At Andrew Lake Lodge — a remote camp in the extreme northeast corner of Alberta — owner Dan Wettlaufer is looking forward to welcoming the first of this year's crop of tourists this weekend.
Andrew Lake Lodge attracts visitors from across the country, the U.S., Europe and Asia looking to experience fishing, hunting and wildlife viewing in a pristine wilderness location. "Internationally, when people hear of Canadian wildfires, they may think it is the whole country that's on fire," he said.
At the Big White Ski Resort in that region, which hosts mountain biking and a variety of events and festivals in the summer, senior vice-president Michael Ballingall said he is worried that forecasts for a significant wildfire season in 2024 will scare off some guests."You can never out-market the news."
Stavros Karlos, with the Tourism Industry Association of Alberta, said increasing incidences of wildfire and smoke across the country are a huge concern to the sector as a whole.