Nova Scotia has a long and rich association with great music and through its historical and cultural links with Scotland and Ireland, is perhaps best known for the genre of folk. Today the province boasts an exciting and eclectic music scene encompassing not just folk but pop, blues, Jazz, dance and more, as well as traditional music. Annually Nova Scotia plays host to hundreds of concerts and music festivals, and this year, as Canada celebrates its 150th birthday, holidaymakers can expect a bumper programme of live music throughout the province; we pick three of the best not to be missed. The ..read more

This year Canada marks its 150th birthday, with holidaymakers invited to join in a countrywide, year-long celebration. The main focus for national events will be the capital city Ottawa, where 12 epic months of big, bold, immersive and moving experiences are on offer. To make the most of Ottawa in 2017, and to help visitors plan their trip, the dedicated Ottawa 2017 Bureau and the office of Mayor Jim Watson have released a mobile App in partnership with the Canadian bank CIBC. Launched just before New Year’s Eve and powered by Bell, the free experiential App is available for download to iO ..read more

In 2017 Canada marks its 150th birthday, with holidaymakers invited to join in a countrywide, year-long celebration. The main focus for national events will be the capital city Ottawa, where 12 epic months of big, bold, immersive and moving experiences will be on offer. Billed as an ‘Ottawa 2017 Signature Event’, Ottawa Welcomes the World will be a one-off series of day festivals that will celebrate the culture and heritage of more than 90 participating countries. Canada’s capital is home to more than 120 embassies and high commissions. In partnership with the Ottawa 2017 Bureau, Ottawa Mayor ..read more

Dusit Thani Residences joins sprawling Maslak 1453 development in Istanbul Fast-growing global hospitality company Dusit International has signed a management agreement with Abduljawad Holding Co., an investment company headquartered in Saudi Arabia, to operate the Dusit Thani Residences Maslak Istanbul, Turkey, which will open as part of Maslak 1453 – a commercial, business and residential hub set over two million square metres on the European side of the city. Located just 4km from the Bosphorous, 15km from Taksim Square, and 20km from the city’s Third Airport, which is now under constructio ..read more

I recently hosted a trip to Vancouver and Whistler for a group of five UK and European media, each journalist specialised in the meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions industries. We flew with Air Canada who offers a direct service to Vancouver from Heathrow and a number of other European capitals. This was my first trip to Canada’s west coast and I was delighted to be staying at The Fairmont Hotel Vancouver for the first few days. One of three Fairmont hotels in the city, it is located in the heart of downtown. The iconic property is truly stunning and has a history of hosting roya ..read more

I recently escorted a fam trip to Portugal on behalf the Lisbon Visitors and Convention Bureau. The two night whistle-stop tour of the capital city was designed to showcase some of Lisbon’s best event facilities, accommodation, cultural attractions and nightlife. While I know and love Lisbon well, it was the first visit for several of the eight UK MICE industry guests that were joining me. We took a morning flight with Portugal’s national airline Tap from Gatwick, in just two and a half hours we left rainy London behind and had arrived in beautiful, sunny Lisbon. We headed straight for Saint G ..read more

During the Summer I escorted five product managers on a fam to the city of Ottawa. It was my first trip to the Canadian capital and I along with the rest of the group were looking forward to an itinerary that would showcase Ottawa’s cultural attractions, eclectic gastronomy scene, nightlife and outdoor experiences. The Air Canada flight departed Heathrow late morning and took less than seven hours, having us arrive in Ottawa mid-afternoon. Ottawa’s airport is conveniently compact and located just a few miles from the city. From touch down to arriving at our city centre hotel took less than 45 ..read more

In 2017 Canada marks its 150th birthday, with holidaymakers invited to join in the countywide, year-long celebrations. The main focus for national events will be the capital city Ottawa, where 12 epic months of big, bold, immersive and moving experiences will be on offer. 2017 is set to kick off in style with city organisers planning a huge New Year’s Eve party that will light up Ottawa on a scale to surpass all previous years. Events on 31 December will begin in the early evening with a vast family-friendly New Year’s Eve party that will see the lighting of a symbolic and spectacular gas-powe ..read more

Next year Canada will celebrate its 150th birthday in style with a vast programme of events taking place across the country. As the capital city, Ottawa is set to be the main focus with 12 full months of big, bold, immersive and moving experiences that will complement national celebrations and annual events and festivals. The latest addition to the programme is a thrilling ‘Dinner in the Sky’ experience that will see diners hoisted 150 feet above the Ottawa skyline. The sky high dining concept was launched in Brussels in 2006 and has since been featured in 55 other destinations including Paris ..read more

Ottawa Tourism is delighted to announce that it will be exhibiting for the first time at the World Travel Market (WTM) at London’s ExCel Centre 7 – 9 November. Their presence at the UK’s largest travel trade show comes ahead of a momentous anniversary year in 2017, when the capital city will play centre stage for Canada’s 150th birthday celebrations. Founded in 1971, Ottawa Tourism has been bringing visitors, media and conventions to Ottawa and Canada’s Capital Region for 45 years. The not-for-profit, membership-based organisation, works together with more than 370 tourism-related member busin ..read more