Ottawa hopes to avoid a tourism 'hangover' after 2017

Tourism officials and politicians are thinking beyond the full eventcalendar in 2017 forCanada's 150th birthday celebrations, and are looking at how toboostthe city's tourism industry in the years that follow.

"We know that we're going to do very well in 2017," mayor Jim Watson told a crowd of250 attendingatourism summit heldMondayat the Shaw Centre, and hosted by the City of Ottawa and Ottawa Tourism.

"But we have to think about post-2017 so we that don't have what would be consideredsomething of a tourism hangover," said Watson.

Watson creditedthe team in charge the City of Ottawa's 2017 planning, and the many events they've lined up, such as a Red BullCrashed Ice race near the Rideau Canal locks, a picnic on the Alexandra bridge,and a projection show in one of the newlight rail stations.

But Watsonsuggested the city's tourism scene could be doing more to work with indigenous groups to profile their cultures, and could also emphasizethe city's growing culinary scene.

2017 a test case for future Ottawatraditions

The man who's leading the city's planning, Guy Laflamme, said the team is treating 2017 as a laboratory for ideas that could be used over and over in the years that follow.

More than half the activities being planned for 2017 could be repeated, he said.

"For example, the picnic on the bridge. This is such a cool thing on July 2 (2017). Why not make it a tradition in Ottawa?" asked Laflamme.

The architect behind Qubec City's 2008 celebrations for its 400th birthday,Daniel Glinas,commended Laflamme and his team for planning events throughout the year and for catering to a range of interests.

It's important to plan events thatsurprise and amazepeople, said Glinas,whose own Qubec City festivitiesincludedPaulMcCartneyperforming on thehistoricPlains of Abraham.

Role for residents

But the pride and buy-in of residents arekeyto keeping up the tourism appeal in the years that followan anniversary year,Glinas told the summit.

"Don't forget that, because they are the main supportersin your fiesta," he said.

To that end, Laflamme intends to borrow an idea he saw Indianapolis use when it hosted aSuperbowl football game, in which residents of the city became official ambassadors for the city.

Algonquin Collegeand La Citare creating online training modules to helpOttawa residents be strongambassadors.Laflamme's hope is that thousands of peoplewill spend 30 minutes online to be certified as 150 hosts and help Ottawa with its marketing message to visitorsin 2017.

SylvieLyonnaisrunsOh Feel del'eauwater taxi, which runs between Ottawa and Gatineau, andagreed it's important everyone in the capital regionwork together toward making 2017 a success.

"We want the welcoming to be out of this world to keep people coming and coming and coming," said Lyonnais.