Banff, Jasper hotels, sites reopening soon
With national parks reopening and some provincial restrictions lifting, travel company Pursuit is opening the doors to its many hotels, restaurants and attractions in Banff and Jasper, and is marketing it as a private showing for Albertans.
Border restrictions will mean fewer crowds for locals wanting to experience their mountain park backyard. To encourage visitors, Pursuit is offering special resident rates and flexible cancellation policies.
“We’re just going to be focused on friends and neighbours here in Alberta. I think it’s going to present this amazing opportunity for a lot of Albertans to enjoy and experience the park like a behind-the-scenes tour or an advance screening before the rest of the world will be allowed back in,” said Dave Mckenna, president of Banff Jasper Collection by Pursuit.
All five of Alberta’s national parks, and 24 others across the country, will reopen to visitors June 1 in a day-use capacity. Closed to the public since March 25, Banff, Jasper, Waterton Lakes, Elk Island and Wood Buffalo National Parks will accept visitors again starting Monday with day-use areas, trails and washrooms reopening.
Pursuit temporarily suspended operations in March and will relaunch its 10-plus businesses in a phased approach.
“We’re thinking about who our guests are going to be in Banff and Jasper, and understanding that people are really going to be looking for day trips to start and will evolve into overnight stays ... We think people will start out a little cautious.”
Mckenna said the staged reopening also allows Pursuit to focus
on cleaning, sanitizing and staff training. It has instituted a Safety Promise that includes things such as single group boarding on the Banff Gondola, increased spacing between tables in restaurants, single-use menus, reduced capacity at all attractions, express checkouts, staff screening and personal protective equipment.
“We want to provide guests with an increased level of assurance that when they are ready to visit us, they can do so with confidence knowing that we have their utmost safety in mind,” said Mckenna.
He noted there are also some proposals on the table in Banff that will allow for even more room for everyone to feel comfortable about coming, such as closing off two blocks of Banff Avenue to become pedestrian-friendly.
“As a community, we’re excited about this. We get to try some ideas we’ve talked about for a long time but would have had a hard time doing in a normal summer.”
The gradual reopenings begin with Jasper’s Marmot Lodge and Lobstick Lodge on June 1, followed by Banff Gondola and Elk + Avenue Hotel on June 4. Attractions such
as the Columbia Icefield Adventure and Columbia Icefield Skywalk are slated to begin June 19, with sightseeing trips on July 1.