The Experience Economist - Americas Edition 2026 1.0

To the North, Alberta has set an ambitious goal for the growth of its tourism economy, targeting C$25 billion in annual visitor spending by 2035, compared with approximately C$14.4 billion in 2024.

a broader range of communities. If successful, this approach can support new investment and employment while contributing to greater economic diversification across the province.

Location highlight: Alberta Province, Canada

Culture and entertainment in Calgary

Touching on new developments in Alberta that align with the aforementioned tourism strategy, Scotia Place is a major new sports, entertainment and mixed-use gathering destination currently under construction within Calgary’s Culture + Entertainment District, aiming to open in fall 2027. The C$1.2 billion project is intended to become a year-round destination combining professional sports, concerts and major events with public gathering spaces, dining, retail and community recreation. At the center of the development is a new multipurpose, 18,000+ seat arena that will be the home of the Calgary Flames, with supporting events for the Calgary Hitmen, Calgary Wranglers and Calgary Roughnecks. The wider project includes a second smaller arena, indoor and outdoor public plazas, and various retail and dining outlets. The outdoor spaces will also be used to host concerts and other special events, accommodating up to 5,000 guests when configured as an event space and festival street. Scotia Place is a great example of the type of investment that supports the province’s broader visitor-value strategy. Rather than functioning solely as a sports venue, the combination of events, dining,

Peyto Lake in Banff National Park

workforce and housing needs. There is also a strong emphasis on encouraging visitors to explore beyond established destinations such as Banff, Jasper, Calgary and Edmonton. This focus on visitor value rather than visitor volume is particularly relevant to attraction and destination development. A visitor who stays longer, travels more widely and participates in more paid experiences can make a greater economic contribution without requiring a corresponding increase in overall visitor numbers. New attractions, leisure experiences and resort products can therefore play an important role, both by increasing length of stay and spend and by creating reasons for visitors to explore emerging destinations.

LDP has previously undertaken work that aligns closely with this approach, identifying potential attraction and leisure opportunities in some of Alberta’s less- developed tourism areas, including the Southern Rockies and Canadian Badlands. This work considered potential uses and developed high-level feasibility studies and business plans designed to demonstrate the opportunities and support engagement with prospective investors. The C$25 billion target is undoubtedly ambitious, but the underlying strategy recognizes that tourism growth is about more than simply increasing arrivals. Developing compelling reasons to stay longer, spend more and travel more widely can help Alberta capture greater value from its tourism economy while spreading the benefits of that growth across

To the North, Alberta has set an ambitious goal for the growth of its tourism economy, targeting C$25.0 billion in annual visitor spending by 2035, compared with approximately C$14.4 billion in 2024. Visitor spending reportedly reached C$15.0 billion in 2025, suggesting that the province is already making progress toward that target. Importantly, the strategy is not simply about attracting more visitors. It is about increasing the value of tourism by encouraging longer stays, developing higher-value experiences and creating more reasons to visit throughout the year. Priorities include the development of year-round attractions and all-season resorts, expansion of nature-based experiences, improved air and ground connectivity, support for Indigenous tourism, and addressing

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