Tourism corridor to bring out the best of northern Alberta: Explore Edmonton

Aurora Borealis photographed by airline pilot Matt Melnyk Friday night over northern Alberta. (Photo: Matt Melnyk)

A new tourism corridor is being planned between Alberta and the Northwest Territories.

The Northern Sky Corridor will connect Edmonton to Yellowknife.

Melissa Radu, executive director of destination stewardship at Explore Edmonton, said the corridor will connect multiple destinations and points of interest to create a better visitor experience for tourists in Canada’s north.

“What we’re really focusing on is celebrating the region’s rich cultural heritage,” Radu said. “Making sure that we can find ways to leverage natural beauty, sky watching opportunities, land-based nature experiences and also Indigenous tourism.

“Because we really want to connect visitors with those Indigenous stories from here and then up to the Northwest Territories.”

Destination Canada, formerly the Canadian Tourism Commission, has been promoting tourism across the country since 1995.

It said demand for tourism in Canada’s north exceeds the current supply, with revenue from aurora borealis tourism alone expected to grow to around $167 million in the next five years.

Data from 2023 shows Indigenous cultural experiences were also popular, with 67 per cent of visitors expressing interest.

The corridor is part of Destination Canada’s 2030 Tourism Strategy to make Canada a top 7 global tourism destination.

Radu said the corridor will offer multiple routes through northern Alberta destinations, such as High Level and Peace River.

“Travellers really like to have options,” she said. “They like to feel like they’re invited to curate their own experience with things that are of particular interest to them.

“So we might have a couple of variations of how people can choose to get around, where they can stop, where they can stay.”

Destination Canada is paying $250,000 to support the corridor. The project is currently in the planning phase.

Radu could not say when the project was expected to be completed.

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Amanda Anderson