Contact: Tulene Steiestol
Senior Manager, Travel Media Relations
Office: 403-762-0290

Banff National Park Festival Surveys Hit 91% in Visitor Satisfaction

Visitors Rate Sports Festivals as an Appropriate Park Experience

Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada – November 17, 2009. The polls have been tabulated and the results for Banff National Park Bike and Dragon Boat Festival are a resounding success! Visitors who were surveyed on site rated the overall National Park festival experience as good or excellent and felt that they were more appealing because of their location in Canada’s first national park.

The market research study conducted by Ipsos Reid was designed to determine key motivators for those attending the events, to assess visitor satisfaction, and to provide a demographic and behavourial profile of its spectators. “Our goal was to create an enhanced visitor experience to engage Canadians and International visitors in the National Park environment; we are pleased with the outcome of the survey.” says Stuart Back, director, in-resort programming for Banff Lake Louise Tourism. “We will continue to work with event partners to generate a desire to visit and enjoy Banff National Park.” A total of 538 visitors and residents were interviewed representing with an accuracy rate of +- 5.0%. Both festivals have been approved to run for the next three years

To add to the 91% visitor satisfaction with these current events, a finding that confirms we are on track, it was recorded that 69% of those interviewed are interested in seeing more sporting events of this kind in Banff and Lake Louise. The 69% highlights the importance of attracting high quality special events such as the proposed LifeSports Triathlon and finding ways that they can be successfully conducted in Banff National Park.

-30-

About Banff Lake Louise Tourism
Banff Lake Louise Tourism is a destination marketing organization for the Town of Banff, Community of Lake Louise and Banff National Park. Supporting over 800 businesses, our mission is to engage visitors in unrivalled, remarkable experiences with our membership. For travel media inquiries, please contact Tulene Steiestol at tulene@banfflakelouise.com, www.banfflakelouise.com.