Page 19 - Trending Magazine 2018 Winter

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things Manitoba something in Brandon, they’re eating in the
has to offer. restaurants and staying in the hotels, they’re
“People are experiencing more of what Brandon has to
seeing that there’s offer.”
more and more The fair, called the Royal Manitoba Winter
opportunities within Fair, will be held from March 25 to March 30
the province of at the Keystone Centre, and is held annually
Manitoba to explore,” each year. It includes food and lifestyles trade
he said, not only for shows, a horse show and a cattle show.
outside winter adventures, Regardless of where they’re going in the
but inside activities too – province, taking a staycation has many
many of which are in Winnipeg. benefits, he said.
“I would encourage people who have “It’s less expensive, there’s not a lot of hotel
not really spent time in Winnipeg to come accommodations and it’s easy access to a lot
into Winnipeg and see what it has to of product,” he said.
offer,” he said. “That’s an all-year-round It’s also beneficial for the province when
thing; come in and experience all of the Manitobans travel within their own province,
attractions that exist within the city.” he said.
The Canadian Museum for Human “It’s a big part of the tourism revenue that’s
Rights opened up a few years ago, he generated on an annual basis in Manitoba.
said, and there was also some I think it (accounts for) about 70 per cent of
expansions made to the Manitoba the total volume of business on an annual
Museum. Hockey fans can take in the basis, and the tourism industry is a 1.6 billion
Winnipeg Jets at Bell MTS Place. dollar industry annually.”
“People are wanting to come There’s lots of staycation opportunities that
into Winnipeg and are closer than people may think, he said.
experience those new “I think we surprise a lot of people when we
offers. They can spend talk about all the things that you can do in the
some time in hotels, province of Manitoba, regardless of the time
they spend time in of year. I think people are starting to take a
restaurants they spend little bit more note of it, and thinking, ‘Hey, you
time visiting other know what, why don’t we pack up the kids or
attractions in the city.” just go ourselves or what have you and go and
There’s lots available experience something in our own backyard,’
to people, whether because when you do that you just find out
they’re keen on doing how amazing this province is.’”
something inside the city, For other suggestions on where to go this
or travelling outside of it to year for a staycation within the province, there
go camping or booking a resort are a number of different places that are
in a provincial park. advertised on Travel Manitoba’s website.
As well, Manitoba residents from the “There’s lots of things to do in the city of
Winnipeg area frequently come to Winnipeg and throughout the province of
Brandon for a staycation for the Manitoba,” Ferguson said. “You don’t have to
Brandon Winter Fair, he said. go away to experience something from a
“Those classify as staycations tourism perspective.”
(because) they’re experiencing

Photos top to bottom: The aurora borealis as seen just outside Brandon (Tim Smith); Earl McComb
digs a fishing hole at the annual Pelican Lake ice-fishing derby in March 2018 (Michael Lee); The
Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg (George Fischer/submitted); Two polar bears hang
out by a couple of tundra buggies in Churchill (Travel Manitoba/submitted).
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