Edmonton tourism riding wave of Oilers playoffs run, Canadians avoiding the U.S.
Fowler said the city making it onto the Lonely Planet's Best in Travel List was a significant triumph for the city after some tough criticism in years past.
Article content
'It was a huge deal for us, especially just how far we've come in the eyes of Lonely Planet. If you look at 2015 reviews of us, they're not as nice. They are very honest. So just seeing the development of our indigenous tourism experience, our culinary (tourism), the Ice District, that really helped us get there,' said Fowler.
Article content
The result, according to Fowler is momentum in the city's tourism that the group continues to try and maintain in a variety of ways, including billboard campaigns in American cities with direct flights to Edmonton.
Article content
Measuring momentum in outsiders' interest in a city isn't easy, but one indicator that Explore Edmonton tracks is flight searches. This year, Edmonton saw a more than 76 per cent increase in searches for flights to the city from all markets throughout June compared to last year. The interest in Edmonton is even higher among Canadian travellers, which showed a more than 117 per cent jump in searches compared to last year, which could be partially attributed to the ongoing trade war with the United States.
Article content
Article content
'I know some people that won't go now to the States. Now that being said, we are still seeing Americans coming here,' said Kanash, adding 'maybe not as much.'
Article content
Explore Edmonton's data indicates a nearly 20 per cent drop in bookings to Edmonton from American cities, but has notably seen a more than 10 per cent increase in bookings compared to last year for travellers coming from other parts of the country, and a 1.4 per cent increase from all markets.
Article content
Regardless of what's bringing people to the city, Fowler said Explore Edmonton just wants to keep visitors coming.
Article content
'We're just really excited about the momentum behind our city right now, and excited for the rest of the world to experience it.'
Article content
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Cision Canada
27 minutes ago
- Cision Canada
AUTOCANADA ANNOUNCES AGREEMENTS TO DIVEST 13 U.S. DEALERSHIPS
EDMONTON, AB, July 16, 2025 /CNW/ - AutoCanada Inc. ("AutoCanada" or the "Company") (TSX: ACQ), a multi-location North American automobile dealership group, announced that it has entered into definitive agreements to sell 13 franchised dealerships in its U.S. Operations segment for expected aggregate proceeds of approximately $82.7 million which includes approximately $6.4 million for real estate. The dealerships being sold across multiple purchasers include: Autohaus of Peoria (consisting of Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, and Volkswagen dealerships) Bloomington Automall (consisting of Audi, Lincoln, Mercedes-Benz, Subaru, and Volkswagen dealerships) Chevrolet of Palatine Crystal Lake Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram Hyundai of Palatine North City Honda The transactions are subject to customary closing conditions, including OEM approvals, and are anticipated to close in the second half of 2025. As previously disclosed, the Company classified its U.S. Operations segment as a discontinued operation in its financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2024. AutoCanada remains actively engaged in the divestiture of its remaining four U.S. dealerships, consisting of Hyundai of Lincolnwood, Kia of Lincolnwood, Toyota of Lincoln Park, and Toyota of Lincolnwood. All dollar amounts in this press release are in Canadian dollars. Forward Looking Statements Certain statements contained in this press release are forward-looking statements and information (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of the applicable Canadian securities legislation. We hereby provide cautionary statements identifying important factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those identified in these forward-looking statements. Any statements that express, or involve discussions as to, expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often, but not always, through the use of words or phrases such as "will likely result", "are expected to", "will continue", "is anticipated", "projection", "vision", "goals", "objective", "target", "schedules", "outlook", "anticipate", "expect", "estimate", "could", "should", "plan", "seek", "may", "intend", "likely", "will", "believe" and similar expressions) are not historical facts and are forward looking. Forward-looking statements in this press release include: the expected aggregate proceeds from the disposition transactions, the completion and the anticipated timing of completion of the disposition transactions and engagement in selling the remaining dealerships of the U.S. Operations segment. Forward-looking statements provide information about management's expectations and plans for the future and may not be appropriate for other purposes. Forward looking statements are based on various assumptions, and expectations that AutoCanada believes are reasonable in the circumstances. No assurance can be given that these assumptions and expectations will prove correct. Those assumptions and expectations are based on information currently available to AutoCanada. AutoCanada cautions that the assumptions used to prepare such forward-looking statements could prove to be incorrect or inaccurate. AutoCanada cautions that the foregoing forward-looking statements are subject to assumptions, risks and uncertainties and our ability to mitigate and address those risks and uncertainties. The Company's Annual Information Form and other documents filed with securities regulatory authorities (accessible through the SEDAR+ website at describe the risks, material assumptions and other factors that could influence actual results and which are incorporated herein by reference. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date hereof and AutoCanada assumes no obligation to publicly update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances, except as may be required pursuant to applicable securities laws. About AutoCanada AutoCanada's continuing operations consist of 64 franchised dealerships in Canada, comprised of 23 brands in eight provinces, as well as 29 collision centres. AutoCanada's franchised dealerships currently sell Acura, Audi, BMW, Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, Ford, GMC, Honda, Hyundai, Infiniti, Jeep, Kia, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, MINI, Nissan, Porsche, Ram, Subaru, and Volkswagen branded vehicles. In 2024, our Canadian dealerships sold approximately 85,000 new and used retail vehicles. In addition, our collision centres offer an opportunity for the Company to retain customers at every touchpoint within the automotive ecosystem. AutoCanada's U.S. Operations segment, operating as Leader Automotive Group, operates 17 franchised dealerships comprised of 15 brands, in Illinois, USA. Leader currently sells Audi, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, Honda, Hyundai, Jeep, Kia, Lincoln, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Ram, Subaru, Toyota, and Volkswagen branded vehicles. In 2024, our U.S. dealerships sold approximately 12,900 new and used retail vehicles.
