Next most well-known/recognized Canadian city after Montreal-Toronto-Vancouver?

[GlassCity]

Asked my recent-immigrant friend this question today. Said he was aware of Ottawa (capital), Calgary (can't remember the reason) and Winnipeg because it was mentioned in some documentary he saw.

[MolsonExport]

As me to name a "region" of Turkey and I'd probably say something like Kurdistan.

yeah, but I prefer Batman.

[Capsicum]

Originally Posted by Acajack

As others have said Quebec is arguably the most globally known Canadian province. This is because of its unique outlier character but also for its troublemaker image (language laws, referendums, etc.)

What would be next? Newfoundland? PEI?

Some of the provinces of Atlantic Canada are probably more well known in terms of the province name rather than the cities within them, to outsiders.

Also, with regard to "regions", sometimes people are vaguely aware of the region as part of the country that's distinctive but not necessarily of their official status or how large or small in scope they are -- be they only a city or a state, province, territory or some other sub-national division.

For example, I guess that regions like Quebec, Queensland, Newfoundland, Bavaria, Puerto Rico, Catalonia, are known as parts of countries, but few might be able to figure out if these places are states, territories, provinces or something else entirely, if they are not familiar with the country's political divisions.

[Capsicum]

Originally Posted by Acajack

As me to name a "region" of Turkey and I'd probably say something like Kurdistan.

I was going to say the Istanbul area near the border where the Bosporus strait between Europe and Asia, but I had to look it up specifically (that it was called the Marmara region).

[Capsicum]

Originally Posted by Metro-One

Well, in Asia almost no one I have ever met has known the city.

They just know that there is a French speaking region in Canada called Quebec. The fact that the province got the name from the city is really beside the point.

Mexico the country, also got its name from Mexico the city, and this is probably not well known either.

[Acajack]

Quick everyone: name the first region (not a city) that comes to mind in... Russia.






Siberia, right?

[Acajack]

Argentina?





Patagonia... right?

[Acajack]

Brazil?





Amazonia... right?

[Acajack]

None of these are the most populated regions of their respective countries. Not even close.

[White Pine]

Originally Posted by TownGuy

Yep. I haven't gone further north than Bancroft in years. Once you hit the Canadian Shield it's pretty much varying degrees of the same thing for hundreds of kms. Don't get me wrong there are beautiful sites to see in the north but not necessarily worth the drive. Our big Ontario excursion this year will be to Bon Echo which is only a couple hours away.

Not being argumentative, but in my opinion seeing Killarney Provincial Park and the Lake Superior north shore are worth the drive. I suppose that the latter is arguable as one might not want to go on a drive to go for another drive, but I definitely want to see that area again.

* The problem with Killarney is that you have to put in a fair amount of effort to really see it, although there are a couple of "easy wins"

[Martin Mtl]

Originally Posted by Metro-One

They may recognize the image, but hate to break it to you, most that do won’t be able to place it or name it.

Some Chinese investors seem to know Quebec City well enough to duplicate it, like they did with Paris and Amsterdam and Venise.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montre...hina-1.4417827

And then, there’s that from South Korea... With 250 millions viewers, I think Quebec City is more well known in Asia than you think. Well, maybe not in Japan, but Japan is a small part of Asia, all things considered.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montre...city-1.4201193

[Capsicum]

Originally Posted by Martin Mtl

And then, there’s that from South Korea... With 250 millions viewers, I think Quebec City is more well known in Asia than you think. Well, maybe not in Japan, but Japan is a small part of Asia, all things considered.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montre...city-1.4201193

The idea of traveling overseas primarily to see a sight featured in a TV show always struck me as kind of an odd thing to base a really long overseas trip on.

I mean, I don't really see a Canadian or American audience of a TV show that mentions a foreign location suddenly inundating that locale with North American tourists. But then again, I suppose there is "Harry Potter" boosting tourism to the UK so maybe that's not too different...

[Blader]

nm- glass of wine too many.

[MolsonExport]

Originally Posted by Acajack

Brazil?





Amazonia... right?

America?

California,...right?


But yes, I agree that, to borrow a much loathed SSP term, Quebec (Province) "punches above its weight" in terms of recognition, for the reasons you described earlier.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by Capsicum

The idea of traveling overseas primarily to see a sight featured in a TV show always struck me as kind of an odd thing to base a really long overseas trip on.

I mean, I don't really see a Canadian or American audience of a TV show that mentions a foreign location suddenly inundating that locale with North American tourists. But then again, I suppose there is "Harry Potter" boosting tourism to the UK so maybe that's not too different...

Is it the "overseas" aspect that surprises you the most? If so, then that might speak to a certain cultural isolationism on the part of the majority population of this continent.

Although...



