If you've ever checked out of an Alberta hotel and noticed a line item called a “destination marketing fee” sitting quietly beneath your room rate, you're not alone. For years, travellers have been paying it without much explanation of where it goes. As it turns out, in some cases, it wasn't going anywhere particularly useful – at least not for the destination.
The Alberta government introduced Bill 16, the Traveller Protection and Destination Development Act, on 25 February 2026, with the aim of closing that gap. The legislation targets hidden hotel fees Alberta travellers have long encountered at hotels, motels, and inns across the province – and it proposes to make the whole system considerably more honest.
Hidden Hotel Fees Alberta: The Problem That's Been Hiding in Plain Sight
Destination marketing fees – typically between three and six per cent of your room rate – are meant to fund organisations like Explore Edmonton or Tourism Jasper, bodies that promote a region to visitors and, in theory, make the place worth visiting in the first place. The provincial government says most businesses charge these fees in good faith. Some, however, have been keeping them.
That's not a rounding error. That's a fee presented to a guest as a contribution to their destination, quietly redirected into someone's operating budget instead. The new bill would require that 100 per cent of any destination marketing fee goes to the designated marketing organisation – no exceptions, no creative accounting.
What the Bill Actually Changes for Visitors
The most immediate change for anyone booking a stay near Banff or Canmore is price transparency. Under Bill 16, businesses will be required to show the full cost of a room at the point of booking – fees included. No more discovering an extra charge at checkout after you've already mentally spent that money on lunch.
Tourism and Sport Minister Andrew Boitchenko described the intent plainly: the legislation is designed so that people paying these fees know where their money is going. Tracy Douglas-Blowers, president and CEO of the Alberta Hotel and Lodging Association – the industry body that has advocated for exactly this kind of framework – welcomed the bill, noting that hotels have a genuine stake in how Alberta is marketed and how guests experience their communities.
The Fee Can't Exist Without the Organisation
One detail worth knowing: under the new rules, a destination marketing fee can only be charged in areas that have a formally designated marketing organisation. If no such body exists, the fee cannot be charged at all. For travellers in smaller communities, that's a meaningful protection.
The bill is expected to go to a vote before the current legislative session closes in mid-May. Businesses and organisations will have until 31 December 2026 to comply with the new rules – a transition period, the government says, gives the industry time to adjust without disruption.
What This Means If You're Booking Banff or Canmore This Year
For most visitors to the Banff and Canmore area, the practical impact will be felt at the booking stage rather than the checkout desk. Expect clearer pricing upfront and, eventually, a bit more confidence that the fee on your invoice is doing what it says it's doing.
It's worth noting these destination marketing fees are separate from Alberta's provincial tourism levy, which sits at four per cent (soon to be six per cent) of the accommodation price. That one was already going where it was supposed to.
In 2025, Alberta recorded $15 billion in visitor spending – a figure the province is clearly keen to protect. Legislation that makes travellers feel less like they're being quietly skimmed tends to help with that.