Tourism week touts benefits of local travel

A town hall meeting on Monday will be looking at the benefits of tourism on local communities, as well as job creation and Alberta's economy.

Provincial tourism groups are holding a town hall Monday morning to kick off Tourism Week.

The event, which starts at 9 a.m., will discuss the sector’s future growth and success.

It is being put on by the Tourism Industry Association of Alberta and Travel Alberta.

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The industry groups say tourism continues to fuel Job creation and economic benefits across the province.

According to Statistics Canada data, visitor spend in Alberta grew by 10 per cent from January to September last year, three times the national growth rate.

This year’s tourism week comes amid trade turmoil with the US.

Travel experts believe the dispute will fuel more local travel as some people look to stay north of the border.

Many RV resorts and campsites are already seeing a boost in sales, with one CTV News spoke with reporting a 48 per cent jump in bookings from this time last year.

With files from Kathy Le