Edmonton touted as tourist mecca for Americans

Forget the Golden Gate Bridge and North Beach: American tourists should check out the High Level Bridge and North Saskatchewan River.

That's according to a San Francisco travel writer, who says Edmonton is shaping up to be the next trendy destination for American tourists.

Spud Hilton, travel editor of the San Francisco Chronicle, praised Edmonton in his latest article, admitting he was clueless about the city before his July stopover. He noted Edmonton is "virtually unknown" among American travellers.

"The job of a travel editor, as I see it, is not to write yet another story about places we already know about," Hilton said Thursday in an interview with CBC's Edmonton AM morning radio show.

"My job is to try and seek out those places that are overlooked because they're not heard of, or maybe because people have the wrong impression about them."

Hilton said his Edmonton adventure was prompted by talk among fellow travel aficionados. He was told the city is making strides in catching up with its closest tourism rivals, Calgary and Vancouver.

And he agrees, although he doubts Vancouver has a lot to worry about in terms of competition in the long term.

As Hilton writes in his blog, Edmonton is attempting to shake its industry town image and become a more compelling place for outsiders.

"Edmonton has never had to rely on tourism, in large part because of the sugar-daddy-like oil industry that is dominant throughout most of Alberta," he said.

"It shows, if only in the labels applied to Edmonton over the years the 'Gateway to the North,' as well as the 'Gateway to the Rockies,' both of which imply its value is as a hub or pit stop for people headed somewhere else."

Despite Edmonton's rough-and-tumble reputation, Hilton said travellers will be won over by its thriving arts and culture scene, busy nightlife, buzzing sidewalks and the quirky feel of Old Strathcona. The Edmonton river valley landscape was also a winner.

"The entire river valley is just wonderful," he said. "It's an absolutely beautiful landscape that includes a lot of nature that a lot of cities would kill to have."

Hilton did have some constructive criticism for the city.

He warned visitors that navigation in Edmonton takes some getting used to. Every address "has more digits than nuclear launch codes," he said. And the city's urban sprawl makes a stroll in many neighborhoods less than enticing.