Ottawa-based influencers celebrated in video series
OTTAWA, December 1, 2020 - Today, Ottawa Tourism launches the third collection of videos profiling Ottawans who make their city vibrant and embody Ottawa’s identity. This collection focuses on influencers and creators in the social media sphere, profiling creative people who make Ottawa home, from YouTubers to Instagrammers to an adventure-hungry dog. Videos highlighting each influencer can be found on the Ottawa’s Own landing page, along with an anthem video celebrating all those featured.
Ottawa’s Own is a video project which launched in 2018 and continues to celebrate the Ottawans who tell the city’s story in their own ways (access past seasons here). Different from a traditional tourism campaign, Ottawa’s Own instead looks to share the destination’s core values in order to generate an emotional link and help visitors dream about their next visit. The videos are targeted at millennials to reinforce Ottawa’s identity as a hub for makers and creatives and to inspire them to travel to Ottawa when public health guidance allows. The influencers featured in this round of videos use Ottawa as the backdrop for their successful content creation and put the city on a global stage. The videos in this series were filmed before the COVID-19 pandemic and do not reflect current physical distancing and masking policies now commonplace in Ottawa.
Influencers featured in this season include:
- Crusoe the Celebrity Dachshund: Celebrity YouTuber wiener dog and on camera personality
- Elle Mills: Celebrity YouTuber and suburb aficionado
- Erin Elizabeth: Lifestyle YouTuber and capsule wardrobe warrior
- Guy Hobeika: Part time Snapchat artist and full-time prankster
- Joey Kidney: Mental health YouTuber and sidekick to Frankie the Aussie
“Ottawa’s Own has profiled some amazing locals over the last few years, and this round is no exception. These stars have millions of followers over their combined platforms and tell the story of our capital city in their own ways to their large audiences, helping us get the word out that Ottawa is a cool place to live, work, and visit,” says Michael Crockatt, President and CEO of Ottawa Tourism. “We need these stories of pride and love for the city now more than ever as COVID-19 unifies us in the goal of keeping our city safe.”
This video series focuses on creators who hail from, live or work in a capital city whose tourism industry has been hard hit as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Ottawa sees visitor spending of $2.2 billion in a typical year but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Ottawa Tourism estimates a loss of more than $1.4 billion of that spend for 2020. Since the pandemic began, Ottawa Tourism has worked to advocate for Ottawa’s Tourism industry and promote experiences to locals and regional travellers when possible, including: sharing up-to-date information with its members; lobbying all levels of government on behalf of the tourism industry; launching the #MyOttawa Pass in the summer with deals and discounts from 70+ local businesses; and launching the It’s Still On Us promotions whereby locals or visitors can save $100 on two-night hotel stays at participating hotels (currently valid for bookings until December 31, 2020 for stays until January 31, 2021), among other initiatives.
About Ottawa Tourism
Ottawa Tourism provides destination development and marketing, strategic direction, and leadership in cooperation with its members and partners, welcoming leisure travellers, business travellers, group tours, and conventions to Ottawa and Canada’s Capital Region. Its goal is to support the local tourism economy, fueled by an estimated 11 million visitors annually in recent years and with $3 billion in typical economic output for Ottawa, generating community wealth through tourism. Ottawa Tourism’s vision is to offer the complete capital experience, tell the story of Canada, and get people talking.
For more information, please contact:
Julia Thomson
Corporate Communications Specialist, Ottawa Tourism
press@ottawatourism.ca