Winnipeg Free Press
27 minutes ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
How Canada is responding to the U.S. steel and aluminum tariffs
OTTAWA – U.S. President Donald Trump introduced 25 per cent tariffs on all imports of steel and aluminum on March 12, and doubled the levies to 50 per cent in early June. The Canadian government has responded with a number of measures. Initial response The day after the U.S. tariffs came into effect, Canada imposed a retaliatory 25 per cent tariff on American goods. The government said the levies cover $29.8-billion worth of imports in total, including $15.6 billion worth of steel and aluminum. The tariffs also cover a variety of other goods including gold, jewelry, platinum, scrap metal and waste, ceramics, iron products, umbrellas and candles. There are more than 530 products on the list ranging from screws and sewing needles to pipes and railway tracks, stoves and barbecues and, yes, even the kitchen sink. New protections On June 19, the government announced protectionist policies, including new federal procurement rules that limit access to Canadian suppliers and reliable trading partners, and pledged to adopt measures to address overcapacity and unfair trade practices in the steel and aluminum sectors. Prime Minister Mark Carney also said Canada will adjust steel and aluminum counter-tariffs on July 21, depending on how the trade negotiations with Trump were going. Later that month, tariff rate quotas were set on steel mill products imported from countries Canada does not have a free-trade deal with. If imports exceed 2024 levels, a 50 per cent tariff would kick in. The government said the measure was meant to address the risk that steel that had been intended for the U.S. market is redirected to Canada. Additional measures Tariff rate quotas will be expanded to countries that Canada has a free-trade deal with starting on Aug. 1, except for the U.S. and Mexico. Any imports above 2024 levels will be subject to a 50 per cent surtax if a trade deal is in place. Steel from countries with no trade deal with Canada will be subject to the tariff after imports exceed 50 per cent of the 2024 levels. Imports of steel that was melted and poured in China will also be subject to a 25 per cent levy, unless they're imported from the U.S. Canada has had a 25 per cent tariff on Chinese steel and aluminum products since last October. Business-specific relief Monday Mornings The latest local business news and a lookahead to the coming week. Businesses can apply for tariff exemptions or refunds in some circumstances, for example, if they are importing goods that are exported or used to produce goods for export within four years. There's also an exceptional relief program in cases where the imported goods cannot be sourced outside the U.S. or where there are 'exceptional circumstances that could have severe adverse impacts on the Canadian economy,' the Finance Department says. A $10-billion loan program for large companies aims to help businesses with a liquidity shortfall. Initially the program was for companies with more than $300 million in Canadian revenue to apply for at least $60 million in loans, but on Wednesday the government revised the criteria to $150 million in revenue and $30 million in minimum loan amount. The government has also announced temporary changes to the employment insurance program to waive the one-week waiting period for applicants and to allow businesses to reduce their hours without laying off workers. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 16, 2025.
The Market Online
an hour ago
- The Market Online
@ the Bell: Markets steady amid tariff tensions and mixed bank earnings
Canada's main stock index ended the day largely unchanged on Wednesday, as investor concerns about inflation driven by tariffs dampened market sentiment ahead of upcoming US producer price data. Trade tensions remained a key focus after US President Donald Trump imposed a 19 per cent tariff on Indonesian imports as part of a new agreement—one of several deals being finalized before a broader tariff increase set for August 1. Meanwhile, US markets showed an upbeat performance as major banks continued to report earnings for a second consecutive day. Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) posted stronger-than-expected Q2 profits, although its net interest income fell short of analyst forecasts. Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) shares rose after the bank exceeded expectations for the quarter, driven by robust performance in equities trading. The Canadian dollar traded for 73.05 cents US compared to 72.87 cents US on Tuesday. US crude futures traded $0.17 lower at US$66.35 a barrel, and the Brent contract lost $0.21 to US$68.50 a barrel. The price of gold was up US$21.50 to US$3,351.95. In world markets, the Nikkei was down 14.62 points to ¥39,663.40, the Hang Seng was down 72.36 points to HK$24,517.76, the FTSE was up 11.77 points to ₤8,926.55, and the DAX was down 50.91 points to €24,009.38. Stockhouse does not provide investment advice or recommendations. All investment decisions should be made based on your own research and consultation with a registered investment professional. The issuer is solely responsible for the accuracy of the information contained herein. For full disclaimer information, please click here .
