Tourism has changed drastically since the pandemic, but Ottawa Tourism boss Michael Crockatt said his organization has risen to the challenge, with a new visitor centre opened Wednesday on Elgin Street the latest step toward updating the city’s identity as a destination.
“What was tourism in Ottawa before the pandemic is not the same anymore, so we’ve had to adjust quite a bit,” Crockatt, president and CEO at Ottawa Tourism, told OBJ. “Business travel still hasn’t recovered fully, so we’ve had to put more effort into things like attracting more conventions, sporting events, tour groups, and leisure visitors as well.”
Ottawa Tourism, in partnership with Canadian Heritage, showed off the new Ottawa Visitor Centre at a ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday morning. Located in the Central Chambers, across the street from the National Arts Centre and the National War Memorial, the space has floor-to-ceiling windows and a mix of modern features and historic architecture.
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The new centre replaces the Capital Information Kiosk that was located across from Parliament Hill and that was shut down due to ongoing construction. It also joins a number of existing visitor services, including Maison du Tourisme de l’Outaouais, the ByWard Market District Authority’s Market Ambassadors, and the Gatineau Park Visitor Centre.
“For first-time visitors to Ottawa, this visitor centre might be their first stop after getting here and therefore their introduction to Ottawa’s hospitality,” said Crockatt. “For returning visitors, it’s a hub where they can discover something new.”
The public-private project was supported by funding from the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario) of $200,000.
“We know that the pandemic has been a very challenging time for our communities, in particular for downtown Ottawa,” Ottawa-Centre MP Yasir Naqvi told the audience. “One thing that was mentioned in our (downtown task force report) is how important (tourists) are for our revitalization process. We need a portal. We need a place where we can talk about the visitor experience, where we can guide people, where we can attract all our tourists so they feel comfortable and confident exploring our downtown core.”
The past year was not without its challenges, but Crockatt said things are looking much more like they did before the pandemic began.
“I think, overall, it was some challenges and some really good times as well,” Crockatt told OBJ. “We’re probably going to end the year around where we thought we would. (There were) some really big swings and some times where we exceeded not only last year’s performance, but sometimes even 2019 as well.”
The new year is expected to bring in a flood of visitors, as the city prepares to host the World Juniors Hockey Championship and the Bell Capital Cup, as well as Ironman Canada. Crockatt said the new visitor centre will be a key part of the experience for those coming to town for these events.
“Ottawa is more than just Canada’s capital. It’s a vibrant, dynamic, innovative city and every year we welcome millions of visitors from Canada and abroad,” he said. “From today onward, this centre is an asset for Ottawa, just as this industry is an asset to Ottawa.”
