City rates high for scenery
WEBSITE NAMES LETHBRIDGE AMONG TOPS IN NORTH AMERICA
The city of Lethbridge is one of the most scenic places to visit in North America, according to CarRentals.com.
The city was recently named in a list of 33 most scenic places to visit in North America.
The list is not numbered, so it is not clear if Lethbridge being the 20th place mentioned in the list meant it was ranked 20th or simply one of 33 places mentioned.
Chinook Country Executive Director Nikolaus Wyslouzil said Canada is more and more becoming a place people want to visit.
“2016 was really a strong year both regionally and locally for tourism,” he said. “Nationally, Canada welcomed almost 20 million travellers, which is the highest number since 2002, and the second highest ever.”
Wyslouzil said there is a much greater awareness of everything Canada has to offer, and this is seen both in refugees and immigration applications but also in terms of tourism.
“There’s more awareness on the international stage about what a good country this is,” he said.
“When we look at 2017, already we have been named the top place to visit in the world by Lonely Planet, the New York Times, and Conde Nast Traveler. And given that this year, all parks are free, it’s the 150th for Canada, so there are a lot of events and celebrations that are quite noteworthy happening.”
As more people come to the area, word spreads about everything Lethbridge has to offer — whether it be facilities or green spaces such as the river valley. Wyslouzil said Lethbridge is also a central hub for many other facilities, parks and places of interest around southern Alberta.
Wyslouzil said visitor intercept surveys completed last summer show that people are coming because of events offered by the city such as Whoop-Up Days and Love and Records. The survey showed Lethbridge visitors average 4.5 out of 5 in terms of satisfaction with what the city offers.
Another question showed that 91 per cent of visitors planned to visit the area again, and that 98 per cent indicated they would recommend visiting Lethbridge to family and friends.
“All those things play together,” said Wyslouzil. “The people who are coming are advocating for the city when they return home.”
“I think overall, it’s a good sign. (Lethbridge) is a very clean city. It’s easy to get around. Youre not that far from anything. All those factors play into people liking to come here.”
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