The projections for Calgary’s tourism industry over the next decade are good, even with the political turmoil and shifting travel behaviour of Canadians.
Tourism Calgary has projected that the city’s visitor economy will double from the current $2.9 billion to $6 billion by 2035, coinciding with a renewed effort by the Government of Alberta to see the province’s growth reach $25 billion in the same time period.
That $2.9 billion figure was already ahead of the $2.7 billion projection that Tourism Calgary made for the visitor economy for 2026 in 2023, just after the pandemic.
The details of the $6 billion growth plan were released by Tourism Calgary in its 2025–2027 Business Plan earlier in February.
Alisha Reynolds, CEO of Tourism Calgary, said that focusing on four strategic pillars of the visitor economy fuelled the big growth trajectory.
“Fueling excitement for Blue Sky City, becoming a year-round eventful city so that there’s activation all throughout the year, being Canada’s leading convention destination, and bold leadership and radical and transformative collaboration, which is everybody leaning in together to make magic happen for people when they come to Calgary,” she said.
Part of that plan revolves around creating further excitement for visitors to want to come to Calgary, and Reynolds said that there are several ways that will happen.
Mayor Jyoti Gondek said that it was incredible that both Tourism Calgary and Travel Alberta believe in the growth of Calgary’s visitor economy.
“We have demonstrated this year over year, we’ve increased the number of visitors that come to our city. We’ve increased the number of events. They’re very bullish on what we can accomplish,” Mayor Gondek said.
“I think right now we have to realize the moment in time there are people that are less likely to travel to the US because of the volatility in that market. We are happy to have those visitors come here, and I know the folks at tourism will do a good job of showing them why it’s important to come here and check out Calgary.”
Tourism Calgary is encouraging increased visitation from Canadians
Reynolds said that over the past year, Tourism Calgary has seen increased visitation from Ontario and B.C., and is looking to capitalize on that increased interest with a national campaign to connect Canadians with Calgary
The upswell in Canadian pride is also something that Tourism Calgary has been monitoring as an opportunity.
“We’re keeping a very close eye on it. We’re proud of our city. We know that there’s lots to do here always, and we do think this particularly strong Canadian pride that we’re in is going to encourage people to explore more than they have before,” Reynolds said.
Encouraging international visitors to also take advantage of the discounted Canadian dollar versus other currencies, is also a priority.
“With Canadian currency being quite attractive to travellers south of the border, if people take the time to consider the discount that’s possible coming north of the border, Calgary is an extremely affordable city. There’s a lot to see and do, and it makes for a very high value trip,” Reynolds said.
Reynolds said the ongoing tariff threats from the U.S. haven’t caused a reduction in American visitors wanting to come to Calgary.
“We’re watching it very closely to understand the impact of tariffs. Travel is an amazing opportunity to bring people together, and we have not seen a decline in visitation to Calgary as a result of any of these announcements,” she said.
“Canada and the US particularly have a very long history of friendly relations, and we think people are going to continue to see the opportunity to explore across the border and coming into Canada.”
