Tourism in Saskatchewan

There are numerous heritages and cultural attractions in the province of Saskatchewan. Museums, dinosaur digs, aboriginal cultural and heritage sites, art galleries, professional sport venues, spas, handcraft, antique and tea shops, agricultural tours, theatre and archaeological sites comprise over 600 varied Saskatchewan institutions.

There are three national parks located in the province of Saskatchewan: Grasslands National Park, Prince Albert National Park, and Fort Walsh. There are 37 provincial parks, provincial recreation areas, natural areas and a Heritage rangeland are also protected on a provincial level.

Saskatchewan also has two major cities, Regina and Saskatoon. Regina is home to one of Canada's most significant attractions, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Academy at Depot Division where visitors can view the Sergeant Major's Parade held weekdays and the seasonal Sunset Retreat Ceremonies. Regina is also home to the RCMP Heritage Centre which opened in 2007.

One of Saskatchewan’s newest tourist attractions, the Gull Lake Interpretive Center,^[1] is located west of the town of Gull Lake along the Trans-Canada Highway. The center is still under construction and will be run by a non-profit charity. The interpretive center will display and educate visitors about the wide range of energy sources and mainly emphasis on wind power, sustainable energy and the environment.

Cities

Saskatoon

Saskatoon is Saskatchewan's largest city, with a population of 260,600 in the census metropolitan area.^[2] It is located on the Trans-Canada's Yellowhead Highway #16 and is centrally located within the province. According to estimated figures by Tourism Saskatchewan, tourism in Saskatoon is worth over $500 million. This accounts for close to one-third of the $1.6 billion in travel expenditures throughout Saskatchewan.

Top annual events include the Saskatchewan Jazz Festival, NASCAR Canadian Tire Series, Saskatoon EX, Taste of Saskatchewan, Folkfest, Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan, Saskatoon Fringe Theatre Festival, and Fireworks Festival.

Saskatoon is serviced by the Saskatoon John G. Diefenbaker International Airport with several direct flights to and from major Canadian and U.S. destinations. Direct daily scheduled air access is available with Air Canada, WestJet, and Delta Air Lines. Via a year-round direct US flight (Minneapolis), travellers are connected by only one stop to Saskatoon from over 40 U.S. cities.

Air Canada and several major Asian airlines offer one-stop service from major Asian gateways - Beijing, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Manila, Seoul, Taipei, Tokyo Haneda, Tokyo Narita, Osaka (seasonal) - to Saskatoon via Vancouver (YVR). Saskatoon is also accessible via one stop in Vancouver (YVR) from Aukland, NZ and Sydney, Australia.

From five major European gateways (Amsterdam, Munich, London, Frankfurt, and Paris), Saskatoon is connected by 301 one-stop flights per week though seven North American gateway cities (Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Toronto, Ottawa, Minneapolis).

Saskatoon is also serviced by Via Rail, Greyhound Canada, and the Saskatchewan Transportation Company.

Tourism Saskatoon is a membership-based, non-profit visitor and convention bureau marketing Saskatoon and region as a destination of choice for leisure and business travel. Services include convention and events attraction, media relations, and membership services and advocacy. One of a few destinations in Canada, Tourism Saskatoon holds Destination Marketing Accreditation by Destination Marketing Association International. Nicknamed “the hub city” for its numerous domestic and international transportation connections, Saskatoon is known for its expansive parklands and admired for its arts and culture scene, festivals and major sporting events.

Conventions Saskatoon was created in 1999 to help secure conferences and events for the city. It is a working committee, composed of 30 to 40 local industry partners, led by the conventions and event sales team at Tourism Saskatoon. Their services, offered complimentary, include preparing bids, providing site visits, and working with local associations and other organizations to build support for conventions to be hosted in Saskatoon.

Saskatoon Sports Tourism was created to guide the attraction, retention and creation of sports tourism activities in Saskatoon. Incorporated by Tourism Saskatoon in 1999, Saskatoon Sports Tourism assists event organizers in locating local suppliers, sports venues, and hotel accommodations, and helps to increase local awareness and attendance at events.

Museums

• See the article List of museums in Saskatchewan for a complete list of museums.

• The Addison Sod House^[3] is a Saskatchewan homestead site over a hundred years old made of grass or sod has been designated as a National Historic Site of Canada. This sod home was used by early homesteader James Addison and his family 10 miles north of Kindersley and 6.5 miles east on Highway 21. His property held a barn, two sheds, shelterbelt as well as a dugout.

