Canada Concludes Five-City Corroboree on a Sydney High

Salmon, Mounties, snow, vast areas of wilderness, the mighty Rocky Mountains …. these icons of Canada are well known but Australian visitors nowadays want to expand their horizons and see places that only locals know about, Donna Brinkhaus, Managing Director, Australia, Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC) said last week during the annual Sydney Corroboree press conference and media lunch organised in the Shangri-La Hotel’s lofty Altitude Restaurant.

The informative event marked the conclusion of a series of travel trade events and media luncheons held over a 10 day period on the Gold Coast and in Brisbane, Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney.

Australian arrivals topped the 200,000 mark for the first time in 2007.  With growth exceeding 9 per cent, Canada can expect at least 212,000 Australians this year, Ms Brinkhaus said.

Part of this record setting achievement can be attributed to the CTC’s increased promotional and marketing efforts and part is due to the enhanced services of Air Canada.

“There has been a phenomenal response to our daily non stop flights between Sydney and Vancouver”, said Jeannie Foster, General Manager, Australia & New Zealand, Air Canada.

We are the only airline offering non stop services between Australia and Canada.  We are now using advanced Boeing 777 – 200 LR aircraft to shave three hours off the previous one-stop service via Hawaii, she said.

[Right: Donna Brinkhaus, Canadian Tourism Commission and Jeannie Foster, Air Canada, are looking for another record number of Australian arrivals in 2008.]

Our daily non stop service is not seasonal, she emphasised.  It’s here to stay!  In fact we are looking at a double daily out of Sydney, she added.

A series of presenters flown out from leading tourist centres in Canada provided background information to the media on their respective destinations or services or in some instances provided notable anecdotes.

Christine George, Tourism Victoria, said that Victoria, the 350,000-strong capital of British Colombia “has been named as the fittest city in Canada”.  Ironically, the ‘Cycling Capital of Canada’ as it’s also known has the oldest brewpub in the country.

Ainsley Yerbury, Tourism British Colombia, also spoke about sports saying that the 2010 Winter Olympics and Paralympics would be held in Vancouver.  These events which are expected to draw a number of participants from Australia are scheduled from February 12 – 28 and March 12 – 21, 2010, respectively.

[Left: Victoria’s Symphony Splash is cultural event with a watery difference!]

During her presentation, Miranda McKinley, Edmonton Tourism stressed the cultural side of the city which supports some 40 festivals every year.  These are very popular with Australians but so is the world’s biggest mall which has more than 900 shops, she said.

Lindsay Jardine, Calgary Stampede, said “the Western Mardi Gras” will be even more exciting this year.  This rousing event – set this year for July 4 – 13 – is a holiday highlight for most Australians, she said.

Josephine Wasch, Via Rail, underscored the ease of travelling across Canada by rail.  “The Vancouver – Toronto journey is one of the world’s top 25 train trips,” she said.

With just 30,000 people spread over 2 million sq. km, Nunavut, the newest and largest territory of Canada, offers many amazing wilderness cruises and expeditions, said Brian Webb, Nunavut Tourism.

Saskatchewan is the land of 100,000 lakes.  Ranch holidays where participants can go on canoe trips, explore pristine surrounds and live like a cowboy in comfort have real appeal for Australians, said Ted Hornung, Tourism Saskatchewan.

Quebec City, the only walled city north of Mexico City, is celebrating its 400^th birthday later this year, said Dan Nguyen, Tourisme Quebec.

A $100 million budget is being utilised to promote the city’s unique tourism and cultural attributes in a lead-up to the actual founding day on July 3.  Celebrations conclude on October 19 with a dazzling one-off special themed performance of Cirque du Soleil.

Exclusive Report by Thomas E. King, TravelMole’s Travel and Lifestyle Editor