Rocky View County, the sprawling municipality surrounding Calgary, is seeking to enhance its tourism sector. The county recently announced a planning process to guide and manage tourism-related development, aiming to attract more visitors to the area.
Tourism Development Opportunities
The county's initiative includes potential developments such as outdoor recreation, trails, farm-based experiences, overnight accommodations, events, guided tours, and other attractions. According to a public notice on the county's website, there is growing interest in tourism-related uses, particularly in west Rocky View County, and existing policies do not fully address how these uses should be considered.
“The county wants to understand where these types of uses may be appropriate, what impacts they may create, and how they can be managed responsibly,” the notice states.
Focus on Western Areas
The strategy will concentrate on the county's west side, including areas adjacent to the Rocky Mountains like Bragg Creek and Springbank. In late May, a $100-million Nordic spa and hotel development broke ground in Springbank. The 2.23-hectare project, expected to open in 2028, is projected to welcome 200,000 visitors in its first year.
Rocky View County encompasses land to the east, west, and north of Calgary, including hamlets like Bragg Creek, Balzac, and Langdon, as well as rural acreage communities such as Springbank, Bearspaw, Elbow Valley, and Conrich.
Economic Diversification
Kevin Hanson, councillor for the southwest area of the county, noted that the tourism strategy aims to diversify the commercial tax base, which currently relies heavily on logistics and warehouse businesses. “I think tourism is one aspect aligned with what the province is trying to do,” he said. “It’s far easier if you’re aligned with the province on something as opposed to them shoving stuff down your throat that they want to do. In this case, I think we both agree the province wants to diversify, the county wants to diversify.”
Existing Attractions
While much of the county consists of agricultural lands, there are already notable visitor attractions, including Calaway Park in Springbank, Butterfield Acres Petting Farm in Bearspaw, CrossIron Mills shopping mall and Century Downs Racetrack and Casino in Balzac, and the West Bragg Creek trail network.
The county emphasizes that tourism-related development must be planned carefully to respect rural character, agricultural operations, environmentally sensitive areas, transportation safety, infrastructure capacity, and residents' quality of life.
