Alberta’s tourism sector is gaining momentum, with January marking a record for international visitors and continued strength in hospitality activity.
BNN Bloomberg spoke with Mark Parsons, VP & chief economist at ATB Financial, about the drivers behind the surge, including U.S. travel, air access and domestic spending trends.
Key Takeaways
- International visitors to Alberta rose 7.2 per cent year-over-year in January, setting a new monthly record.
- U.S. travellers led the increase, with visits rising more than nine per cent compared with a year earlier.
- Improved air access and a weaker Canadian dollar are supporting both U.S. and overseas travel to the province.
- Strong tourism activity is contributing to higher restaurant and bar sales, reflecting resilient consumer spending.
- Capacity constraints and rising operating costs, including labour and food, remain challenges for the sector.
Read the full transcript below:
ANDREW: Alberta just posted a record-setting January in tourism. International visitors to the province surged more than seven per cent, driven in large part by tourists from our neighbour south of the border. Let’s get more from Mark Parsons, VP and chief economist at ATB Financial. Thanks for joining us. Mark, that’s interesting. A lot of Canadians are avoiding travel to the U.S., but Americans are happy to come up to Alberta.
MARK: Yeah, the Alberta story is really interesting on tourism. The province has really been leading the pack in this sector in 2025, and that’s continued into 2026. We’re calling it the sleeper pick of 2025 in the middle of the trade war. Why is tourism doing so well? There’s a whole “buy Canadian” movement — the elbows-up tourism. People are avoiding travel to the U.S., and what that does is boost local tourism. So more staycations, people spending their money here in Canada. You also have the low Canadian dollar, and of course, you’ve had a big jump in overseas visitors to Canada, especially Alberta. We attribute a lot of that to more direct flights and better air access, especially through the Calgary International Airport.
ANDREW: Right, and visitors from countries other than the U.S. are also up almost three per cent, but the increase in American visits — up more than nine per cent — was the real driver when it comes to international arrivals.
MARK: That’s right. We still have a low Canadian dollar, and even with higher oil prices today, we don’t really have that petro-currency that we used to. So that’s encouraging some U.S. travel to Alberta. Of course, the product is pretty good here — you’ve got the Rockies, winter sports and great skiing — so there is a draw. But I really think the game changer for 2025 and into this year is better air access, which is driving overseas visits in addition to U.S. travel. We expect that to continue helping grow the sector.
ANDREW: And you didn’t mention the Badlands — the hoodoos and dinosaur fossils — that’s well worth visiting as well.
MARK: Exactly. You come to Alberta, you can get a bit of everything. You can go to the Badlands one day and the mountains the next. It’s an interesting choice if you want an outdoor experience.
ANDREW: One issue that came up last year was how tough it was to get a rental car in Calgary — just a lack of capacity. I guess rising visitor numbers can create strains.
MARK: You do get some strains. If you’re trying to book a room this summer, you’ll find it’s not that easy. One of the challenges is creating enough tourism product — making sure you have hotel capacity, tourism infrastructure and transportation infrastructure. Labour can also be a constraint, especially in rural areas. That’s been holding things back somewhat in Alberta. One thing the province is looking at is all-season resorts. If visitors can’t find a room in Jasper, they might go to B.C. instead. B.C. offers ski-in, ski-out resorts, so Alberta is looking at similar developments in places like Kananaskis and Fortress Mountain. That will be an interesting story to watch, as provinces compete for visitors.
ANDREW: Restaurant sales are booming as well, but there’s the issue of rising operating costs.
MARK: It’s a bit of a mixed bag for the restaurant industry. People are dining out again, which is great, and tourism is a big part of that. More overseas visitors are spending money dining out. But food costs have gone up significantly, so margins are being squeezed. Labour is still a challenge coming out of COVID-19. Overall, though, it’s good news. It shows people feel confident enough to spend on dining and social experiences.
ANDREW: Can you generalize the sentiment around Airbnb? There are concerns it’s restricting housing supply, but it still seems to be a small part of the Calgary market.
MARK: I’ve heard that concern, but it is a relatively small part of the market. The bigger story in Alberta is that housing starts reached record levels in 2025, so we have new supply coming online. We’ve seen some weakening in the resale market, with prices dipping and rents down year-over-year. So it may be less of a concern than before, as builders have responded by increasing supply.
ANDREW: There are also concerns about potential housing oversupply in Calgary.
MARK: That’s mostly related to the condo market, not single-family homes. The build-out in recent years has been concentrated on the multi-family side. That said, Alberta continues to see strong population growth, with people moving from elsewhere in Canada. That provides a floor for demand. Overall, it’s good news that supply has caught up, helping keep housing more affordable than in other regions.
ANDREW: Nationally, though, tourism is still below pre-pandemic levels.
MARK: There’s still a COVID-19 hangover. We’re not back to normal levels across the country. Alberta is an outlier, helped by better air access. I think this presents a big opportunity. There’s talk about doubling non-U.S. exports, but we don’t often include tourism in that conversation. If we attract more overseas visitors, that counts as a service export. These visitors spend money in Canada and contribute to export growth. It’s something we should be paying more attention to.
ANDREW: Thanks very much. Always great hearing from you.
MARK: Thanks for having me.
ANDREW: That’s Mark Parsons, chief economist at ATB Financial.
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This BNN Bloomberg summary and transcript of the April 9, 2026 interview with Mark Parsons are published with the assistance of AI. Original research, interview questions and added context was created by BNN Bloomberg journalists. An editor also reviewed this material before it was published to ensure its accuracy and adherence with BNN Bloomberg editorial policies and standards.
