Tourism Canmore Kananaskis Secures Municipal Funding Through 2028

Canmore council has approved a new four-year funding agreement with Tourism Canmore Kananaskis, extending municipal funding through 2028 as the destination management organization looks toward broader funding reforms beyond the current agreement.

Council unanimously approved the agreement June 2, directing administration to enter into a funding agreement with Tourism Canmore Kananaskis (TCK) through 2028. Under the agreement, TCK will receive annual funding equal to 12 percent of the previous year's business registry revenue.

According to the Town of Canmore, funding provided to TCK increased from $54,000 in 2020 to $66,879 in 2024, a rise of nearly 24%.

"Looking ahead, we expect this funding to continue to grow as new commercial areas are brought online or further visitor accommodation is developed in our community," said Eleanor Miclette, manager of economic development for the Town of Canmore.

Miclette told council the funding formula, which has been in place since 2020, remains a reasonable allocation that allows both the town and TCK to meet their objectives while recognizing growth in the community and business licence revenue.

"It still remains reasonable to what we need to accomplish on both ends and allows for that growth in the long term," she said.

The agreement also requires annual reporting showing how municipal funding supports regenerative tourism, sustainability, economic development and priorities identified in the town's strategic and tourism planning documents.

The agreement includes retroactive funding for 2025 after the town was unable to finalize a new agreement last year due to staffing changes and other factors, administration said.

Coun. Tanya Foubert said tying funding to business registry revenue allows support for destination management to grow alongside the business community.

"I think that tying it to the business registry revenue on a percentage basis is a really smart way to go about it because it means that as the business community grows, the funding for this work, which also aligns with our priorities, is additionally supported," she said.

In Canmore, Tourism Canmore Kananaskis says destination marketing fees account for about 70 per cent of its $1.7-million budgeted revenue in 2026.

Unlike Banff & Lake Louise Tourism, which receives most of its funding from a visitor-paid Tourism Improvement Fee, TCK relies heavily on destination marketing fees voluntarily remitted by accommodation providers and activity operators.

According to Banff & Lake Louise Tourism, about 85 per cent of the organization's funding comes from the visitor-paid fee, while business licence fees account for a smaller share of overall revenue.

Despite the renewed municipal support, TCK says its long-term funding model remains a challenge.

"To sustain our destination management role beyond 2028, we must move toward a more secure and equitable funding framework," the organization said.

TCK said a future funding model should better reflect the scale of the region's $1-billion visitor economy, broaden participation from sectors that currently do not contribute financially, including short-term vacation rentals, and reduce reliance on voluntary contributions from a relatively small group of accommodation and activity providers.