Regional Investment Opportunities
COMMUNITY PROFILE – Drumheller
OVERVIEW
The Town of Drumheller, with a population of nearly 8,000 people, is located in south central Alberta in the heart of the
Canadian Badlands. It is just 138 kilometres northeast of Calgary and 279 kilometres southeast of Edmonton. Drumheller is
a well-established tourist destination that is home to many major attractions, including the Royal Tyrrell Museum of
Palaeontology.
Tourism contributes a great deal to Drumheller's economy. The region is known for impressive palaeontological discoveries, oil and gas exploration, and agriculture. Oil companies working in the Canadian Badlands area also draw a great number of workers to the region. With the Alberta government's commitment to establish the Canadian Badlands as a major destination in Alberta, visitation to the area is expected to grow in the years to come.
The primary trading area for Drumheller consists of Starland County, Kneehill County, and Wheatland County. This primary trading area has a population of 24,000 people, not including approximately 500,000 tourists that visit Drumheller annually.
HOSPITALITY
Drumheller currently has nine hotel/motel sites and 17 bed and breakfasts/inns. These facilities provide just over 525 rooms
in the area. There are over 1,000 campsites in six campgrounds and 28 restaurants in the area.
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- Visits to the Royal Tyrrell Museum in 2008-09 were over 400,000.
- The Worlds Largest Dinosaur attracted over 100,000 visitors in 2008.
COMMUNITY WEBSITE
To learn more about Drumheller, please visit www.dinosaurvalley.ca
TOURISM INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITY – HOTEL ACCOMMODATION
The Canadian Badlands region in southern Alberta is host to some of Canada's most intriguing travel experiences. With Drumheller's tourism strategy in place and a well developed infrastructure for tourism, there is an opportunity to develop additional fixed room accommodation in the town.
In 2006 a report was released regarding fixed-roof accommodation and it indicated that Drumheller was lacking available room space. It was estimated that demand exists for an additional 150 rooms. The need for additional hotel rooms will also be supported by a new recreation facility the town is building, which will feature a new library, fitness centre, field house and meeting rooms. This facility will be able to host larger events consisting of 500 people. Groups and organizations are already inquiring about hosting meetings and larger conferences in Drumheller. The new facility is scheduled to open in the spring of 2011.
Numerous other tourism business opportunities exist in the Drumheller area, including:
- Adventure tours - hiking, biking, trail rides, water-based tours. The Red Deer River has good potential for adding new tourism experiences;
- Eco-tourism products and experiences;
- Specialty retail shops;
- Fine dining and family restaurants; and
- Aboriginal attractions and interpretive programs.
The Town of Drumheller will work with developers to secure land and provide the necessary assistance to advance any new development in a quick and efficient manner.
CONTACT INFORMATION
For more information regarding these opportunities, please contact Scott Martin.
Phone: (780) 415-8827 or Email: scott.martin@gov.ab.ca
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