One of Canada’s most popular Rocky Mountain destinations will remain off-limits to tourists for the foreseeable future.
As the residents of Jasper began returning after the largest fire recorded in the national park in 100 years, the town’s municipal authority confirmed that currently no date has been set for welcoming back visitors.
According to Parks Canada, the town’s wildfire evacuation alert was lifted over the weekend and its status is now classified as “held”. This means that the fire is not expected to spread in any priority areas based on current and expected weather and resourcing.
The fire, which continues to impact Jasper National Park and the surrounding areas, is the largest recorded in the national park in 100 years and has destroyed hundreds of homes and businesses in the town of Jasper. An estimated $283 million-worth of property was destroyed.
As a result, Jasper is currently open to residents only and Jasper National Park is closed until further notice.
The Municipality of Jasper stated on Facebook: “The town of Jasper is not ready to welcome visitors and the State of Local Emergency is still in place.”
According to Tourism Jasper, the town will be reliant on tourism spend to aid recovery. Currently, there is no estimated date for reopening and further direction will follow as the situation develops.
Travel Alberta is encouraging agents to continue to work with their partner tour operators and inbound operators to re-route impacted clients.
According to the Parks Canada website: “There are still many areas in the Jasper National Park with fire activity. These areas must be assessed for safety after the fire is extinguished. Many risks remain in closed areas, such as ash pits, reduced air quality, hazardous trees and hazardous waste requiring containment. It will take more time for these areas to re-open.”
The website confirms that any reservations with a checkout date on or before September 3 will automatically be cancelled and fully refunded. There is no need for further action on the part of visitors for these cancellations and refunds.
A message from Travel Alberta reads: “Our thoughts are with the residents of Jasper and Jasper National Park as those that are able to navigate their return. We look forward to welcoming people back to Jasper when the community is ready.”
For more information about affected areas, travel agents can visit travelalberta.com/know-before-you-go/wildfires-in-alberta
