The Iraq war is all but over, SARS panic has waned in Canada and most travellers have overcome the shock of 9/11.

If bad luck does indeed come in threes, thousands of companies in Alberta’s travel and hospitality sectors are hoping the tough times have ended as they plan ahead for the year’s busiest season – the summer months.

But with nearly two years of turbulence behind them and no auto-pilot to rely on, hard-hit travel operators are learning the only rule that applies is to expect the unexpected.

“For us in the tourism industry, it’s a different game. It’s such a different world now,” says Lori Perlin, manager of communications and marketing for Banff-based Brewster Group Travel, which operates services including group tours, charter bus/sightseeing voyages, day trips and hotels.

Photo courtesy of Canadian Mountain Holidays
Canadian Mountain Holidays says Alberta remains a desirable destination.

“In the past, we all had patterns to follow and now we don’t. As marketers, we’re covering new territory.”

Many Alberta companies are revamping their spring and summer marketing campaigns, zeroing in on an anticipated increase in short-haul visitors from within Canada and the United States. Some firms say they are pulling back on ad campaigns in international markets such as Asia, where the travel industry has been decimated by the SARS crisis.

Perlin says Brewster, which caters mainly to U.S. travellers but also has clients from Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Japan, has seen a decline in bookings but hopes to regain business as global political tensions ease with the end of the Iraq war.

“We definitely are still maintaining a presence in all of our markets,” says Perlin, noting that many travellers are now trading the luxury of booking months in advance for the security of short-term planning. Like many travel firms, Brewster launched a seven-day cancellation policy on new bookings this spring to encourage leisure travellers to book ahead.

At Canadian Mountain Holidays, which operates adventure-oriented trips in Alberta and B.C. including heli-hiking, backcountry skiing, mountaineering and pre-packaged tours, planning ahead has become a greater challenge. Eighty per cent of the company’s clients are American.

“We have been impacted by what has been happening in the world,” says marketing manager Jane Hay. “My overall feeling is that people are taking their time deciding on holidays and we have to be in the forefront of their minds when they do book.

“We are not stepping back at all . . . we are stepping forward. Of any country in the world, we are one of the best to come to – especially for Americans.”

Anastasia Martin-Stilwell, public relations director of the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge, says bookings have remained steady because of a strong corporate brand and the hotel’s top-rated golf course.

“The trend is still certainly short-term bookings but . . . we have such a strong following.We are so diversified in our market segments – we’re very lucky that way.”

Owen Voaklander, managing director of the Edmonton-based Alberta Professional Outfitters Society (APOS), says the Canadian government’s decision not to join the U.S.-led war on Iraq has led to a handful of trip cancellations from patriotic Americans.

U.S. clients represent about 85 per cent of business for the 420 Alberta hunting outfitter/ guides represented by the association.

“These kinds of things don’t go over well with hunters,” Voaklander says. However, Alberta Premier Ralph Klein’s outspoken support for the war effort has mitigated the damage, he notes.

A recent economic development study by the APOS revealed the hunting guide/outfitter industry injects $63.1 million each year into the Alberta economy – 95 per cent of that new money from outside the province.

Many of those dollars are directed toward small businesses such as hotels and restaurants operating in rural communities. Most hunters head to Alberta in the spring and fall, which is peak season for the province’s hunting industry but a traditionally slower time for the rest of the travel sector, Voaklander notes.

“Alberta is very fortunate as we’ve got a very diverse hunting quality and some very good trophy animals as well. Business will be down a bit this year but . . . I think for the fall it’s looking pretty good for most guides. Alberta’s been in great demand.”

Vancouver-based Rocky Mountaineer, which runs rail trips between the West Coast and Calgary as well as more than 40 pre-packaged holidays, predicts companies with strong products will see a rebound as travel patterns return to normal later this year.

“We are cautiously optimistic that business will come back,” says Graham Gilley, vice-president of passenger marketing and communications.

“We are confident that there will be an appetite for our product . . . and we will continue with the strategies we have in place. The important thing is to be really ready for the rebound.”

Tough times in the travel sector have also hurt airlines including Calgary-based WestJet and Montreal-based Air Canada, which blame increased taxes such as the federal security surcharge for discouraging air travel in Canada.

WestJet officials said last week the discount carrier will axe short-haul service to Sudbury and Sault Ste. Marie this fall due to “market conditions.” Financially troubled Air Canada, meanwhile, said it will ground 40 aircraft and eliminate more than 10 routes due in part to declining traffic from the SARS crisis.

Ontario’s tourism sector has been hammered by SARS fallout after the World Health Organization issued and then rescinded a travel warning for Toronto.