• The Bateman Historical Museum

• The Diefenbaker House^[4] is the childhood home of Prime Minister of Canada, John Diefenbaker-turned-museum located in the city of Prince Albert. The museum building was built in 1912 and purchased in 1947 by the Prime Minister of Canada, John Diefenbaker and his then wife Edna Diefenbaker. It was closed in 2001 and moved to the Sukanen Ship and Pioneer Museum in 2004.^[5]

• The Mendel Art Gallery is a major creative cultural centre in City Park, Saskatoon, opened in 1964. Housing a permanent collection of works of local, regional and national significance, including works by the Group of Seven, the Mendel is also known for its public programs for all ages.

• The Outlook & District Heritage Museum is located in downtown Outlook. The museum is located in the former CP Rail Station and houses over 3000 items that highlight the lives of the pioneers and the community that was built on the banks of the South Saskatchewan River.^[6]

• The Saskatchewan Western Development Museum^[7] is a network of four museums in Saskatchewan, Canada preserving and recording the social and economic development of the province. The museum has branches in Moose Jaw, North Battleford, Saskatoon and Yorkton. Each branch focuses on a different theme: transportation, agriculture, economy, and people, respectively.

National and provincial parks

• See List of protected areas of Saskatchewan for the complete list of national, provincial and regional parks in Saskatchewan.

• The Athabasca Sand Dunes Provincial Park is a unique geophysical land feature in the Boreal Shield ecosystems of the province of Saskatchewan.^[8] It's 400 to 1,500 meter long dunes are the most northerly in the world.

• The Buffalo Pound Provincial Park is a Saskatchewan Provincial Park located in southern Saskatchewan about 25 km northeast of the city of Moose Jaw.

• The Cannington Manor Provincial Park is a historic park which was established in 1882 by Captain Edward Michell Pierce (d. June 20, 1888) as an aristocratic English colony. Pierce's death, drought, and the placement of a CP railway 10 kilometers away instead of through the town, all contributed to the demise of the colony.

• The Grasslands National Park is one of Canada's newer national parks and is located in southern Saskatchewan along the Montana border. Part of the national park system, the park aims to protect representative areas of the country's 39 natural regions.

Regional Parks

• The Carlton Trail Regional Park is a family recreation and activity center and features a nine-hole golf course, a stocked fishing lake, a public beach, camping facilities with 75 electrical sites as well as food services, a picnic area, playground, ball diamonds and hiking trails.

• The Victoria Park was designed by Canada's first resident landscape architect, Frederick Todd. It hosts the Regina Folk Festival in the summer.

Showing Palliser Park cabin development

• The Palliser Regional Park is located near the town of Riverhurst next to Lake Diefenbaker. There are over 300 full service, electrical and water, and no service camping lots as well as cabin development. The park has public washrooms and showers. There is a full service marina and nine-hole golf course and a heated pool that offers swimming lessons in July and August. The park is also home to the Mainstay Inn, a restaurant and hotel. There are lots of sandy beaches and the park also has many playgrounds. It also has a concession and mini golf course.

Railway

• The Saskatchewan Railway Museum located in Saskatoon, operated by the Saskatchewan Railroad Historical Society.

Significant events in Saskatchewan tourism

• Corner Gas, a television show set in the make-believe town of Dog River, Saskatchewan.

See also

• Tourism in Canada
• Festivals in Saskatchewan
• List of Saskatchewan parks
• Tourism Saskatchewan
• Tourism Saskatoon

Notes

1. Action Southwest Gull Lake Interpretive Center Gull Lake Saskatchewan
2. Statistics Canada, 2011 Census of Population http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2011/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=CSD&Code1=4711066&Geo2=CD&Code2=4711&Data=Count&SearchText=Saskatoon&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=All&Custom=&TABID=1
3. Addison Sod House http://www.planetware.com/canada/kindersley-addison-sod-house-cdn-sk-skadd.htm
4. Diefenbaker House http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/PM.cgi?prov=Saskatchewan&LM=Events&terms=*&LANG=English&start=1&scope=Events&AP=M_E_display&Page=ABBFI.html
5. http://www.sukanenmuseum.ca/frames.html
6. "Outlook & District Heritage Museum & Gallery". Archived from the original on April 25, 2009. Retrieved 2009-09-20.
7. Saskatchewan Western Development Museum http://www.wdm.ca/
8. CPAWS SK - Athabasca Sand Dunes