The Great Canadian Tourism Thread!

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by FrAnKs

Travel & Leisure has just published its top 5 cities in Canada for 2020 :

https://www.travelandleisure.com/wor...9O_AXNxBHDpiSc

Shit.

[FrAnKs]

Originally Posted by Acajack

Shit.

What's hapenning?

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by FrAnKs

What's hapenning?

The problem is with who is NOT on the list!

[FrAnKs]

Originally Posted by Acajack

The problem is with who is NOT on the list!

Yeah...It's still surprising to find Banff on that list rather than Ottawa...

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by FrAnKs

Yeah...It's still surprising to find Banff on that list rather than Ottawa...

I wasn't thinking of Ottawa.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by Acajack

I wasn't thinking of Ottawa.

Okotoks?

[wave46]

Just wait a couple of years. I'm sure every major city will make the 'top 5' list at some point.

It's not like they're hugely spoiled for choice in Canada. Or there's some secret 'unbeknownst to the masses' city of delight hiding away somewhere in this country.

I'm mostly surprised they even bother changing the list.

[someone123]

Originally Posted by wave46

Or there's some secret 'unbeknownst to the masses' city of delight hiding away somewhere in this country.

If there were such a place you wouldn't hear about it in a listicle generated from a reader survey.

Banff is a bit strange as a pick since it's not really a city and you don't go there for city stuff.

Most articles like this are heavily PR driven.

[hipster duck]

Originally Posted by Acajack

I wasn't thinking of Ottawa.

Even as a Torontonian, I will admit that Vancouver and Montreal offer more for the traditional tourist than Toronto.

I think Toronto is fascinating in the way that I think LA, Lagos, Milan, Guangzhou or São Paulo are fascinating, but that’s not what your usual tourist is looking for.

[Calgarian]

Banff hits so far above it's weight though, I've seen Calgary flights labeled as Calgary / Banff in international airports lol.

Quebec City is going to have to be on my list soon, Vancouver and Victoria will be seeing me in about a month now!

[CivicBlues]

Originally Posted by Calgarian

Banff hits so far above it's weight though, I've seen Calgary flights labeled as Calgary / Banff in international airports lol.

Quebec City is going to have to be on my list soon, Vancouver and Victoria will be seeing me in about a month now!

Please stay away until you get your outbreak under control. K thx bye.

[Harrison]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

Okotoks?

I would've included Maple Creek myself, if only for the tropical climate.

[zahav]

Quebec City is certainly in a category of it's own for Canada among major cities, I would love to visit soon, it's definitely more on my list than Ottawa (I would like to explore Montreal more than I have, but Quebec City would come first ideally)

[someone123]

Originally Posted by zahav

Quebec City is certainly in a category of it's own for Canada among major cities, I would love to visit soon, it's definitely more on my list than Ottawa (I would like to explore Montreal more than I have, but Quebec City would come first ideally)

I often wonder about Quebec City from the perspective of a global traveller though. Let's say you've been to Europe a bunch of times and you're touring North America. Do you visit the well-preserved colonial-style city or the more quintessentially North American city? Most people will go to New York, and within Quebec, Montreal is the metropolis with more to see and do.

The more I think about it, the more I value the cities that have a vibrant mix of old and new in North America, and the less I care if they look like Europe or not. I also think that in Canada we are gradually getting better at city building, so the new stuff is starting to look better relative to the old. The best cities in the 1990's were just the ones that managed to avoid the worst of the 1970's-90's development, so I think urbanists started to conflate old with good.

Nevertheless for Canadian travellers interested in their country, or North Americans, Quebec City is unique and historic. Well worth visiting.

[CivicBlues]

Originally Posted by someone123

I often wonder about Quebec City from the perspective of a global traveller though. Let's say you've been to Europe a bunch of times and you're touring North America. Do you visit the well-preserved colonial-style city or the more quintessentially North American city? Most people will go to New York, and within Quebec, Montreal is the metropolis with more to see and do.

Neither, travellers like that will go to our National Parks and Wilderness areas.

But that aside, saying Quebec City is "just like Europe" or Quebec is "like France" really does it a disservice. Do people say Boston is "Just like Ireland", does Macau market itself as "Portugal in Asia"? No they're unique in their own way and don't need to invite silly comparisons. It's high time Canada's tourism boards do the same.

[someone123]

Originally Posted by CivicBlues

Neither, travellers like that will go to our National Parks and Wilderness areas.

I guess. Some people like cities and some people like parks or a mix of both. I think New York is a pretty popular destination. This ranking we are talking about now is supposed to be about cities.

