A perky brunette’s quest to find the sweetheart of her dreams on an American reality television show could translate into a multimillion dollar windfall for Alberta’s struggling tourism industry.

On tonight’s episode of The Bachelorette, Vancouver interior designer Jillian Harris rides the rails aboard the Rocky Mountaineer to Lake Louise and Banff, where the iconic scenery will share prime-time exposure with a bevy of hunky contestants.

Fans can expect to see Harris nosh on fondue in Lake Louise and frolic on the region’s famed alpine slope before heading to Banff, where one of her suitors will be handed a rose and eliminated from the game in the Cascade Ballroom of the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel.

It’s the sort of exposure money can’t buy, say local tourism officials, who hope the show will bring awareness to Alberta at a time when bookings are down during the normally busy peak summer season.

“That kind of endorsement is critical in our economy today,” said Lori Bayne, a spokeswoman for Banff-Lake Louise Tourism.

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By Tamara Gignac, Calgary Herald, >>> continue reading