Travel Alberta, Banff & Lake Louise Tourism play host to adventure

CALGARY, March 13, 2018 – How do you grow the Alberta tourism industry beyond $8 billion annually? To start with, you’ve got to up your game, so Travel Alberta and partner Banff & Lake Louise Tourism have teamed up to host AdventureELEVATE, taking place in Banff from March 13-15. Game on.
 “Banff is the first destination to host the AdventureELEVATE event during the winter, and we couldn’t ask for a better backdrop to showcase Alberta as a premier winter adventure destination”, said Karen Soyka, Vice-President Business Development, Travel Alberta. “Believe it or not, Alberta is not yet top of mind in the global market for winter travel, so growing international awareness is a big step in growing tourism outside of our peak summer season. Hosting AdventureELEVATE helps us create awareness around a new peak season, with the kind of winter adventures and snowbound selfies you just can’t get anywhere else.”
AdventureELEVATE hosts a global cohort of media and travel trade that participate not only in the conference, but also in pre-event excursions across the province designed to highlight the best Alberta has to offer. Hosting global events like this provide the destination with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to showcase the highlights of the area, driving visitation for years to come. 
“This is an incredible opportunity to show off our awe-inspiring destination,” said Woodrow Oldford, VP, Global Marketing, Banff & Lake Louise Tourism. “Adventure tourism is one of the fastest-growing sectors of the industry and we’re focused on growth. That means taking opportunities like this to share Banff and Lake Louise’s incredible winter activities with a crowd who will embrace them.”
The annual MediaExchange and new AdventureExchange Marketplace encourages attending tour suppliers, travel media, outbound buyers, travel agents, and destination representatives to connect and forge business relationships that can result in more visitors to Alberta.
“The delegates and media attending ELEVATE in Banff and Lake Louise will be blown away by the diverse amount of winter experiences available and rest assured, they will be sharing their experiences with their vast networks of travellers, friends and colleagues. What happens at AdventureELEVATE is that a destination is seen in a brand-new light. For Alberta it will now be sharing a story of dog sledding, ice climbing, snow shoeing, and cross-country skiing—all of these will get added to the list of highlights already in people’s minds. The soaring mountains and turquoise blue lakes of summer will be complimented with white coated peaks and adventure travellers playing amongst bright blue winter days,” said Casey Hanisko, President, Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA).
The Day of Adventure leading up to AdventureELEVATE is also critical to driving Alberta awareness. Global delegates will explore a selection of winter sports led by local guides and operators, with opportunities to participate in activities like snowshoeing, ice climbing, ice walks and cross-country skiing.