Importance of Canadian Tourism ~ Canadian Minister Maxime Bernier Interview … “Canada Brand” ~ “Youth” ~ “Volunteers”

The Importance of Canadian Tourism ~ as Canadian Minister Maxime Bernier shares … “Canada Brand” ~ “Youth” ~ “Volunteers”

Judi "Scoop" McWilliams ~ Ontario Visited 
with Canadian Minster Maxime Bernier
Ottawa

Recently, we had the privilege to sit down with the Canadian Minister of Tourism ~ The Honourable Maxime Bernier, Office of the Minister of State (Small Business & Tourism; Agriculture) and conduct an interview, with the focus on Canadian Tourism.

Explore Canada … Our Journey Begins …

Every good interview needs a good topic. If you are passionate about your topic and the recipient is passionate as well, it makes for a great interview. Minister Bernier was very generous with his time and insights, and passionate about Canada and its Tourism.

In our travels we have heard new “coined phrases” such as “Edutainment” (Education through entertainment) and “Agritourism” (Education in Agricultural through Tourism activities) and “Ecotourism” (Education through the environment). The depth of Tourism, we believe, is comprised, in a large part, from the contribution of Festivals and Events held in many communities all over the Country. The mainstay and the key to success for these viable contributors are … volunteers! 

As we are interested in Tourism in Canada and the current trends, we thought we would share some relevant material obtained from Minister Bernier and his office. We appreciate this insight, and “Scoop” as it were …

Where we stand ~ The Canada Brand:

“Branding” is important, especially in Tourism. Canada has ranked in the top two for the most powerful country brand in the world since 2010. (source: Futurebrand Country Brand Index). As we talked with Minister Bernier’s and his staff, every fact or figure we could come up with about the “statistics” become “outdated” right away. As they say, “If you are reading this, it is history” … “if you are living it, it is current”. It is important to realize though how important Tourism in Canada is! 

For an example, Canada’s Tourism Industry provides more than 618,000 direct jobs. That figure could move upwards are you are reading this too. We do know however, that in 2013, tourism revenues in Canada grew by 3 per cent to over $84 billion. That is a very significant number. Tourism is a growing and resilient industry that is driven by Canadian entrepreneurs, SMEs and workers from coast to coast to coast. 

We must not lose site that “Youth” plays an important role in Tourism in Canada, as young travellers, both domestic and international are part of the large and lucrative market. Not only do these young travellers contribute to Tourism, they also play an intricate role in “Volunteering” across the country as well, generating even more of an economic impact on our society today. 

Stay tuned to “THE INSIDE SCOOP” Series of Interview Blog articles with the Canadian Minister of Tourism ~ The Honourable Maxime Bernier, Office of the Minister of State (Small Business & Tourism; Agriculture) … “Canadian Tourism Commission”.

Volunteers, “City Girl”, Energy Park, Fun in the Sun!

We welcome you to come along as Ontario Visited Tours the Canada Agriculture and Food Museum … continues … Volunteers, “City Girl”, Energy Park, Fun in the Sun!

Volunteering “City Girl” … to great career …

Judi "Scoop" McWilliams ~ Ontario Festivals Visited with
Kelly Ray ~ Communications & Marketing Officer
Canada Agriculture and Food Museum

Kelly was interested in Science and Technology. As a youth she visited at the Canada Agriculture and Food Museum from 4 years old. She is a “city girl” but with her education along with her natural connection with people, Kelly was a perfect “fit” for guiding, teaching, tours and more. She is a “people person” and loves to share her knowledge. Her excitement certainly captured our hearts and interest. During our Tour, I asked about the artifacts of the Museum. They do have an “acquisition list” of items that they would like to have added to their Museum. At this point though, the items would need to be rare, one of a kind, the first of the first. The “story” would need to match with the history.

Energy Park … fun in the sun …

Ontario Festivals Visited on route to
Energy Park 
Canada Agriculture and Food Museum

As we rounded the corner outside once again we can across the Energy Park: Nature at Work outdoor exhibition.  It is an energy park which produces bio-fuels, from corn, flax, solar power, windmill, sun tracker and more. Kelly tells us this area is usually hard to even see over the tall crops that grow later in the season. You can try your hand at “harvesting” energy using a variety of interactive features. You can try to pump water faster than a windmill or capture solar power from the comfort of a chair.

This area teaches visitors how renewable energy technology is changing both the consumption and production of energy on Canadian farms. The CAFM has a program called … Get the Scoop on Poop. Not only are the crops used for “fuel” but cows’ manure can be used for more than fertilizer on a field.  The Museum offers a new biodigester interpretation station.  A biodigester is like an artificial stomach. It is fed with organic material (like manure), which is broken down by micro-organisms to produce a renewable energy called biogas.

While we walked in one of the barns, Kelly told us to look up! Here there were ceiling fans running, cooling the barns. Kelly told us they use solar panels in their barn. They have a fun daily activity where visitors can guess how much electricity they’re producing in that day and how much they have saved in carbon emissions.

Stay tuned for more “Behind the Scenes” Tour with the Canada Agriculture and Food Museum (in the meantime, check out their great website for lots of fun and information at http://cafmuseum.techno-science.ca/en/index.php.)