Drawing Cards

Schoolchildren got the day off. The cadet corps and the boys' band showed up from Lethbridge, and the 18th Field Regiment from Great Falls, Mont. Over a symbolic arch on the border roared U.S. and Canadian planes. The occasion was last week's opening of the new hard-surfaced highway from the border town of Coutts to Lethbridge. It was also the start of Alberta's drive for U.S. tourists. Governor General Alexander, who cut the ribbon, added that he hoped the highway "might happily serve its noble purpose."

To tell the U.S. about the new road, the summer skiing, the mountain peaks and the trout fishing, the Alberta government was spending $179,900 on radio programs, advertisements and glossy come-ons. It was laying down $15,000,000 for roads, while the Dominion government was earmarking $3,500,000 for Alberta's parks.

Alberta was sure it would get all this back, and more. Pre-season bookings at the Banff, Jasper and Waterton Lakes chalets were heavy, the tourist camps were sprucing up. For the overflow, the Alberta Travel Bureau was lining up private homes, even vacant hospital beds. The province expected to top last year's record of 752,000 visitors and to reap a $20 million return. It was expecting but not encouraging 50,000 to rough it over the resort-shy Alaska Highway.

And in future, a convention of resort operators and tourist officials decided in Lethbridge last week, Alberta would use the word "visitor" instead of the crassly commercial word "tourist."

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