Opportunities
Tourism is a $5 billion dollar industry in Alberta. Only 2 hours east of Calgary, this sunshine belt in Alberta is an emerging playground for the 1.2 million people who live in the Calgary Region, and the 22,000 who call the County of Newell home. Key tourism anchors include Lake Newell - one of Canada's largest man-made lakes, Dinosaur Provincial Park - a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and recreation activity as diverse as golfing, boating, camping, fishing, hunting, and wildlife watching. A number of entrepreneurial opportunities exist to build off tourism anchors with viable recreation/relaxation-based enterprise.
- Accommodation
The region's oil and gas activity has spawned an accommodation industry for workers - generating a year round revenue environment. The City of Brooks is a central location for hotels/motels. Opportunities exist for B&B, agricultural, and camping (RV) accommodation.
A Pre-feasibility Study has been completed for a Recreational Vehicle Park
- Agri-Tourism
Agri-tourism is defined as travel that combines agricultural or rural settings and products within a tourism experience. It includes providing visitors with a broad spectrum of agriculturally-based experiences ranging from fruit, vegetable and bake shop stand shopping (direct farm marketing) to garden and specialty animal tours, from farm-based bed and breakfast accommodation, to participation in harvest festivals, farmer’s markets and cattle drives (working farms). With the County of Newell located in one of Alberta's wealthiest farming areas and given proximity to the Calgary Region, there is significant opportunity to bring urban residents to farming areas for recreation, and reconnection with the land.
- Recreation Activity Anchors
With 22,000 residents within the geographic area of the County of Newell and access to 1.2 million residents in the Calgary Region, significant opportunity exists to develop short-stay recreation amenities and activities that offer 'playground' opportunities for the Calgary Region.
