Project to bring connected approach to tourism

Posted on June 11, 2026 by Sunny South News

By Alejandra Pulido-Guzman
Southern Alberta Newspapers

Multiple municipalities along the Highway 3 corridor are partnering to take a coordinated approach to tourism with financial support from the provincial government. 

The Government of Alberta’s Northern and Regional Economic Development (NRED) program is investing $120,000 into a Highway 3 Alberta Tourism Corridor Development Project. 

Senior Director of Communications at Tourism Lethbridge, Dominika Wojcik says the project brings together communities and organizations from Medicine Hat to the South Canadian Rockies, marking a shift toward a more connected, investment-ready regional tourism approach. 

“This is what destination development looks like in practice,” says Wojcik. “By working across communities, we’re opening the door to new opportunities for our businesses, our partners and future investment in the region.”

Wojcik says the project is led by the Taber Community Improvement Society, in partnership with Tourism Lethbridge, Tourism Medicine Hat, South Canadian Rockies Tourism, Waterton Lakes National Park and the Town of Taber, and adds that the project reflects a growing trend of destinations working collaboratively to compete in a more global and experience-driven travel market.

“Markets that individually none of us are able to get into, and now we can actually stand against some of them and get the southern Alberta region on the map for people to explore,” says Wojcik.

She explains that this project builds on existing regional successes such as the Highway 3 Ale Trail, Highway 3 Ice Cream Trail and Savour Alberta’s South, bringing them together under one coordinated strategy to increase visibility, improve travel trade readiness and support regional growth.

“The initiative will focus on developing a unified Highway 3 AB tourism brand, launching a centralized website and creating curated three-, five- and seven-day itineraries designed to encourage longer stays and increased visitor spending,” says Wojcik.

She says these efforts position the corridor as a connected destination rather than a collection of individual communities, making it easier to market, sell and invest in southern Alberta tourism experiences.

“This is a great way for people to come to our region and not just come to Lethbridge for a day or two, but to come to our region for hopefully five to seven days and just experience a lot of different things,” says Wojcik.

The Highway 3 corridor features a wide range of tourism experiences, including agritourism, culinary offerings, outdoor recreation, cultural and heritage attractions, Indigenous tourism and unique accommodations. 

“The corridor will also prioritize the inclusion and growth of Indigenous tourism experiences, with ongoing collaboration and relationship-building with Indigenous communities,” says Wojcik. “Including the Blackfoot Confederacy, Destination Blackfoot, to ensure these stories and experiences are meaningfully represented.”

Wojcik says the idea behind the partnership is to make it easier for residents to plan out their road trips, vacations, and their desire to explore. As having all the information in one place helps them see the big picture. 

“They can land on each of our individual websites or social media platforms, but now they can see a whole itinerary planned out for them,” says Wojcik. “And rather than being on each individual place and having to create those itineraries, we’re helping them along the way, especially people that are travelling from outside of our region.”

Wojcik says this project also aligns with broader national strategies, including Destination Canada’s Prairies to Pacific Corridor, positioning southern Alberta as part of a larger, connected travel experience that can better compete for domestic and international visitors. 

“It also supports Travel Alberta’s Tourism Destination Zone framework, reinforcing the region’s focus on collaboration, product development and a more coordinated approach to destination,” says Wojcik. 

She adds that this type of regional alignment is critical to supporting Alberta’s long-term goal of growing the visitor economy to $25 billion in annual spending by 2035.

Project work began in May 2026, with completion targeted for March 2027.