CALGARY — Entry to Canada’s national parks is free this year to mark the 150th anniversary of Confederation. Here is what Parks Canada prepared for, by the numbers:
23.2 million — Visitors in 2015
24.6 million — Visitors in 2016
27.3 million — Projected number of visitors in 2017-18
Nine per cent — Increase in visitors as of July 2017 compared to a year earlier
3.7 million — Park passes ordered since December 2016
$136.40 — Cost of a family park Pass in 2016
$67.70 — Cost of an individual park pass in 2016
$0 — Cost of a park pass in 2017
$4.85 million — Projected production and distribution costs of park passes in 2017
$70.08 million — Parks Canada funding for lost revenue and increased capacity in 2017
$1 million — Contingency fund to respond to unpredicted issues or surges in visitation
25,000 — Extra industrial toilet paper rolls the tourist hotspot of Lake Louise, in Banff National Park, is expected to need this year, an increase of 25 per cent
500 — Extra cords of firewood Lake Louise expected to need this year, an increase of 20 per cent
21 per cent — Temporary expansion of full-time and seasonal employees in Banff National Park
4.7 per cent — Increase in visitors to Banff National Park as of July compared to the same time last year
46 per cent — Increase in visitors to Elk Island National Park near Edmonton so far this year compared to 2016
58 per cent — Increase in visitors to Point Pelee National Park in southern Ontario so far this year compared to 2016
20 per cent — Increase in visitors to Waterton Lakes National Park in southwestern Alberta so far this year compared to 2016
The Canadian Press
