Canada has a large domestic and foreign tourism industry. The second largest country in the world, Canada’s incredible geographical variety is a significant tourist attractor. Much of the country’s tourism is centred in the following regions: Toronto, Montreal, Quebec City, Vancouver/Whistler, Niagara Falls, Vancouver Island, Canadian Rockies, British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley, Churchill, Manitoba and the national capital region Ottawa. The large cities are known for their culture, diversity, as well as the many national parks and historic sites.
There are 20 World Heritage Sites in Canada, including one of the oldest, Nahanni National Park, Northwest Territories (1978), and one of the newest, the Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park, Alberta (2019). Of these 20 sites, 9 are Cultural Heritages and 10 are Natural Heritages. One (Pimachiowin Aki) is a combined site.
The Festival du Voyageur is an annual 10-day winter festival that takes place in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The event is held during each February in Winnipeg’s French quarter, Saint-Boniface, and is western Canada’s largest winter festival. It celebrates Canada’s fur-trading past and unique French heritage and culture through entertainment, arts and crafts, music, exhibits, and displays.
The word “Voyageur” refers to those who worked for a fur-trading company and usually travelled by canoe. In the case of Festival du Voyageur, the title of “Official Voyageur” is given to ambassadors of the festival.
Folklorama is an event that runs for two weeks each August in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Visitors to the festival are invited to sample cuisine and celebrate the cultural and ethnic heritage of people from dozens of cultures who have made Winnipeg their home. Folklorama is the world’s largest and longest-running multicultural festival.
Each culture has an assigned venue, known as a pavilion. Typically there are over 40 pavilions presented throughout the city, with half operating in week one and half in week two of the festival. Each pavilion presents a show featuring the song and dance of their culture, along with trademark ethnic cuisine and a cultural display. Some pavilions also incorporate additional services such as henna tattoo application, steel pan drum workshops, and some have late night parties. Most pavilions provide imported cultural beverage.