Despite the strange weather that the Ottawa area has been faced with this season, Winterlude is about to take off for the 32nd time. For the next three weeks, friends and families will flood the canal in search of Beavertails, hot chocolate and wintery events.
But with the Vancouver Olympics in the foreground of February’s spotlight this year, the National Capital Commission needs to do more to revive and encourage active tourism and participation in Ottawa during the Winterlude weeks.
It seems like enthused skaters on the canal are the only form of advertisement that Winterlude really gets.
A few scattered posters at corners and on lampposts are the only evidence of Winterlude’s impending arrival. Abnormally warm weather and record-breaking rainfalls in January have forced the NCC to fly its red flag more often than not lately, suggesting skaters take the day off.
So why should tourists and locals have to work so hard to find out what kind of events await them during the upcoming winter festival?
And of course, clicking onto websites and flipping through brochures isn’t hard work but the information must be sought after by people who already have an idea of what they’re looking for.
When it comes to Vancouver, whether its old traditions, newer sports, or young, up-and-coming athletes, the Olympic committee has made sure that every Canadian answers yes to the 2010 slogan, “Do you believe?”
Cliché as the catchphrase may be, we are bombarded on television, on the radio, and even on the sides of pop cans with reminders of the Olympic Games, taking place all the way across the country.
But right here in the capital, the NCC has spent the last 32 years allowing locals to discover the festivities of Winterlude for themselves, an action that rarely gives tourists from out of town an opportunity to get in on the tradition.
CTV’s athlete profile commercials may be corny and overplayed, but at least they get airtime and stay fresh on people’s minds.
And these athletes certainly lend the Olympic promotion campaigns a helping hand.
Their recognizable faces and promising talents encourage Vancouver-bound Canadians to support specific events and competitions, ensuring a sense of nationalism and pride.
Especially in communities like Centretown, inspiring people to show more support for Winterlude shouldn’t be that difficult.
The NCC could do small things like supplying local businesses that want to help promote Winterlude with buttons or stickers to give to customers, generating interest not only in the ice sculptures and contests, but within the heart of the Ottawa community as well.
With the famous Rideau Canal’s skaters acting as the only promotional work that Winterlude may get, someone needs to step up their game and persuade festival attendees to take a look at what’s off the ice.
It’s the NCC’s responsibility to promote Winterlude itself – the shows, the competitions and other canal-based events.
They even made a move in cancelling the traditional Snowbowl concert, honouring a green movement aimed to create a “carbon-neutral festival by 2012,” in hopes of improving Winterlude’s image.
We’ll have to wait and see if losing the pull of celebrity performances has an impact on the festival’s revenue.
But in the meantime, businesses along the Skateway should be more actively responsible and, quite frankly, more aware of what they can be doing throughout the month of February to improve and increase their clientele.
Especially with Bank Street and Preston Street finally construction-free and back in full force, Centretown businesses – especially the ones that suffered because of the roadwork – need to take advantage of the thousands of potential new customers speeding by them on the canal each day.
Businesses that are lucky enough to be right on the canal may get free first-hand advertising but store-owners with shops buried deeper in the streets off the Rideau Skateway need to work harder to draw skaters off the canal and into stores.
Perhaps there could be promise in tactful, on-ice advertising, which reflects local businesses in a Winterlude-themed light.
Between the construction, the overshadowing force of the Olympics, and even the recession, there is no reason why Centretown businesses, and even the NCC, should be missing out on a perfect opportunity to encourage tourism and interest in the community.