New Canadian Tourism Strategy: Some Suggestions Of My Own

This is encouraging.
The Canadian government today issued a new tourism strategy that talks about new ways of getting more tourists out of the big cities and into other great areas of this wonderful country of ours. They also want to boost numbers in slower seasons, when hotels, attractions and restaurants could surely use the boost.
I want to see how the funding develops, but the mere fact a federal Cabinet minister is actually talking about new funding for tourism is great news, as that’s seldom been the case in this country in my experience.
Canada’s tourism numbers grew 1.2% last year, reaching 21.1 million international visits. But we’ve slipped from the tenth most visited country in the world a few years ago to 18th, so it’s time for a new strategy.
Here’s the first part of today’s press release from the federal government.
“Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Tourism, Official Languages and La Francophonie, today unveiled Creating Middle Class Jobs: A Federal Tourism Growth Strategy, which will bolster growth and diversify the sector by enhancing and developing the unique experiences that attract tourists year-round to all regions of our country.
This strategy will empower communities of all sizes through short- and long-term measures by:
– providing $58.5 million in funding through the Canadian Experiences Fund to enhance Canada’s tourism products and experiences;
– changing the way we invest in tourism by developing tourism investment groups where all levels of government will collaborate to invest more efficiently while meeting local priorities and identifying ways to raise private investment; and
– creating the new Tourism Industry Economic Strategy Table to provide a platform for government and industry leaders to collaborate on overcoming sector challenges.”
“TIAC has worked tirelessly for many years calling on a whole of government approach to ensure tourism can reach its full growth potential” said TIAC President & CEO Charlotte Bell. “Today’s strategy announcement demonstrates that our message has been received by the government loud and clear.”
The $58.5 million doesn’t sound like a lot of money for a tourism industry that supplies so many jobs from coast to coast to coast in this country. Also, I’m not sure tourism investment groups and a Tourism Industry Economic Strategy Table are needed, as this sounds like more bureaucracy to me.
But I’m going to be nice and give the feds the benefit of the doubt. I like the fact the government wants to push tourism into non-traditional months. What’s even more encouraging to me is the seeming push to get tourists to go north of Bloor Street in Toronto and past Montreal’s mountain and maybe even, perish the thought, venture east or north of Stanley Park in Vancouver.
“We are committed to diversifying and expanding our country’s tourism products and experiences to maximize the sector’s potential year-round from coast to coast to coast,” Joly said.
I couldn’t agree more. With that in mind, here’s one veteran Canadian traveller’s list of 10 great things you’ll find outside Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal.

The Delta Bessborough Hotel is on the edge of the South Saskatchewan River in Saskatoon. JIM BYERS PHOTO

1. Saskatoon. This is a tremendous city that’s got tons of great food and plenty of culture, including the new, amazing Remai Modern public art museum. The city has a beautiful setting, too, right on a lovely stretch of the South Saskatchewan River. Check out the booming Riversdale area for funky shops and craft beer places. Perfect for urban Instagrammers looking for the next big Canadian city to check out.

A hike through the Battery area of St. John’s, Newfoundland. JIM BYERS PHOTO

2. Anywhere in Newfoundland. This is probably my favourite province in Canada; filled with fun, friendly and engaging locals and some truly stunning scenery. The walk through the Battery area from downtown St. John’s to Signal Hill might be the best urban stroll on the planet, with funky homes and amazing views galore. Fogo Island Inn is a magnificent hotel that’s doing a lot to help local residents. Twillingate is an amazing spot for watching icebergs and taking long, lonely hikes. The Skerwink Trail near Port Rexton is also an awesome hiking spot. For something truly unique, try a night at the delightful “A Schooner Inn,” just a short drive from St. John’s, where you can make your own cod cheeks and dance with a Newfoundland “ugly stick.”

