With his industry kicking off a week that’s normally a cause for celebration, Michael Crockatt was searching Tuesday for a glimmer of sunshine in what’s been a stormy 15-month stretch.
Speaking early in national Tourism Week, the head of Ottawa Tourism repeated a line he’s used often since last spring: no other industry has been hit harder by the pandemic, which is expected to cost the capital region as much as $2.6 billion in lost visitor spending by the end of this year.
Still, as his agency was unveiling a new marketing campaign aimed at inspiring would-be tourists to make the city part of their future travel plans, Crockatt said he’s encouraged that the province has finally laid out a road map for reopening the economy over the next few months based on vaccination rates and other indicators.
If you’re looking for a way to end your COVID-19 distancing with a boom, online bidding has opened for the first rides on the new international zipline between…
OTTAWA Non-essential travel between Ottawa and Gatineau is still strongly discouraged but, when restrictions lift, one group is offering you the chance to skip the bridges and take a zipline over the Ottawa River. Interzip Rogers is auctioning off the chance to be the first person to take their interprovincial zipline when it officially opens. While organizers are still waiting for the green light from public health authorities to announce the official opening date, they have opened online bidding to win the first side-by-side rides on the only interprovincial zip line in the world, a release says. The funds raised from the auction will be donated to nine local charities in the National Capital Region, including the Ottawa Senators Community Foundation, Centraide Outaouais and the Algonquin Way Cultural Centre.
The best new things to see and do in Canada in 2021 theglobeandmail.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from theglobeandmail.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
This article is sponsored by Ottawa Tourism.
Ottawa’s tourism sector is heading into 2021 feeling optimistic that a lineup of exciting new attractions, outdoor adventure activities and anniversary celebrations will encourage visitors to return to the capital.
With many events canceled or postponed last year due to the pandemic, there is pent-up demand among residents and travellers alike to safely come together again and enjoy the attractions in Canada’s capital, says Jantine Van Kregten, director of communications at Ottawa Tourism.
“People really want to reconnect, not only with family and friends, but with their city,” she says. “When it’s safe to host people in our homes again, we can really use that opportunity to bring people to Ottawa and show off what we have to offer.”