathy Geisler of Banff Lodging Co. and the Wim & Nancy Pauw Foundation said… “Anyone who lives here has a stake in what’s to come. We see time and time again that we are a stronger community when we work together, and this is no different. Each and every resident of the area should take the time to complete the survey.”
Cathy Ellis, Feb 25, 2022
…This year, BLLT hopes to complete work on a tourism master plan for Banff National Park with input from tourism leaders, businesses, Parks Canada, the Town of Banff, residents and visitors. Group NAO, a firm known for its work on sustainable tourism development, is helping with the plan. Through this process, BLLT will clarify its purpose and examine the organization’s future scope, framing how it will work with stakeholders and the community to deliver “responsible future growth of the visitor economy.” …
“It’s a huge project and an important project for us as a community,” said Angela Anderson, BLLT’s director of media and communications. “It is going to be a guide as we develop a sustainable future of our tourism in the park.” …
Banff Mayor Corrie DiManno said she felt an “overwhelming sense of hope” as she read BLLT’s business plan. “Your principles, initiatives, objectives, they are strong,” said DiManno, who as mayor automatically sits on BLLT’s board of directors as a Town of Banff representative. “I am so excited about this tourism master plan. It’s going to be a vision that guides us into the future.”