Jasper adjusting marketing ahead of tourism rebound in Alberta mountain town
Global News
The Alberta mountain town of Jasper is focusing on the benefits of the community, as it works to bring back tourists while the COVID-19 pandemic drags on.
On a chilly Monday in early December, the main streets of Jasper are nearly deserted.
The usually packed restaurants and gift shops are empty, as are blocks upon blocks of hotel parking lots in the western Alberta mountain town.
At the Marmot Basin ski resort, the only delay in getting onto the chair lift is to pull up your required face mask.
When the COVID-19 pandemic shut down travel in March 2020, the tourism-dependent town was quick to feel the effect.
Usually swollen with tens of thousands of visitors, the mountain escape shrunk to just its 5,000 residents.
Eventually, albeit slowly, Albertans started to return. Some chose the destination after having to cancel international trips.
After being open more than a decade, CoCo’s Café saw its customer base go from mostly tourists to all locals.
“I had so much support and it was not enough without tourism, Jasper would not survive. Like, there is no possible way,” said owner Lynn Wannop.