Writing-On-Stone Provincial Park was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2019. (Image: Lethbridge News Now)

By David Opinko/LethbridgeNewsNOW

Alberta recognized by National Geographic for Indigenous tourism

Oct 29, 2022 | 1:00 PM

WRITING-ON-STONE, AB – The prairie province is being given a spotlight by a major international publication.

National Geographic has released its list of “25 breathtaking places and experiences for 2023.”

According to the organization, the annual list includes “places filled with wonder, rewarding to travelers of all ages, and supportive of local communities and ecosystems.”

The list is separated into five sections – community, nature, culture, family, and adventure.

Under the community section, five places are recognized for offering “meaningful travel.”

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Alberta was named by National Geographic as the leader in Indigenous tourism.

While also mentioning the natural landscapes of places such as Banff National Park and the Athabasca Glacier, they say “there are different perspectives to consider in this Canadian province, part of a rethinking about how Indigenous stories are told across all of North America.”

The article states that Alberta’s Indigenous sites offer touchstones to the province’s pre-European past, specifically calling out the visions and myths found in the rock carvings and paintings left on the sandstone formations and rock spires of Writing-On-Stone Provincial Park in the Milk River Valley.

Writing-On-Stone was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2019.

Brenda Holder, a Cree/Iroquois guide, was quoted in the National Geographic article. She leads visitors on walks and workshops in the woods near Sundre to examine the medical plants Indigenous people rely on.

“[Travelers] who seek us out want to reconnect and refocus,” Holder told National Geographic.

The article also mentions Indigenous tourism in Elk Island National Park near Edmonton, which offers guided hikes, hands-on interpretive programs featuring prehistoric stone tools, and Cree crafting workshops.

The full list of “25 breathtaking places and experiences for 2023” can be accessed on the National Geographic website.

READ MORE: UNESCO adds Writing-on-Stone to Alberta’s list of World Heritage Sites