Canada’s Capital is set to celebrate the 47th edition of Winterlude from January 31 - February 17, 2025. The epic festival which offers a rich and varied program, takes place in the Ottawa region during the first three weekends of the month attracting on average 600,000 visitors who take part in the festivities and enjoy Canadian winter fun.   During Winterlude, you can marvel at beautiful ice sculptures created by artists from around the world, skate on the renowned Rideau Canal Skateway (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) and play till you drop in a gigantic snow playground called Snowflake Kingdom. Featured activities include:  

• Snowflake Kingdom: a snow paradise and a favourite among families.
• Igloofest: from 13 to 15 February, the Place des Festivals Zibi lights up during Winterlude.
• Winterlude Mini Powwow: discover Indigenous traditions at the Canadian Museum of History.
• Sparks Street: where the art and magic of ice carving meet the traditions of the sugar shack!

  Many other Winterlude activities—indoors and outdoors—highlight Canada's cultural, artistic and culinary diversity. Urban sites, museums and special events present special seasonal programming as well as opportunities to connect with Indigenous culture. Most festival activities are free and take place in urban Ottawa and its adjacent sister-city Gatineau in the province of Québec.   The festival was created by the National Capital Commission (NCC) in 1979 to celebrate Canada's unique northern culture and climate. Organizers were inspired by ancestors who would gather to enjoy each other’s company during the long winter months. Now considered the flagship event of the winter tourist season in Canada's Capital Region, Winterlude is proud to be among the prestigious Ontario Signature Experiences as well as the Top 100 Events in the United States and Canada 2021 according to BizBash.

  Built between 1826 and 1832 by Lt. Colonel John By of the British Royal Engineers, the stone-walled canal received a UNESCO World Heritage Site designation in 2007 and is the first such site in the province of Ontario. People from all over the world are drawn to its urban beauty, its historical significance and its modern recreational uses as it weaves its way gracefully through Ottawa’s charming downtown core. Check out some of the many ways you can explore this scenic waterway all year-round:     BY LAND: Ottawa Locks: the flight of eight massive locks that connect the Ottawa River and the Rideau Canal in the summer are still manually-operated and fascinating to see in operation. Watch Parks Canada staff as they crank the cast iron winches by hand to open and close the gates that allow pleasure boats to travel through. Stop at the Parks Canada Lockstation to learn how the system works – just like it did in the 1830s! One of the most picturesque views in Ottawa is looking down on the Ottawa Locks from the Plaza Bridge up above.   Rideau Canal Pathways: the dedicated multi-use pathways that run along both sides of the Rideau Canal in downtown Ottawa are popular for cycling, running and walking in the summer, and even for snow activities in the winter. The land is mostly flat with gardens, parks and neighbourhoods lining the way. In May, tulips bloom along the canal during the Canadian Tulip Festival, followed by a variety of flowers in the summer and fall colours in the autumn.   Bicycle rentals of all types are available at RentABike, located across the street from the Fairmont Château Laurier hotel under the Plaza Bridge, and at Escape Bicycle Tours and Rentals on nearby Sparks Street. Both also offer guided tours – group and personalized – for all cycling levels. Find out more on Family-Friendly Bike Trails.   As you explore the pathways, keep an eye out for signage and outdoor exhibits highlighting the waterway’s historical and cultural significance. Rideau Canal Promenade installations are located at the following seven sites: Ottawa Locks, Shaw Centre, Pretoria Bridge, Lansdowne Park, Dows Lake, Central Experimental Farm, and Hartwells Lockstation.   ON THE WATER – Boating: from May through October, people flock to the calm waters of the Rideau Canal. Rideau Canal Cruises runs an eco-friendly electric boat cruise that takes you from downtown Ottawa to picturesque Dows Lake. Sit back, relax and enjoy live narration about the canal and the city along the way. Or head to one of Le Boat’s bases located between Ottawa and Kingston (in Smiths Falls or Seeley’s Bay) to rent a luxury self-drive houseboat that’s fully equipped for your boating pleasure.   Paddling: for a relaxing urban experience, rent a canoe, kayak, pedalboat or stand-up paddle board from the Marina at Dows Lake Pavilion. Paddle around the canal’s romantic nooks, urban vistas and small islands – you might encounter ducks, see fish underwater and spot beautiful birds! For more on paddling the canal and other Ottawa waterways, click here.     ON THE ICE - One of Ottawa’s iconic experiences – and a bucket list item – is ice skating each winter on the Rideau Canal Skateway, which is the world’s largest skating rink as designated by the Guinness Book Of World Records. When the canal surface is sufficiently frozen (usually from early January to early March each year, depending on the weather), you can skate on the maintained ice for 4.8 miles from downtown Ottawa to Carleton University via Dows Lake. The Skateway surface is equivalent to more than 90 Olympic-sized hockey rinks and you can skate for free, 24 hours a day! Along the way, you’ll see distance markers, heated huts, washrooms and food kiosks. There’s nothing like gliding along the frozen canal, sipping a hot chocolate and eating a delicious, doughy, BeaverTails pastry – the sweet treat was born in Ottawa in 1978.   #MyOttawa  

Air Canada applauded Canada's announcement to remove pre-departure testing requirements as of April 1, 2022 for fully vaccinated travellers. "People are eager to travel and the end of pre-departure testing will provide travellers with more certainty, allowing them to plan their next trip with more confidence,” said David Rheault, Vice-President, Government and Community Relations at Air Canada. The airline has expanded its domestic, transborder, Europe and South Pacific international route networks this summer. Air Canada is offering new service on four transborder and three domestic routes, restoring 41 North American routes and will operate to 51 Canadian and 46 U.S. airports. Internationally, the airline is relaunching 33 routes to Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, including Barcelona, Copenhagen, Madrid, Milan and Venice. Air Canada is also expanding its South Pacific network with the return of daily service to Sydney and resumption of services to both Brisbane and Auckland.

