Canada's Crowded Banff Confronts Its Overtourism Problem

Every year, the startlingly beautiful resort town of Banff in western Canada receives more than four million visitors. In July alone, Banff National Park saw a total of 694,127 independent visitors, the most it had seen for the month since 2013. Parks Canada, the government agency managing national parks, said traffic flaggers were required 24 hours a day in 2022 in response to demand for access to Moraine Lake. The parking lot also remained full for nearly 24 hours a day at the peak of summer. 

"Even before the pandemic began, congestion has been increasingly impacting the ability of residents and visitors to access recreation features in the park," said Laurie Edward, executive director of Banff Canmore Community Foundation, a non-governmental organization based in Bow Valley that has also been involved in drafting the decade-long vision. "Local people care about that for themselves and for the visitors they welcome here."

Finally, Banff is addressing these problems of overtourism.

Banff is a town situated within the national park, where the co