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Parks Canada is attempting to affect social media influencers, as extra individuals flip to their content material to plan journeys to Banff National Park.
Staff from the Banff Field Unit not too long ago attended a Travel Alberta occasion in Canmore, the place 13 Alberta-based influencers gathered to study accountable tourism.
It was the primary time park employees had taken half in the annual program, which started in 2019.
Travel Alberta makes use of the workshops to define the way it expects influencers it companions with to promote the province.
Banff National Park performing superintendent Daniella Rubeling says guests are more and more counting on social media as a substitute of conventional sources, like visitor centres, to plan their journeys.
“Social media has changed the ways in which people see the park or learn about specific things within the park, and has changed where people want to go,” Rubeling says.
And that’s why in the course of the occasion, park employees shared messages they need influencers to embody in their posts, geared toward encouraging safer behaviour in the park.
Messages embody reminding guests to keep inside their automobiles after they see wildlife and to carry bear spray on hikes, she says.
“These seem like really simple things. But we’ve got a growing Calgary and some folks who are less familiar with using a park,” she mentioned. “We want them to hear these messages as many times as possible before they get here.”
The resolution to attend the occasion comes as Banff sees record visitation. The park recorded 4.5 million guests in 2025–26, surpassing the earlier excessive of 4.28 million in 2023–24.
Parks Canada says influencer partnerships assist shield Banff
Linda Hoang, who has attended a Travel Alberta creator occasion in the previous, says whereas tourism operators are targeted on attracting guests, Parks Canada has been attempting to restrict when and the place individuals go, so the 2 teams haven’t at all times labored collectively.
But efforts like Parks Canada’s attendance on the influencer occasion counsel a “positive” shift towards extra collaboration, says the University of Alberta social media teacher.
“I don’t think we can deny the influence of what we scroll and what we consume,” says Hoang.
And so tourism boards are increasingly using influencers, she says, to shape visitor behaviour.
“There’s so much data to support that people are influenced by what they see on social media. So it’s actually quite smart and strategic for organizations to figure out: how do we work with this?”
In a statement to CBC News, Parks Canada said it attended the event because “engaging influencers in this way is important because Banff National Park is a special and highly protected place.”
It added that working with creators might help guarantee correct data is shared.
“By working with influencers who understand and communicate this, Parks Canada can help shape expectations, encourage respectful behaviour, and protect both visitors and the natural environment.”
Travel Alberta refrains from selling Banff throughout summer time
To handle rising crowds, Parks Canada has additionally launched measures like limiting car entry to Moraine Lake and requiring guests to use shuttle providers.
Travel Alberta has adjusted its method to advertising and marketing the area, too.
Chief advertising and marketing officer Tannis Gaffney says it doesn’t do any social media work to promote Banff in the summer time due to how busy it already will get.
Instead, the company works to spotlight lesser-known locations by means of its work with influencers.
“We try to show those places that are hidden gems that you might not know about around the province, that you want to go to because everybody else isn’t there,” Gaffney says.