Canada is reportedly set to announce it will eliminate pre-arrival Covid testing for vaccinated arrivals. It will be lifted by the end of March, according to government sources. Current rules require travellers to present proof of a negative antigen test taken within 24 hours of arrival or a PCR test taken within 72 hours. Travel and business groups have been lobbying hard for an end to pre-arrival testing. “The current travel measures in place are a barrier to travel,” the Global Business Travel Association said.  

  Shining the spotlight on the stories of its vibrant festivals, live music and performing arts, museums and galleries, Ottawa will focus on culture and inspiration in 2022. Here are a few projects to keep on the radar for this first half of the year:   Ottawa Black Film Festival (March 24 - 27, 2022) - Dedicated to giving unique voices in cinema the opportunity to present audiences with new ways of looking at the world, OBFF’s ambition is to encourage the development of the independent film industry and to promote more films on the reality of Black people around the globe. www.ottawablackfilm.com   The Sigwan (meaning “spring” in the Algonquin Anishinaabe language) Festival takes place March 25-27, 2022 at Mādahòkì Farm, which opened in the rural area of Ottawa in autumn 2021. This festival celebrates Indigenous traditions, including maple syrup making and other culinary delights, music and dancing, crafts, storytelling, a marketplace, and more. indigenous-experiences.ca/sigwan-spring   Crave Food & Wine Festival (April 1-3, 2022): Ottawa’s new premier food and wine festival worthy of the Canadian capital’s cravings for good drinks, delicious bites and an unforgettable time. The festival’s goal is to bring together the culinary arts enthusiasts and local cuisine for a tasteful week of masterclasses and activities at participating restaurants, breweries and distilleries leading up a 3-day food and wine show at the Shaw Centre www.craveottawa.ca   The 70th edition of the iconic Canadian Tulip Festival takes place May 13-23, 2022. More than 250,000 tulips bloom in Commissioners Park along the Rideau Canal. The festival grew from an annual gift of tulips from the Dutch Royal Family in thanks for the role Canada played in the Liberation of the Netherlands and the fact that Ottawa provided a safe refuge for them during World War II. www.tulipfestival.ca   The Escapade Music Festival returns to Ottawa June 24-26, 2022 with the best in electronic dance music. Catch Above & Beyond, deadmau5, DJ Snake, ILLENIUM, Kaskade, Martin Garrix, Tiësto, and more on the stage at Lansdowne Park. https://escapademf.com   For more information visit: https://ottawatourism.ca/en #MyOttawa

Air Canada announced an expanded summer 2022 international schedule with 34 routes relaunching across the Atlantic and Pacific. Starting in March, non-stop services will begin resuming from Toronto to Tel Aviv, Paris, Tokyo and Amsterdam. Service from Montreal to Casablanca, Nice, Algiers, Rome, Tel Aviv and Tokyo will also be resuming. From Vancouver, Air Canada will be offering service to Frankfurt, Dublin, and Zurich. Air Canada is also relaunching service to popular European destinations including Barcelona, Budapest, Copenhagen, Madrid, Milan, and Venice, which have been suspended since the beginning of the pandemic. "This is very exciting news for our customers especially now that Omicron is behind us. Countries are reopening and border measures are being eased around the world for fully vaccinated travellers. Air Canada's recovery is well underway and gaining strength," said Mark Galardo, Senior Vice President, Network Planning and Revenue Management at Air Canada. "Our growing network has been built to conveniently increase connectivity to and from global destinations through our Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver hubs. Combined with the networks of our Joint Venture and Star Alliance partners, we can offer customers easy access to virtually any destination." The relaunch of international routes builds on expansion in the North American market, where seven new routes are scheduled for summer 2022 and 41 previously suspended routes are resuming.  

Canada will relax entry for fully vaccinated international travellers at the end of the month. From February 28, random testing for vaccinated travellers entering Canada will commence but a pre-arrival PCR test won't be mandatory if fully jabbed. Unvaccinated travellers will still require a pre-arrival PCR test. Those selected for random testing, will not have to isolate while awaiting results. Today's announcement is an important step on our pathway to a safe and prudent reopening," said Tourism Minister Randy Boissonnault.   Read full story

Air Canada is pausing operations to multiple destinations across the Caribbean. It is halting some flights to various leisure destinations from January 24 through April 30, 2022. It affects flights to Antigua, Aruba, Samana, Curaçao, Exuma, Grenada, Puerto Plata, Santo Domingo, Bermuda, Grand Cayman, Havana, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sint Maarten, and Saint Kitts and Nevis. Customers can claim a full refund. The airline plans to fly some one-way inbound flights for returning customers.   Read full story

Canada's Tourism Minister believes the tourism industry won't be able to rely on revenue from international visitors for many more months. Randy Boissonnault told CBC News there is unlikely to be any inbound tourists until the third quarter of 2022. About 78% of tourism spending comes from domestic travellers but spend less than a quarter compared to international visitors. "Domestic travel is a crucial step but will not be able to fill the revenue gap from the halt of international travel," said Beth Potter, CEO of the Tourism Industry Association of Canada.   Read full story