Of course, that was a totally American movie. Even if it was set in Salzburg, Austria.

And speaking of Austria, I've been fortunate to visit Vienna three times in my life (I love that city), and on all three occasions I've met Québécois women young and old visiting the palaces there because they were fans of this movie from 1955.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sissi_(film)

Now, this is an Austrian film in German with Romy Schneider. There is no obvious connection to Quebec but it's been consistently popular over many generations in Quebec for some reason. It's still broadcast in prime time on one of the mainstream TV networks every Christmas. I bet you that if I went over to Costco or Archambault or Renaud-Bray (the latter two similar to Chapters-Indigo) I could probably find the DVD box set of "Sissi" within minutes.

(This would make an interesting post in that thread over on City Discussions, now that I think of it.)

[Brizzy82]

Winnipeg has been mentioned by ASAP Rocky and Cam'ron in their songs.. so we are at least on the radar in rap circles

[Acajack]

Of course there is also this long-standing trend in PEI:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oh8TLtvnxuM

[MolsonExport]

Originally Posted by Acajack

Is it the "overseas" aspect that surprises you the most? If so, then that might speak to a certain cultural isolationism on the part of the majority population of this continent.

Although...



Of course, that was a totally American movie. Even if it was set in Salzburg, Austria.

And speaking of Austria, I've been fortunate to visit Vienna three times in my life (I love that city), and on all three occasions I've met Québécois women young and old visiting the palaces there because they were fans of this movie from 1955.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sissi_(film)

Now, this is an Austrian film in German with Romy Schneider. There is no obvious connection to Quebec but it's been consistently popular over many generations in Quebec for some reason. It's still broadcast in prime time on one of the mainstream TV networks every Christmas. I bet you that if I went over to Costco or Archambault or Renaud-Bray (the latter two similar to Chapters-Indigo) I could probably find the DVD box set of "Sissi" within minutes.

(This would make an interesting post in that thread over on City Discussions, now that I think of it.)

Indeed. Rather like how PEI is very famous in Japan because of Anne of Green Gables (fictional character based in Cavendish PEI of a century ago). Something about AofGG resonates with many Japanese. Many young couples get married (perhaps only ceremoniously) in chapels in Cavendish.

Don't Americans fetishize "Braveheart" more than "any true Scotsman" would? Especially since it is massively distorted from reality?

PS: I also love Vienna. As mesmerizing as Paris, without the revolting hoards of tourists.

PSS: dammit, you beat me to it (video about Japanese fascination with PEI)

[craneSpotter]

Originally Posted by Architype

I think that international fame would automatically correlate with popularity in tourism. Tourism numbers should accurately reflect this, maybe with some exceptions for historical or geographical oddities such as historical events or remoteness.

I agree with this. International visitors would correlate pretty well with international recognition - people visit places that are on the radar and then go home and talk about it. Also, being a business centre and hosting regular intentional events/conventions would help raise notoriety.

I would suspect that many Canadians have a skewed perception of where international visitors actually go in this country. I believe Niagara Falls is the #1 leisure tourist destination in Canada, with Ontario being the #1 visited province in Canada. Luckily the government keeps close track of international visitors and reports the 'Overnight International Tourists Arrivals" annually. The Overnight visitors is the international standard for measuring a tourism market and has the following ITA definition:

Tourists (overnight visitors) i.e. a visitor who stays at least one night in a collective or private accommodation in the country visited. Same-day visitors are not included.
The number of arrivals - not to the number of persons. The same person who makes several trips to a given country during a given period will be counted as a new arrival each time, as well as a person who travels through several countries on one trip is counted as a new arrival each time.

(2016 Tables for international overnight visits to Canada are below)

So for the East I would say most 'internationally' know cities would/should be:

Toronto
Niagara Falls
Montreal
Ottawa
Honorable mention to Halifax

In western Canada, BC is the #1 international destination. To put it in perspective: Victoria, BC gets more 'international overnight Visitors' (usually more than 1 million from US alone) than the three prairie provinces combined - and that doesn't count the 750,000 cruise ship passengers and crew (almost all international) that visit Victoria annually as 'same-day' visitors. Vancouver is far and away the #1 visited city in the west - and that doesn't include many US day trippers that again are not counted as they are 'same day'. And, of course Whistler is the largest, busiest and most famous ski resort in Canada.

So for the West:

Vancouver
Whistler
Victoria
Canadians Rockies/Banff
Honorable mention to Calgary





source: https://www.destinationcanada.com/si...Dec2016_EN.pdf

[GlassCity]

Originally Posted by Brizzy82

Winnipeg has been mentioned by ASAP Rocky and Cam'ron in their songs.. so we are at least on the radar in rap circles

What Rocky song??