CANMORE – With Danielle Smith taking over as premier, Banff-Kananaskis MLA Miranda Rosin has a new job title – parliamentary secretary of tourism.
As a parliamentary secretary, Rosin will be responsible for helping lead policy development in a broader ministry.
“I will be the hands on the ground,” Rosin said. “My role will be to engage with stakeholders and meet with industry partners across the province.”
With Banff-Kananaskis riding being one of the most important tourism areas in the province, it likely played a major role in the appointment of Rosin.
“I think this is a big recognition from the premier’s office and the government as a whole that tourism is seen as an economic driver for the province,” Rosin said. “There is an opportunity for growth, diversification in the industry across the province.”
The appointment of Rosin comes at an important time for the Alberta tourism industry, which is beginning to recover from the impact of COVID-19 on tourism numbers, staffing and revenue.
In the province’s 2021 budget, the government set an ambitious goal to double tourism spending in Alberta to more than $20 billion a year by 2030 as part of its COVID-19 recovery plans.
According to Statistics Canada’s Travel Survey of Residents of Canada study in 2018, $8.2 billion was spent on tourism and there were 35.2 million visits.
According to Travel Alberta's market insights, there were 34.7 million trips in the province in 2019, including Albertans, which led to $10.06 billion in spending.
“It could not be a more critical time for the industry. We are at a point of transition out of survival mode and going into the phase of growth again,” Rosin said. “Now is a good time to look at where we have come from, what we have gone through and where opportunities are going into the future.”
Rosin would like to work with the recreation partners across Alberta to develop a full recreation economy in the province, similar to what British Columbia has in place.
“There is tremendous potential for developing an outdoor recreation economy in Alberta, similar to what British Columbia does,” Rosin said. “One of my largest priorities will be working with our recreation partners to develop out a full recreation economy in the province.”
Rosin has several goals in her new post, including reducing red tape on tourism leaseholds and funding for Travel Alberta.
“I have heard a lot from the industry about the labour shortage and the need to work with them to reduce that,” Rosin said.
Another major goal for Rosin will be creating a better configuration for the Kananaskis Conservation Pass.
“We need to take a special look at the Kananaskis Pass. Our numbers suggest that Albertans are comfortable in paying the pass, but they want to be aware of where their money is going,” Rosin said.
Wanda Bogdane, executive director of Banff and Lake Louise Hospitality Association, said she is happy to see Rosin appointed to the position.
“Having this role appointed to the MLA for Banff-Kananaskis makes sense,” Bogdane said. “The Canadian Rockies is the largest contributor to Alberta’s tourism economy.”
Bogdane added the role is critical as it will allow the Bow Valley to leverage its needs across different ministries.
“Given this additional mandate to work across the available ministries on behalf of the tourism industry, it is a critical partnership role for us,” Bogdane said.
Going forward, Bogdane said her organization will continue to meet with Rosin, as they have in the past, to keep her abreast on issues and opportunities in the Bow Valley sector.
“Even though we are representative of the national park tourism space, and she represents the provincial riding, there is a huge overlap between the two,” Rosin said. “The opportunities we have on the partnership side between the province and feds to come together is quite unique.”
Rachel Ludwig, CEO for Tourism Canmore Kananaskis, said she is also optimistic about Rosin in her new position.
“We hope that Ms. Rosin will give us a stronger voice in the Legislature,” Ludwig said. “Ms. Rosin understands how important the tourism economy is to our community. Our hope is that this role will help facilitate some of our goals.”
Ludwig said the Bow Valley is unique as there is no other place in Alberta where the visitor economy and tourism is as important.
“It is great to see that the parliamentary secretary for tourism is from this riding,” Rosin said. “It makes sense because tourism is such an important part of what makes our community great.”
Ludwig hopes she and her organization will be able to connect with Rosin soon and talk about how her role can enhance the industry and the lives of community members.
“One of our most pressing goals, from an organization perspective and town perspective, is we have sustainable funding mechanisms for tourism in place,” Ludwig said. “The town serves many visitors through the year and there is not really a good funding mechanism to improve infrastructure in the Bow Valley.”
