Sustainable Journeys from Prairies to Pacific - Highway 3 Tourism Corridor
Investment Overview
Sustainable Journeys from Prairies to Pacific brings together more than 50 communities, including Indigenous nations, resort towns, and rural villages, in reshaping a scenic highway into a world-class, journey-based destination. Spanning over 1,000 kilometres and anchored by a unifying “trails” theme, the initiative aims to diversify Canada’s tourism landscape and unlock new economic potential.
The Corridor stretches along Highway 3 between Hope, British Columbia and Lethbridge, Alberta.
Highway 3 offers an established base of natural, cultural and commercial tourism assets: national and provincial parks, mountain resorts, wineries, Indigenous cultural experiences, agricultural tourism, heritage attractions and extensive trail networks. Despite these advantages, the region remains underdeveloped relative to its potential. Many travellers currently treat Highway 3 primarily as a transportation route, resulting in short stays, limited visitor spending and underutilized tourism assets.
The initiative aims to create a connected portfolio of investable tourism opportunities that addresses gaps in accommodations, attractions and supporting amenities. Targeted investment will encourage visitors to explore further, stay longer and spend more, creating sustainable economic value for corridor communities.
Region: Alberta and British Columbia
Type of projects: Accommodation, recreation and entertainment, and transportation
Current Development Status: Concept / Early Planning
Total Project Value: $25M-$49M
Investment Amount Sought: $25M-$49M*
*Note/Disclaimer: Capital expenditure estimates were developed in 2023/24 and have not been adjusted for inflation or updated construction costs. Actual project costs may vary.
Intended Use of Investment Funds: Pre-development costs, design and engineering, construction, infrastructure servicing, working capital, and expansion or repositioning
Key Activities/Impact Highlights
The proposed model aligns communities around a broad “trails” theme encompassing outdoor recreation, culture, culinary and agri-tourism, arts and artisans, history and dark skies. It identifies investment needs across a range of accommodation types and new or enhanced visitor experiences and services, supported by community-readiness work, asset mapping, business case development, investor attraction and coordinated corridor marketing.
Key Activities/Impact Highlights
The proposed model aligns communities around a broad “trails” theme encompassing outdoor recreation, culture, culinary and agri-tourism, arts and artisans, history and dark skies. It identifies investment needs across a range of accommodation types and new or enhanced visitor experiences and services, supported by community-readiness work, asset mapping, business case development, investor attraction and coordinated corridor marketing.
Flagship Investment Concepts
These concepts demonstrate a range of possible entry points from owner-operated tourism businesses to larger accommodation developments. Actual capital requirements and investment returns will depend on location, land and servicing costs, project design, financing structure, regulatory approvals and operating assumptions.