Canada’s Top Tourist Draws

Posted on 25. Feb, 2009 by Kerry Banks in Canada

What is Canada’s most popular tourist attraction? The answer is at hand. ForbesTraveler.com recently compiled a list of the top 25 tourist draws in the Great White North based on number of annual visitors. Forbes Traveler focussed its research on sites of historical or cultural interest; natural phenomena and landmarks. And though some places with strong commercial components were included, the roster omitted stand-alone shopping malls and casinos. Otherwise, Toronto’s Eaton Centre, which claims one million visitors a week, would have topped the list. So, can you guess which attraction ranked number one? I can tell you that it wasn’t Whistler-Blackomb (12th), the CN Tower (13th) or Jasper National Park (15th).

1. Niagara Falls, Ontario: 12 to 14 million. Admittedly the numbers are boosted by the natural wonder’s close proximity to the U.S. The Americans have their own falls on the other side of the border, but that section is puny compared to Canada’s crescent-shaped Horseshoe Falls, which is 53 metres high and 792 metres wide. This is where the serious thunder happens, and where the daredevils go over in barrels. Interestingly the first person to take the tumble was a woman: Annie Edson Taylor, a 63-year-old Michigan school teacher. Her death-defying plunge, on October 24, 1901, was a publicity stunt. Edson survived, bleeding, but amazingly unharmed. Soon after exiting the barrel, she said, “No one should ever try that again.” Unfortunately, the fortune she hoped to make from a lecture tour was never realized, as her manager was a con-man who took everything she owned. Since Taylor’s historic ride, 14 other people have intentionally gone over the Falls in, or on a device, despite her advice. Some have survived unharmed, but others have drowned or been severely injured.

2. Harbourfront Centre, Toronto: 12 million visitors. This 10-acre site on the city’s waterfront includes shops, restaurants, green space, art performance venues, an ice skating rink, a marina and an extensive boardwalk. For my money, the best part of the Toronto harbourfront is the ferry that takes you to Centre Island and away from the city.

3. Granville Island, Vancouver: 12 million. Granville Island’s unique design has become a model for other cities. Arranged around an industrial theme this cozy urban enclave of theatres, restaurants, shops and artists’ studios, shares pace with a renowned public market. According to the people who keep track of these things, 71 percent of the annual visitors to Granville Island hail from outside B.C.

4. Stanley Park, Vancouver: 8 million. Officially established in 1888 and measuring 405 hectares, it is the largest city-operated park in Canada and the third largest in North America. In fact, it is more than 10 per cent larger than New York City’s Central Park. Stanley Park has an estimated half million trees, some that reach as tall as 76 metres and many of which are hundreds of years old. There are approximately 200 kilometres of trails and roads in the park, including a picturesque park-circling seawall.

5. Le Vieux Port de Montreal (Old Port), Montreal: 7 million. Like Toronto and Vancouver, Montreal’s major tourist draw is a waterfront complex that combines, shopping with cultural attractions and green space. The 10-acre landscaped area on the St. Lawrence River features a huge open-air skating rink, IMAX cinema, a marketplace, a science and technology centre, museums, churches, a botanical garden and a biosphere.

6. Exhibition Place, Toronto: 5 million. Exhibition Place features 192 acres of parkland and is the centre of festivals, trade shows and other events in Toronto. The site holds a number of permanent tenants and is home to many annual fairs and shows. The largest of these is the annual Canadian national Exhibition or “EX,” an 18-day fair that takes place at the end of summer. Although no one keeps the numbers, I’d venture this is the Canadian tourist attraction where the most people have thrown up.

7. The Forks, Winnipeg: 4.5 million. This nine-acre landscaped site in the heart of downtown Winnipeg is situated at the historic juncture of the Assiniboine and Red Rivers. There are plazas, gardens, and shops and restaurants made from converted railway stalls, plus a riverside promenade.

8. Banff National Park, Alberta: 3.3 million. Climbing, skiing, hiking, horseback riding, bicycling, golfing–there’s a lot to do in Banff National Park, and all of it with an awe-inspiring backdrop. The park also has abundant wildlife with 280 species of birds and 56 species of mammal. The first day I camped in the park a big black bear walked through the campsite swatting ice coolers. We jumped in the car and rolled up the windows, but a couple of cocky Americans threw rocks at him and shouted insults. Luckily for them, the bear ambled off.

9. Canada’s Wonderland, Vaughan, Ontario: 3.25 million. Our country’s most popular theme park boasts 200 attractions and 65 thrilling rides, a 20-acre water park, live entertainment and North America’s greatest variety of roller coasters. The park recently added its 15th coaster, Behemoth, which it claims is Canada’s biggest, tallest and fastest. Behemoth is more than 5,300 feet long and climbs 230 feet with a 75 degree drop and reaches screaming speeds of 125 kph in 3.9 seconds.

10. Le Vieux-Quebec (Old City), Quebec City: 3.02 million. Quebec’s Old Town is the only North American fortified city north of Mexico whose walls still exist. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985, as the “Historic District of Old Quebec.” Founded in the early 17th century by French explorer Samuel de Champlain, the city celebrated its 400th anniversary in 2008, and its history shows. In Quebec’s Upper and Lower Towns, above and below the cliff, you can find at least 11 architectural styles, ranging from Classical Revival to International Style. The area is also home to the Plains of Abraham, where a pivotal battle between the French and English in 1759 shaped the future of North America.