Alberta Parks (Canada) is cracking down on those trying to resell camping reservations.
According to a report, officials from Alberta Environment and Parks want to remind campers that selling reservations is prohibited and that reservations will be canceled if anyone attempts to resell their campsites.
They ask people to report any posts or ads online by calling the contact center at 1-877-537-2757.
For lots of folks reselling tickets or something on Facebook Marketplace is something they do in their everyday lives,” said Nancy MacDonald, interim executive director of visitor experience of the Parks Division of Alberta Environment and Parks.
“We want to remind everybody that this doesn’t fit into the same category as those kinds of products and services.”
Camping reservations are not transferrable, and when a camper registers at the campground, only the account holder or the authorized user listed on the account can check-in.
According to Alberta Parks, around 800,000 people reserved nights on Alberta’s reservation system last year, and visitation has increased by 169% in the reservable camping since 2019.
We’ve had such a massive increase in camping reservations, and that means there’s some new visitors to our system,” said MacDonald.
We’re just making sure that everyone is aware of what the terms and conditions of their camping permits are.
MacDonald said Alberta Parks understands that plans change, noting that reservation changes and cancellations can be made online via Reserve.AlbertaParks.ca or by calling the Contact Centre at 1-877-537-2757
MacDonald said that people inform Alberta Parks on occasion whenever they notice reservations being sold through Facebook Marketplace or other social media platforms.
“We contact those people right away and let them know they should take that post down, and if they want us to work with them to make a change to their reservations, we’re certainly able to do so,” she said.
Having fair and equitable access to our provincial parks and protected areas is a really important goal for Alberta parks, so we continue to monitor it.
As per Alberta Parks, there are not many examples of campers trying to sell their reservations for profit.
“There’s not a ton of examples of that because we do work hard to make sure everybody is well aware of what the rules are,” said MacDonald. “It’s more individuals who are not able to use their reservations.”
This story originally appeared on Cochrane Today.
It’s crucial for campers to understand that reselling campground reservations is against the rules and may result in booking cancellation. To have a trouble-free camping trip, take the time to get acquainted with the specific campground regulations. Any alterations or cancellations should be handled through the official channels provided by Alberta Parks. Let’s all work together to protect our camping experiences and report any attempts to sell reservations online.