Alberta Campground Bookings Go Online

This was VERY interesting for me, I doubt we are going camping this year since our trip is taking up lots of fundage, but we are hoping in the next couple years to get another tent trailer and get out there with the kids. I live online, so this is just awesome. I hate phones. LOL. Booking online = perfect.

These two facts on the site I can't wait to check out, the 360 view of the campsites? That's AWESOME!

• Provide “real time” information on campsite availability; and
• Include leading-edge geospatial technology that allows panoramic 360-degree views of campgrounds and campsites

From the Edmonton Journal:

For Cindy Ady, finding a campground with showers, flush toilets and power is a must when it comes to vacationing in the great outdoors.

While unveiling the new online camping reservation system on Wednesday, the minister of Tourism, Parks and Recreation joked about her need for the extras while camping.

"I am a recreation camper, not a hardcore camper," she said.

The reservation service will be available to the public May 1 at www.Reserve.AlbertaParks.ca. Campers may reserve campsites at 25 provincial campgrounds chosen for a pilot project.

The new reservation system will allow people to choose campsites based on individual preferences, such as size, proximity to washrooms, even firepit location. Campers can get a 360-degree panoramic view of campsites and campgrounds on the website.

"This new service that we're announcing today will make it easier for campers to use our provincial campgrounds," Ady said.

The move to create an online registration service came in response to a 2007 survey of campers, many of whom were frustrated with the existing booking system.

"Eighty per cent of (campers) were selecting their campsite online, but they couldn't book the site," Ady said. "It felt like an incomplete service to them."

The first phase of the online service will cost the province $8.4 million, and the estimated cost for the first year of operation is $1.8 million.

In addition to camping fees, users of the online registration will have to pay a $10 reservation fee. The added cost does not sit well with Harry Chase, Calgary MLA and Liberal critic for parks and protected areas. Chase said he is concerned the extra fee will make camping more exclusive and too costly for some families.

"This may force families into random camping on Crown land in the backwoods, and that's where the yahoos are," he said. "The potential for conflict between a family trying to have recreation and a bunch of good old boys boozing it up is a concern."

Camper Lavona Bailer is frustrated with the $10 fee as well. She said she doesn't understand why the government is adding an extra fee when so many other places offer discounts for booking online.

Bailer has started an online petition to protest the fees, which she thinks will hurt tourism more than help it. She said, given the choice, she would choose the campground that does not charge extra for booking online.

"Half the time, the weather on weekends is crappy, so you end up cancelling and then you are out $10," she said. "Where is the money going? It just seems like a bit of a cash grab to me."

The $10 fee is not new to campsite reservations, says Camille Weleschuk, spokesperson for Alberta Tourism, Parks and Recreation. She said people phoning campgrounds to make reservations were charged the same fee.

Campgrounds in the pilot project were chosen based on popularity and proximity to major cities and highways. Ady said the province hopes to add 100 more campgrounds to the online service next year.