The visitor information centre in Canmore is an opportunity waiting to happen.
Officials from the tourism division of Tourism Recreation and Culture were at the recent Travel Alberta industry conference in Banff and had an opportunity to provide an update on projects they are working on – including a major redesign process for lands owned by the province at the entrance of the community on the busy Trans-Canada Highway.
Chris Heseltine, tourism division assistant deputy minister, said the visitor information centre in Canmore is an important asset for the government when it comes to providing information to those traveling east and west in the province.
After years of discussions on the future of the site, which is owned by Alberta Infrastructure, Heseltine said there is now funding in place for a master plan to be created in partnership with the Town of Canmore, which leases part of the site for a municipal campground.
“How do we really enhance that site?” Heseltine asked. “How do we create that as a major gateway, not just for the Rockies, but the other way too? To help travellers coming from the west that want to learn about opportunities in the eastern portion of our province.”
While programming is part of the answer, he said the physical layout of the entire site is also part of the solution.
The visitor information centre is also a trailhead for the Legacy Trail, which means those accessing that trail are also parking at the site. Overall, the location has several problems that need to be fixed through a master plan design process, said Heseltine.
