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Local tourism operator parks his idea of winter bus tours due to unreliable weather

December 4, 2024

Unpredictable weather is making it more difficult than ever for local tourism operator Étienne Cameron to continue his winter offerings, he told OBJ Wednesday.

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Unpredictable weather is making it more difficult than ever for local tourism operator Étienne Cameron to continue his winter offerings, he told OBJ Wednesday. In 2021, Cameron launched winter sightseeing company Cobblestone Tours, which uses unique vintage buses to transport visitors between the city’s biggest tourism attractions. But last year, the young company decided to take the season off due to the slow tourism recovery, with the hopes of returning in 2025. Now, even as snow starts falling in the capital, Cameron said the company will once again not be able to operate during the upcoming season. “This being the second year in the row that we can’t do Cobblestone is pretty big, because that means it’s going to go on the backburner,” he said. “We have to move on to different ideas.” While tourism during Ottawa’s peak summer season has increased since the pandemic, Cameron, who also co-owns Lady Dive Tours and Gray Line Ottawa, said visitor numbers are still not where they used to be. “We’re still waiting to see that during the summer – to see that huge volume we used to see in 2019. Until we see that, we’re just essentially scared to open up during the winter and have it be no good.” Instead of offering winter tours, Cameron said he’ll be doing what he usually does during the off-season: marketing and planning for the summer. While Cobblestone may be on the backburner for now, Cameron said the dream isn’t dead. “For us, it’s a pretty easy transition,” he said. “We have the asset, so we can shift on a dime. The question is about, is it going to be worth it?” For a tour company like Cameron’s, the biggest need is attracting more tourists at all times of the year. For that, Cameron said the city needs a catalyst – especially if its biggest winter asset, the Rideau Canal Skateway, is no longer a reliable attraction. “The No. 1 thing is having some kind of catalyst to bring people to Ottawa, to have Ottawa be a place for people to visit,” he said. “Because what we need, in the end, is people here to get off the ground. We’re a bus company. We’re not the attraction that is going to bring people to the city. We’re the attraction that's going to help people get around.” Because of that, he added, “We’re going to do what we can to help the tourism community thrive and grow. Getting people to Ottawa is what we’re missing at this point. That’s where we’re trying to find new ways to bring people in.”