Ottawa (Canada) is a magnet for millions of visitors annually to its tourist destinations, major events, and sites of natural beauty and historic significance.
As per a press release, a ten-day multi-staged music festival called Ottawa Bluesfest is among the city’s top tourist attractions.
Its cancellation for the past two years because of the pandemic caused a significant loss to Ottawa’s local economy.
The Government of Canada is committed to reviving major events and festivals and the hard-hit tourism industry and preparing these industries for a solid economic future.
On June 16, the Honourable Helena Jaczek, Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario), announced over CA$10 million to support Ottawa Bluesfest and three Ottawa-based tourism operators.
Ottawa Bluesfest will receive an investment of more than CA$9.8 million from the Major Festivals and Events Support Initiative (MFESI) to assist the festival get back to its pre-pandemic scale as well as to fund expanding the main stage and the acquisition of a brand new portable stage to increase and expand the capacity of its most popular shows.
An additional investment of over CA$250,000 through the Tourism Relief Fund (TRF) will assist three tourism businesses in the region: Haunted Walks Inc., Alicja Confections Inc., and Escape Tours and Rentals, as they recover from the pandemic and attract visitors through new products and services.
“Our government is committed to ensuring the tourism, events and cultural sectors have the supports they need to recover from the impacts of the pandemic. The investments announced today for Ottawa Bluesfest and three local tourism operators are making a difference for these organizations that attract visitors and add to the vibrant culture that makes Canada so special,” said Mona Fortier, President of the Treasury Board and Member of Parliament for Ottawa-Vanier.