Wildfire-ravaged Jasper prepares for diminished summer tourism 1 year later

Between campsite closures and several hotels that were destroyed in the fire, less space for tourists will likely result in a 20 per cent decline in business revenue.

Every summer for 61 years, tourists have piled onto Jasper’s SkyTram to see the boomerang-shaped town nestled inside the sprawling Rocky Mountains. It’ll happen again this summer, but the view will be different.

The red cable cars will skim over thousands of trees poking up from the ground like charred matchsticks. From the top, a third of the town’s structures have vanished from sight.

It doesn’t change that Jasper is still open for business, and that’s what matters as the town prepares for its first summer since a runaway wildfire ripped through it last July.

“There are certainly positive signs, but we won’t be back to 100 per cent – that is clear,” said Jasper Mayor Richard Ireland.

The winter has been sleepier than normal, and the tourist-reliant town needs visitors this summer. Fewer restaurants have been open, though many more will restart as the snow melts, said one business owner.

Between campsite closures and several hotels that were destroyed in the fire, less space for tourists will likely result in a 20 per cent decline in business revenue, the Jasper Chamber of Commerce recently told town council.

The community is nevertheless inviting tourists to visit.

Whether to hone that message was a sensitive debate last fall, as grieving locals worried tourists would come to gawk at the damage.