logo
  • News
    • Community
    • Local Government
    • Sports
    • Alberta Politics
    • Opinion
    • Deke
  • Events
  • Jasper Builds
  • Peaks & Valleys
    • Wildlife
    • Hiking and Climbing
    • Biking
    • Fishing
    • Snow Sports
  • Culture
    • Jasper Arts & Culture
    • Local Dining
    • Local Literature
  • Jasper History
  • Support
    • News
      • Community
      • Local Government
      • Sports
      • Alberta Politics
      • Opinion
      • Deke
    • Events
    • Jasper Builds
    • Peaks & Valleys
      • Wildlife
      • Hiking and Climbing
      • Biking
      • Fishing
      • Snow Sports
    • Culture
      • Jasper Arts & Culture
      • Local Dining
      • Local Literature
    • Jasper History
    • Support
Business, News
Thursday, July 30, 2020
Destination Marketing Organization trying to shore up Jasper’s complex, vulnerable tourism ecosystem

COVID-19 is highlighting where Jasper’s economy is most vulnerable. 

While Jasperites can thank their rubber tire visitors for propping up summer revenues, local tourism experts are warning that not only are we overly- dependent on international guests, but that most overseas visitors to Jasper get here by way of a complex tourism “ecosystem,” the interconnected systems of which are susceptible to factors that are, for the most part, beyond our control. 

Red Plates to the Rescue 
Tourism Jasper’s CEO and President, James Jackson, has never been so thankful for the red license plates of Alberta. 

Albertans are visiting Jasper this summer and propping up a COVID-compromised economy. // Bob Covey

“They’re keeping this community running right now,” he says. 

In March, Jackson’s worst-case revenue forecasts had Jasper’s losses somewhere in the 80 per cent neighbourhood. While it’s too early to get hard data on how the summer has gone so far for local operators, Jackson said anecdotal evidence he’s heard suggests Jasper businesses are doing far better than first anticipated. 

“Certain restaurants and hotels are faring better than they thought both in terms of occupancy and average cheque,” he said. 

What’s interesting, he said, is that there seems to be a wide discrepancy of the spending and social habits of our regional guests. 

“Everything is living at either end of the spectrum,” he suggested. “There are higher-yield guests who are understanding of the situation and there is a very price- sensitive, challenging market as well.” 

Furthermore, looking ahead to the fall is problematic when Alberta can’t say if schools will reopen. Added to the uncertainty is the idea that government wage subsidy programs will likely expire at that time. 

Venture Again
When COVID-19 was declared a worldwide pandemic, Tourism Jasper’s business plan went “totally out the window.” 

“Suffice to say we went back to the drawing board,” Jackson said. 

Now, while Tourism Jasper asks regional visitors to “Venture Again,” and marketers attempt to flip the script on some of Jasper’s unique features (i.e. what better place to vacation during a pandemic than a small, isolated community in a huge park?), the destination marketing organization is simultaneously looking down the pipe to how and when international travel might rebound. 

Tourism Jasper is putting out the message to domestic travellers that Jasper National Park’s wide open spaces are a perfect place to social distance. // Bob Covey

The inputs being analyzed include the big numbers (the global GDP contraction, for example), the historical trends (how Americans tend not to Venture Beyond during an election year, for example) and the real- time travel industry activities (such as what airlines and passenger rail companies are doing to brace customer confidence). 

“The challenge is understanding all these things and distilling them into a strategy,” Jackson said. 

The most conspicuous challenge right now, of course, is that international guests and their four-to-one spending habits (versus domestic travellers’ dollars) aren’t here. This is a problem in 2020, to be sure, but the bigger quandary is realizing just how much we depend on these folks, Jackson says. 

“The biggest thing we have to get our heads around as a DMO is institutionalizing agility into our model,” he said. “We’ll have to do more planning, have more diversification and be less reliant on our international guests.” 

What A Tangled Web We’ve Wove 
In a normal year, a large part of the work Tourism Jasper staff puts into marketing overseas doesn’t come to fruition for more than a year. For an Australian visitor to find her way to Jasper, for example, she’ll typically be using up to four intermediaries. First, the guest’s money gets laid down at an Australian travel agency, which then works with an international tour operator, who then purchases inventory from a Canadian- based receptive tour operator, who then buys blocks of rooms or experiences. 

Jasper’s complex tourism “ecosystem” has prospered in recent years, but a worldwide pandemic has shown it is vulnerable to the volatility of the global economy. // Bob Covey

“You can see the dominoes that are starting to line up,” Jackson said. 

Moreover, the further away from Jasper the visitor starts, the more interconnected everything becomes. As any Jasper server who’s listened to their guest go on about their extended travel itinerary knows, most far-flung visitors will have come via Calgary and Lake Louise and are often on their way to Vancouver and Whistler— and maybe even a cruise to Alaska. 

“There’s a large ecosystem at play,” Jackson said. 

While Jasper waits for parts of that ecosystem to recover—the armies of travel agents that have been laid off, or the airlines who are trying to demonstrate above-and-beyond health and safety measures, for example— Jackson said DMOs like Jasper are looking for secondary domestic markets. 

Soon, travel agencies in places like Winnipeg, Saskatoon and Hamilton will start to compel their customers to see Spirit Island, Athabasca Falls and Maligne Canyon. After all, as the DMO, Tourism Jasper has to now Venture Beyond. 


