More eyes are on Edmonton, a city now named as a top 30 must visit destination by Lonely Planet.
“We want people from all around the world to come immerse themselves in Edmonton’s unique history and culture and experiences,” said Melissa Radu, executive director of destination stewardship with Explore Edmonton.
Lonely planet cites the Fringe Festival, Old Strathcona and Ice District as some of the top attractions. Explore Edmonton said it does market to international audiences and is happy those efforts paid off.
Tom Hall, the vice president of Lonely Planet explained to get on the list, writers and staff nominate places they think are good destinations, and then independent travel experts vote on who makes the list. He assured “Lonely Planet chooses its best in travel list, completely free of commercial influence.”
“We’re always looking for places that we think are going to be, maybe destinations that could have been overlooked, destinations that offer fantastic experiences, that could do with celebrating in a specific year, destinations that have changed and that we think people might like to have another look at,” said Hall.
In the past, the review of the capital city wasn’t as colourful.
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In 2017, when Canada made Lonely Planet’s top country to visit, Edmonton was described as a government town often used as a stopover on the way to Jasper National Park or “for explorations into the vast and empty landscape to the north.”
The guide called Whyte Avenue the soul of the city and that “downtown is for the moneyed or the down and out” and downplayed the impact of a not-yet-finished Rogers Place on downtown. “There’s hope that the much-lauded Rogers Place will breathe life into it, but this seems like a tall order.”
A review, Don Iveson, the mayor at the time, wasn’t a fan of. “Whoever wrote the lonely planet review hasn’t actually been here for a few years.” (Editors note: Don Iveson said this in 2017)
Opinions seemingly can change. Now, Amarjeet Sohi, the current mayor of Edmonton, is celebrating the review.
“I’m glad that organizations such as lonely planet are noticing and promoting our city to the world.”
Edmonton does face challenges. Disorder, open drug use and homelessness could be seen as a tourism deterrent. Mayor Sohi acknowledges we’re not the only city dealing with this and adds the city is investing in solutions.
“We are heading in the right direction we are tackling those social issues and yes we have to do more, and I hope that our partners will recognize and step up and help us,” said Sohi.
Melissa Radu explained that more tourists in a vibrant city helps.
“When downtown is alive and full of events and people, it’s great for the economy, but it’s also great for, you know, the energy and, in some ways, the safety of that space too,” said Radu.
Lonely Planet’s review of Edmonton also includes the evolving Indigenous tourism sector.
“I’m excited to think about how many people will open the Lonely Planet Guide, and if they haven’t considered a trip to Edmonton or Alberta’s North, they can start to dream up what that trip would look like,” said Radu.
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