A major international summit that promotes French language and culture is coming to Ottawa-Gatineau in 2028 and local tourism officials on both sides of the river expect the event to bring significant foot traffic and economic benefit.
“The summit is an exceptional international showcase for the Outaouais, both as a leisure and business tourism destination,” Geneviève Latulippe, CEO of Tourisme Outaouais, told OBJ on Wednesday. “It’s a unique opportunity to introduce the region to an international audience that may not yet be familiar with our destination.”
On Canada Day, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced that the 2028 edition of the Francophonie Summit would take place in the National Capital Region. Organized by the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF), the summit is a gathering of leaders from 90 member states and governments, hosted every two years to promote the French language, set political objectives and strengthen international cooperation.
Recent events were hosted in Villers-Cotterêts, France in 2024, and Djerba, Tunisia in 2022. This year’s summit is set to take place in Cambodia.
Canada is a founding member of OIF, which formed in 1970. Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand formally presented Canada’s letter of candidacy to host the 2028 summit in March. At the time, she announced that Canada was renewing its support for the organization for another four-year period, providing a total of $20.8 million in funding between now and 2029.
“Canada is honoured to welcome that global community here in 2028,” Anand said in a post on X last week.
“The strength of La Francophonie has always come from the people who bring it to life every day. From classrooms to businesses, artists to entrepreneurs, the French language connects communities and countries across the globe … Let’s recognize and celebrate the role that the French language plays in shaping our country and our place in the world.”
In a post on LinkedIn following the announcement, Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe called the news “a tremendous victory for Ottawa.”
Local tourism officials are expecting the summit to create renewed interest in the National Capital Region, while also having positive ripple effects on local businesses and venues.
“Beyond the direct economic impact generated by visitors, events of this magnitude leave a lasting legacy by strengthening international relationships, enhancing a destination’s global profile and showcasing its ability to successfully host complex, world-class gatherings,” Jérôme Miousse, director of public affairs for Ottawa Tourism, told OBJ in an email.
According to Miousse, the 2024 summit in France featured 100 delegates, including 50 heads of state and government. The large-scale event, he added, typically features high-level diplomatic meetings, economic and business discussions, cultural programming and community events.
“We look forward to working with our partners to maximize those opportunities for Ottawa and the broader visitor economy.”
Latulippe from Tourisme Outaouais said “Ottawa’s cool little sister” won’t be left out of the action.
“The Prime Minister’s Office has already confirmed that activities will be held on both sides of the Ottawa River, so we are confident that that will happen,” she told OBJ.
“Events of this nature have the potential to generate significant economic, tourism and intellectual benefits, making it the type of initiative we would like to see in Gatineau in 2028 … We expect economic benefits to our hotels, our restaurants, shops, tourism attractions, transportation services, and we know that it will also have long-term benefits.”
While France is a major international market for the Outaouais, Latulippe said her organization hasn’t done much targeted advertising in other French-speaking countries. But with the Francophonie Summit, she said that could change.
“We work on this market (France) to attract people from the francophone community, but we don’t actually work on the other international francophone markets,” she said. “Maybe this kind of event will be an exceptional showcase for our region and we may eventually work on other international francophone markets.”
Recently, the Outaouais has been working to attract more conferences and business as part of a larger effort by the Quebec government to position the province as a business destination.
The Outaouais is one of three targets, along with Quebec City and Montreal, chosen for their travel infrastructure and tourist attractions. It has received $1.5 million from the Quebec Ministry of Tourism to support its efforts.
For example, Tourisme Outaouais formed a strategic partnership with the Université du Québec en Outaouais in April to enable the university to attract more national and international conferences.
Latulippe said the summit will be an opportunity to further the region’s business reputation and open more doors to future events and partnerships.
“The Francophonie Summit is directly in line with this objective,” she said. “We are really happy about this good news.”
