Banff National Park not on pace for record-breaking visitor numbers

You may have seen wild lineups at tourist attractions in Banff National Park and busy streets in the townsite; however, park officials say it’s not on pace to set a visitor record.

In an email to Daily Hive, Parks Canada says from April 2024 to August 2024, Banff National Park welcomed 2,373,676 visitors.

“This year’s visitation follows the usual year-over-year increase we are accustomed to seeing. It’s important to note that visitation is heavily influenced by weather conditions, and we are not currently anticipating record-breaking numbers for the year,” Parks Canada added.

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Visitation to Banff National Park is calculate based on a fiscal year from April 1 to March 31.

Supplied

The 2021-2022 visitation levels saw an impact from the COVID-19 pandemic, as restrictions impacted domestic and international travel, but as of the 2022-2023 fiscal year, visitation returned to pre-pandemic levels.

With large demand for some of Banff National Park’s gorgeous locations, Parks Canada is also looking at developing visitor use management plans, which could bring in visitor restrictions for two popular spots in the park.