Turning Alberta Tourism Ambition into Visitor-Ready Destinations
Across Western Canada, tourism is emerging as a powerful driver of economic diversification, community wellbeing, and long-term resilience. In Alberta, renewed investor interest and supportive provincial frameworks are accelerating destination-scale tourism opportunities rooted in outdoor recreation and year-round experiences. Helping developers turn this vision into reality requires a clear, coordinated path forward.
From Vision to Viability
McElhanney helps turn tourism ambition into buildable, approvable, revenue generating destinations, guiding projects end-to-end, especially where public land and multi-jurisdictional processes create the most risk.
Our team supports tourism development through:
- Site selection and early feasibility
- Obtaining or amending dispositions / leases on public land
- Multi-jurisdictional approvals and permitting
- Access, servicing, and infrastructure planning
- Environmental and natural hazard integration
- Construction-ready design, tender support, and contract administration
This full-lifecycle approach reduces uncertainty, shortens timelines, and aligns development outcomes with long-term community goals.
A Community-First Approach to Alberta Tourism
As an employee-owned, Western Canadian firm, McElhanney invests where our clients invest. That commitment shapes how we approach tourism development — not as isolated projects, but as part of a broader vision. Tourism succeeds when it works for communities first. Our role is to help define and enable that success.
Supporting Outdoor Recreation and Destination-scale Tourism
Outdoor recreation infrastructure plays a critical role in shaping high-value tourism destinations, from trails and parks to lodges, glamping, and all-season resorts. McElhanney brings deep experience supporting outdoor-based tourism projects — like Fortress Mountain Resort — across Western Canada.
Explore more of the projects we’ve supported on our Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure page.
One Coordinated Advisory Team
Tourism projects often stall when planning, technical, environmental, and engagement work happens in silos. McElhanney is differentiated by bundling these services into one coordinated advisory team, helping communities and investors move faster with clearer decisions.
Our integrated capabilities include:
- Community and land use planning
- GIS and geomatics for site analysis
- Environmental and natural hazard expertise
- Access and servicing engineering and design
- Specialized design services for recreational trails, gondolas, ropeways, mountain coasters, and park spaces
- Public, interest hold, and Indigenous engagement grounded in long-term relationship
Let’s Talk About What’s Possible
Whether you’re exploring tourism as an economic development opportunity, or navigating complex public land approvals, McElhanney is ready to help. Contact our Community and Resort Development team, based out of our Canmore office location.