Bob Covey // bob@thejasperlocal.com

Articles You May LIke ›
Most Read ›
Measles case in Jasper prompts health alert
Health
Measles case in Jasper prompts health alert
Tuesday, July 15, 2025
Public health officials have confirmed a person with measles has been in a public setting in Jasper while infectious. Yesterday (July 14, 2025), Alber...
this is a test
Pitch perfect: Jasper U15 Football Club provincial champs
News
Pitch perfect: Jasper U15 Football Club provincial champs
Lucas Habib 
Wednesday, July 9, 2025
Jasper soccer players have once again brought home a provincial soccer championship. Jaifred Mota was the first one to rush keeper Kieran Rudge after ...
this is a test
Mount Alberta centennial: standing on the shoulders of giants
Community
Mount Alberta centennial: standing on the shoulders of giants
John Wilmshurst, guest contributor 
Monday, July 14, 2025
Jasper roping up for celebrations of Mount Alberta's 1925 inaugural ascent If you are going to steal a mountain in Jasper, I’d recommend Mount Alberta...
this is a test
Letter: Jasper remains a wonderful place to visit
Community
Letter: Jasper remains a wonderful place to visit
Tuesday, July 15, 2025
It was with a feeling of trepidation that we approached Jasper this year. We have been regular visitors since 2001 and it’s become a kind of home away...
this is a test
Latest ›
Trail tech: The next generation
Biking
Trail tech: The next generation
Georgia Ristivojevic 
Monday, June 30, 2025
Rugged roads and twisting trails await those who seek. Thanks to its history of trail use by outfitters and recreationalists, Jasper has established i...
this is a test
Introducing Linwood Homes
Featured Builders
Introducing Linwood Homes
Saturday, June 28, 2025
How long have you been in business? Linwood Homes was founded i n 1968 in Alberta. Our business is over 55 years old. How many homes have you built? W...
this is a test
Finding their bearings: How bears use habitat
Environment
Finding their bearings: How bears use habitat
Mark Bradley 
Thursday, June 26, 2025
Dry grass crunched underfoot as the old grizzly searched for food. Her nostrils flared and her nose twitched as she tested her surroundings for anythi...
this is a test
Golf’s golden years at Jasper Park
Jasper History
Golf’s golden years at Jasper Park
John Wilmshurst, freelance contributor 
Monday, June 23, 2025
100 years ago, the Jasper Park Golf Club teed up its first round of the Royal and Ancient Game In 1457, King James II of England banned golf in Scotla...
this is a test

NEXT ARTICLE

COVID Check-In: Local rafters pivot to new whitewater

Business, News, Peaks & Valleys

Most Read ›
Measles case in Jasper prompts health alert
Health
Measles case in Jasper prompts health alert
Tuesday, July 15, 2025
Public health officials have confirmed a person with measles has been in a public setting in Jasper while infectious. Yesterday (July 14, 2025), Alber...
this is a test
Pitch perfect: Jasper U15 Football Club provincial champs
News
Pitch perfect: Jasper U15 Football Club provincial champs
Lucas Habib 
Wednesday, July 9, 2025
Jasper soccer players have once again brought home a provincial soccer championship. Jaifred Mota was the first one to rush keeper Kieran Rudge after ...
this is a test
Mount Alberta centennial: standing on the shoulders of giants
Community
Mount Alberta centennial: standing on the shoulders of giants
John Wilmshurst, guest contributor 
Monday, July 14, 2025
Jasper roping up for celebrations of Mount Alberta's 1925 inaugural ascent If you are going to steal a mountain in Jasper, I’d recommend Mount Alberta...
this is a test
Letter: Jasper remains a wonderful place to visit
Community
Letter: Jasper remains a wonderful place to visit
Tuesday, July 15, 2025
It was with a feeling of trepidation that we approached Jasper this year. We have been regular visitors since 2001 and it’s become a kind of home away...
this is a test
Latest ›
Measles case in Jasper prompts health alert
Health
Measles case in Jasper prompts health alert
Tuesday, July 15, 2025
Public health officials have confirmed a person with measles has been in a public setting in Jasper while infectious. Yesterday (July 14, 2025), Alber...
this is a test
Letter: Jasper remains a wonderful place to visit
Community
Letter: Jasper remains a wonderful place to visit
Tuesday, July 15, 2025
It was with a feeling of trepidation that we approached Jasper this year. We have been regular visitors since 2001 and it’s become a kind of home away...
this is a test
Mount Alberta centennial: standing on the shoulders of giants
Community
Mount Alberta centennial: standing on the shoulders of giants
John Wilmshurst, guest contributor 
Monday, July 14, 2025
Jasper roping up for celebrations of Mount Alberta's 1925 inaugural ascent If you are going to steal a mountain in Jasper, I’d recommend Mount Alberta...
this is a test
Pitch perfect: Jasper U15 Football Club provincial champs
News
Pitch perfect: Jasper U15 Football Club provincial champs
Lucas Habib 
Wednesday, July 9, 2025
Jasper soccer players have once again brought home a provincial soccer championship. Jaifred Mota was the first one to rush keeper Kieran Rudge after ...
this is a test
This site complies with Jasper requirements
Contact us
Privacy Policy
Advertise With Us
About The Jasper Local
Accessibility Policy
Support

Follow Us

Advertise with us

Measurable, targeted, local. Email example@thejasperlocal.com

ePaper
coogle_play
app_store

© Copyright The Jasper Local