The Themes

The themes bring together all aspects of the experience throughout the season from a visitors’ perspective.

Each season offers a slightly different reason to come play in the region. We focus our efforts on four main themes where we can have the greatest impact.

We chose those themes based on their potential for growth, existing demand and product availability. These are:

Summer Adventures: even though this is the busiest time of the year in terms of visitation, leaving us at capacity for lodging on many nights, there is still a lot of room to grow for activity providers and restaurants.

Fall Colours: this has been a slower time for visitations but with the growing awareness of the beauty of fall colours along Abraham Lake we are seeing increased demand with a strong overlap in visitors from the Frozen Wonderland theme.

Frozen Wonderland: this is one of the best known times to visit the region for out-of-province guests and one we need to capitalize on.

Winter Adventures: like summer, this is a busy time of the year with lodging often at capacity on weekends, leaving opportunities to grow mid-week visitations with out-of-province guests.

The four themes are described in more detail below along with ideas on how we can activate each of them in the short term.

Summer Adventures

This is the time to play outside, have family adventures and spend lazy afternoons relaxing in nature. The days are longer and so are the adventures. It’s less about the hiking, paddling or biking activities at this time of the year and more about the waterfalls, stunning views and wildflowers we come across along the way.

Goosebump Moments

It’s about the feeling of wonder as we see waterfalls, mountain views and wildflowers while on an adventure but also the quiet happiness that comes from lazy afternoons and evenings by the campfire.

Viable, Desirable & Feasible

We can help by:

Focusing on visitors who spend money locally and promote longer stays.
Sharing Leave no Trace and responsible recreation messaging.
Promoting dispersion to lesser-known locations.
Addressing signage issues and the lack of information about the region.
Addressing gaps in products, especially around availability and the booking process.

The Activities

Outdoor Activities: hiking, biking, paddling, climbing, scrambling, fishing.
Nature Appreciation: photography, nature-inspired arts, sightseeing.
Relaxing: laying in a hammock, reading outside, campfires, outdoor cooking, camping, cabins.

Supporting Moments

A sense of discovery while learning about the region.
Pride in trying new activities, overcoming new challenges and in making the time to disconnect from the day-to-day.
Creating memories with close friends and family.

Stories

Scenic vistas and adventure photos.
Accounts of adventures in the region.
Stories on the human and natural history of the region.
Information on how to enjoy the activities: trail guides, adventure and gear recommendations, tips to improve skills.

Safety

General outdoor, activity-specific and wildlife safety information.

Logistics

Day trips for specific activities, mostly from the east with potential to increase as part of multi-day trips to Banff or Jasper.
Multi-days (2-7 days) self-driven tours with the components booked individually or as part of a flexible package.
They prefer to book online with local operators. Lodging is often booked months in advance but activities within 30 days of the trip.

Reinforcing Memories

Locally-made items to purchase as souvenirs.
They appreciate when we re-share their social media posts.

Activating this Theme

Timeline

Dreaming: March to July
Planning: April to July
Booking: May to August
Experiencing: Late June to Labour Day

Markets

Alberta
Potential for Canada, US and Europe. There is an existing European market with RV rentals but they are typically self-guided and only driving through the region.

Itineraries and Packages

Lodging availability is limited during the summer. Focus on itineraries and activity bookings for now instead of packages that include accommodation.

Develop itineraries for:

Day trips from Banff, the Icefields Parkway, Rocky Mountain House and Calgary.
Overnight trips to attract guests who typically visit for a single day.
Out-of-province visitors by connecting the region with Calgary, Sundre and Banff.

Events

Support events organized by the partners.

Content Creation

Host creator trips similar to Fall 2021 and Winter 2022.
Fill in the gaps in the guides and information available on explorenordegg.ca.

Sales

Offer visitors a centralized option for activity bookings.
Work with the travel trade to add local activities to existing products (e.g. current RV tours driving through the region). This is a longer-term project.

Fall Colours

It’s a time of change. For some it’s about trying to finish the list of hikes that was planned in the spring. For others it’s about slowing down to enjoy the fall colours, chasing the moments with a camera and relaxing by the warmth of a campfire. It’s also a time to reconnect with co-workers and plan ahead for the upcoming year.