Tourism

Tourism businesses in the province are generating 64 per cent of the revenues they saw in 2019, on average, and seven in 10 report they have taken on debt to stay afloat.

Porter Airlines will fly four times a day from Toronto to Ottawa with its new Embraer E195-E2 aircraft, the airline announced Thursday.

Ottawa could see a return to pre-pandemic visitor spending levels as early as next year, a top tourism official said Wednesday as the local industry’s main marketing agency unveiled a 10-year blueprint for attracting more travellers to the National Capital Region.

Attracting and retaining millennials is crucial to solving the ongoing labour crisis that’s left businesses struggling to find sufficient staff, says Altaf Sovani.

While the holiday season is expected to be as “be busy as it was in 2019,” airport spokesperson Krista Kealey said Monday there's still no firm timeline for when flights from Ottawa to Europe will resume.

"A question many ask us is, 'How did Dragons’ Den go?'  What they mean is … did you get a deal? Yes! We got a great deal! But it's not what you think."

“Gaby, Mike, let’s get you hooked up with the microphones, you are up in 10 minutes.” In this segment, Ottawa entrepreneur Mike Karpishka describes facing the dragons.

"What we really need to focus on now is our numbers. What’s the ask? If it’s too high, you lose credibility. If it’s too low, the dragons may opt out because you lack sustainability."

Co-owner and vice-president of marketing, Steve Wilson, tells OBJ that Escape Manor is ready to get back to in-person business in a big way, thanks to a new “epic downtown location."

Ottawa entrepreneurs Mike Karpishka and Gaby Saucedo, who made the cut for this season of CBC’s Dragons’ Den, share what it was like to prepare and pitch their business.