But that aside, saying Quebec City is "just like Europe" or Quebec is "like France" really does it a disservice. Do people say Boston is "Just like Ireland", does Macau market itself as "Portugal in Asia"? No they're unique in their own way and don't need to invite silly comparisons. It's high time Canada's tourism boards do the same.

It's different but a big part of the appeal for Quebec City is its colonial style architecture, which is rare in a North American context but more common in a European context. It has an unusually nice natural setting too and of course Quebec culture is not quite the same as anywhere else. It also has a lot of tourism infrastructure and a lot of stuff you can easily visit on foot in a pleasant walkable area, so it works well for the cruise ship crowd. That doesn't have to do with heritage buildings per se but tends to go along with other street networks and buildings. In the future we could find that some modern areas rival the older areas for amenities and pedestrian comfort.

Personally I think Quebec City is great to visit but I tend to go back to Montreal more often. Toronto has more to explore than Quebec City does too. I found that before I had travelled to Europe much, historic architecture was a bit more impressive to me than it is now, although I still love it. I find I appreciate the uniqueness of North America compared to Europe more and more, and have more appreciation for modern architecture.

[MolsonExport]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

Okotoks?

Okotoks, Maple Creek, North Battleford, Drumbo and Riviere Beaudette.

They've got everything for the most sophisticated globe trotter.

[CivicBlues]

Originally Posted by someone123

I guess. Some people like cities and some people like parks or a mix of both. I think New York is a pretty popular destination. This ranking we are talking about now is supposed to be about cities.



It's different but a big part of the appeal for Quebec City is its colonial style architecture, which is rare in a North American context but more common in a European context. It has an unusually nice natural setting too and of course Quebec culture is not quite the same as anywhere else. It also has a lot of tourism infrastructure and a lot of stuff you can easily visit on foot in a pleasant walkable area, so it works well for the cruise ship crowd. That doesn't have to do with heritage buildings per se but tends to go along with other street networks and buildings. In the future we could find that some modern areas rival the older areas for amenities and pedestrian comfort.

Personally I think Quebec City is great to visit but I tend to go back to Montreal more often. Toronto has more to explore than Quebec City does too.

Agreed if QC was just a bit closer or connected by high speed rail to Montreal it'd be daytrip material. Come to think of it, most large Canadian cities have this dyad relationship with a smaller "tourist" town:

Montreal - Quebec City (3hrs)
Toronto - Niagara Falls (1.5 hrs)
Vancouver - Whistler (1.5 hrs)
Calgary - Banff (1.5 hrs)
Edmonton - Jasper (4 hrs)
Winnipeg - Churchill (might be a stretch...45 hrs by train)

[wave46]

I think we have to clarify between the various types of tourists:

1. A domestic tourist.
2. An American tourist.
3. A tourist from from outside of North America.

Quebec City would appeal to the first two but less so to the third, depending on where they are from. QC is relatively exotic comparatively for Canadians and Americans.

Banff would appeal to all, but I'd imagine the domestic and overseas tourists would have a slight edge there.

Niagara Falls is a funny case as it is probably about equal for all, but the Americans don't have to leave their own country for it.

Toronto. Hard to say. For domestic tourists it's the New York City of Canada, so by virtue of having just about everything a major global city would have it will draw domestic tourists. I'd kind of be lost as to what to recommend within the city to someone from Houston or Atlanta or something like that, as there's not much that sets it hugely apart from a generic North American city. The overseas folks might like the slice of (North) Americana city life, but I don't think that's the big highlight on their version of "What to see while in Canada".

Ottawa. Domestic tourists, by far.

Montreal. Domestic tourists could go either way. I'd venture that Americans would like the city more, as it probably more reflects Canada as they perceive it. I can't say for overseas folks, but I'm thinking it could go either way.

This is all a relative comparison and just a general impression.

[lio45]

Originally Posted by someone123

I often wonder about Quebec City from the perspective of a global traveller though. Let's say you've been to Europe a bunch of times and you're touring North America. Do you visit the well-preserved colonial-style city or the more quintessentially North American city? Most people will go to New York, and within Quebec, Montreal is the metropolis with more to see and do.

My visiting French relatives, from the sample I have (many visits by different relatives over the last few decades) are usually interested in going to NYC, seeing whales in Tadoussac, a bit of Montreal because you kinda have to (would be like "visiting France" while not setting foot in Paris), and probably Niagara Falls. Some also like the idea of immersing themselves in wilderness a bit, and would like to see moose or bears. (Or aboriginals )

"See how old the buildings in the core of Quebec City are!" has never been a big selling point.

Now, for a tourist coming from Edmonton or Indiana, sure, Quebec City is the first place I'd bring them.