A great view of Dawon City, Yukon. JIM BYERS PHOTO

3. The Yukon. Whitehorse is a fun city with a great history. Dawson City is even more colourful and is known to some American travellers as the one-time home of legendary author Jack London. Folks can stay overnight in a former brothel and take beautiful boat rides along the Yukon River. The Yukon also is home to the surprising sand dunes of the Carcross Desert. Lots of interesting characters in this region of Canada.

Try an electric bike tour of the Okanagan wine region in British Columbia. JIM BYERS PHOTO

4. The B.C. Interior. Wine tourism is booming around the world, and British Columbia’s Okanagan wine region is one of the best around. There are tons of great wineries to check out, including Covert Farms, Road 13, Nk’Mip, Quails’ Gate and Mission Hill. Try renting an electric bike and explore on your own, or with a guide. Further east, Fernie and Kimberley are marvellous mountain towns with great food and fun locals, including Adi Unterberger, the yodelling woodcarver of Kimberley. Yoho National Park is as pretty as Banff, but isn’t nearly as crowded.

One of the bottle houses near Cap-Egmont, PEI. JIM BYERS PHOTO

5. Prince Edward Island. Sure, there’s the little red head with the pigtails. But there’s a lot more to PEI than Anne of Green Gables. Charlottetown is a surprising food city. But the best way to see PEI is to get out and explore smaller villages and towns, such as Montague and Summerside. PEI also is home to two separate places where locals have built large structures out of old wine bottles. You have to see them to believe them. One is Cap-Egmont, and the other is near Point Prim.

A local businessman brings in palm trees for the beach at Port Dover, Ontario every summer. JIM BYERS PHOTO

6. Southwest Ontario. There are so many wonderful places to explore west of Toronto. Grand Bend on Lake Huron is one of the great beach towns of North America, as is Port Dover on Lake Erie. There’s also great wine being made in the region, including several wonderful varietals at Burning Kiln near Long Point. London, Ontario has an increasingly sophisticated food and beer scene and is easily accessed from Toronto or Detroit. It also can be enjoyed year-round, which fits with the federal strategy.

Waterton Lakes National Park is an easy drive from Calgary. JIM BYERS PHOTO

7. Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta. Plenty of tourists know about and visit Banff and Jasper, but not enough folks venture south to check out the incredible scenery and beautiful bodies of water at Waterton Lakes National Park, which is joined with Glacier National Park in the U.S. as a joint Canada-U.S. park. Terrific hiking and a great place for a moped rental.

Surfing at Lawrencetown Beach, Nova Scotia. JIM BYERS PHOTO

8. Halifax and the Eastern Shore. Halifax has a stunning waterfront and beautiful parks, not to mention historic areas like the Citadel, which is great for history fans and kids. Dartmouth, reached by a short ferry ride, is an increasingly hip neighbourhood, as is the North End. Lots of folks drive west towards Lunenburg and Mahone Bay, but I like the less discovered Eastern Shore for kayaking, hiking and great beaches like Lawrencetown; a short drive from downtown Halifax.

Baie St. Paul, Quebec. JIM BYERS PHOTO

9. Charlevoix. This a truly magical region a short drive east of Quebec City on the St. Lawrence River. Baie St. Paul is a charming, artsy village with great food and wonderful galleries. It’s also home to the outstanding Le Germain Charlevoix hotel, which has outrageously good food, a skating rink and winter activities that make it a great place to stay 12 months of the year.

Who doesn’t want a shot of the giant lobster in Shediac, New Brunswick? JIM BYERS PHOTO

10. New Brunswick. I admit I hadn’t explored much of the province until a trip a few years ago, where I fell in love with the Acadian Coast and the little villages and homes proudly displaying Acadian flags. Not to mention the giant lobster in Shediac. Saint John is a pretty city with terrific, old architecture, while Fredericton has some great restaurants and the renowned Beaverbrook. St. Andrew’s has wonderful food and great boating opportunities, as well as the outstanding Algonquin Resort – St. Andrew’s By the Sea.