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CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
‘Moving to Saskatchewan': Chappell Roan lyrics boost online interest in Canadian province
WATCH: Jacob Carr has more on Chappell Roan's 'Saskatchewan' lyric for her new song, The Subway, which drops on Thursday. Chappell Roan's new single, 'The Subway,' is creating quite the buzz in Saskatchewan. In the single released Thursday night, the American pop star sings about moving to Saskatchewan if she can't get over a breakup. 'We are absolutely thrilled to get a shout-out from such a talented and well-known artist,' said Amy McInnis, vice-president of marketing and communications at Tourism Saskatchewan. The search terms 'moving to Saskatchewan' are showing up worldwide, according to McInnis. In the days leading up to the single's release, Tourism Saskatchewan had more than 230 new social media mentions and nearly 40,000 new social media interactions. 'That's a lot of people thinking about Saskatchewan,' McInnis said. 'We don't know if it's going to translate into more visitation, but anything that brings more profile and attention to the province is always a good thing.' The tourism sector is hoping to capitalize on Roan's music. The group launched a new marketing campaign that helps tourists explore Saskatchewan based on their favourite Chappell Roan songs. 'We've rounded up five iconic Saskatchewan spots that radiate Midwest Princess energy and paired each one with the perfect Chappell track to complement their unique vibe,' according to a post on Tourism Saskatchewan's Instagram page. Roan's fans in Saskatoon also think her new song could attract more visitors from around the world. 'I think it's very good for tourism here, since most people don't really think to visit Saskatchewan when they visit Canada,' said Saskatoon resident and Chappel Roan fan Radia Jannet. Jannet said the province has a lot to offer for people trying to escape the city. 'It has a lower cost of living than the rest of Canada. It's not too overcrowded and everyone here is really polite and kind,' she said. Roan first performed The Subway live last summer. But the Saskatchewan lyrics gained traction late last month when Roan hired Regina production company Captive Media to create a teaser video for the official release. The snippet shows a moving truck passing by canola fields and a 'Welcome to Saskatchewan' sign. 'We really wanted to show off Saskatchewan and make sure that we find and get footage that we feel like represents our province,' said Captive Media content creator Jill Dukart. Roan is an advocate for the LGBTQ2S+ community, and the queer singer has received a warm welcome from members of Saskatchewan's queer community. Nathaniel Teed is the province's first openly gay member of the legislative assembly. He penned a letter to Roan's team pitching a collaboration with the singer that 'offers an unapologetic middle finger to bigotry.' 'We want to see queer and trans youth affirmed and supported in schools. And I think Chapell's voice might be able to lend a little bit of weight behind that,' Teed told CTV News. There is hope that the singer might take up the offer to at least visit Saskatchewan in the future. In December, during an interview with celebrity journalist Nardwuar, Roan said she had been scoping out venues in the province. 'I owe it to them. I can't sing a song about Saskatchewan and not go there and play a show,' she said. There are no Canadian cities listed on Roan's current tour schedule.
CBC
3 hours ago
- CBC
Watch out for traffic disruption in Ottawa this August long weekend
Staying in the city this Civic Holiday weekend? Be prepared for diversions as Ottawa's first Ironman competition gets underway, causing multiple road and bridge closures.
CBC
3 hours ago
- CBC
Toronto is 'a value destination,' prof says, as city approaches pre-pandemic tourism levels
Toronto is getting closer to pre-pandemic levels of tourists in the city, which Destination Toronto says is thanks in part to an increase in European travellers. "The city is doing well," said Kathy Motton, senior manager of corporate communications at Destination Toronto. "There's a lot of interest from Canadians wanting to travel in Canada and stay in their country," she said. "We are seeing that the U.S. is down, not surprisingly, but in turn the international market is up." Toronto welcomed nine million visitors in 2024, according to Destination Toronto figures, just 600,000 shy of the number of visitors it welcomed in 2019 pre-pandemic. Canadians led the way, with American visitors coming second at 1.6 million. However, Motton says visits dropped four per cent year over year in the first quarter of 2025, owing to "ongoing geopolitical and economic uncertainty." While she says "it's too early for a full 2025 project," Motton also says the summer is helping Toronto make up for lower numbers earlier in the year. WATCH | Is the U.S. trade war helping Toronto tourism? Why the U.S. trade war with Canada is helping Toronto tourism 5 months ago More visitors from U.K., Germany Visitors from the United Kingdom and Germany were both up in June by six per cent each, year over year, Motton says, noting it may be a result of Europeans looking for new places to travel. Toronto is an attractive destination for Europeans due to cost, says Wayne Smith, a tourism professor at Toronto Metropolitan University. "The euro versus Canadian dollar is doing very well, so Toronto actually looks like a value destination," said Smith. "They're paying close to $200 a night. And when you compare to European prices, it actually becomes a value type destination for them." Smith says what's happening in the U.S. is also probably playing a role in bringing European travellers to Toronto. "Canada has been in the news a lot so it becomes more top of mind," he said. "Because of the U.S. situation and with visas and fears about ICE – you add in some of the economic component to it, all of a sudden Canada looks like a much more attractive destination versus the U.S." Toronto is also attractive to Europeans because it's a closer destination than places like Calgary or Vancouver, Smith says. Destination Toronto opened new offices in the U.K. and Germany in June in an effort to attract more European tourists to the city. Motton says she expects numbers will grow from those countries, especially as we get close to the FIFA 2026 World Cup, which Toronto is co-hosting. "Once we hear which countries are going to be playing here, I think we're going to see a lot of interest from the various different countries that are playing here in the city," she said. Meanwhile, Henry Greisman, a manager at Toonie Tours, one of Toronto's walking tour operators, says he's seeing an increase in visitors from South America. The company, which offers Spanish tours, has had to add additional tours to meet demand, he says. "We would take on average say 15, maybe 18 passengers on a tour and they go on a three hour tour in downtown Toronto. This year we are seeing upwards of 25 and our maximum is 30 guests on a tour," Greisman said. Americans remain key to tourism recovery: experts Still, Greisman says he's noticed a decline in U.S. visitors so far this year — a decline both Smith and Motton say is important to turn around. "We're going to continue to market to the Americans," Motton said, noting U.S. visitors to Toronto are down nine per cent since 2024. Their return is crucial to a true tourism recovery, Smith says. "When you're looking at a three-to-one ratio, three U.S. tourists to every international tourist, which is sort of our traditional realm, what you're finding is that would be an awfully large market to give up entirely," he said.
