Press Kit

Ottawa Valley Fast Facts

Location

The Ottawa Valley contains over 7645km of coursing waterways, rolling woodlands and dramatic landmasses,  It cradles the historic Ottawa River along an ancient fault that runs between the 300m heights of the Laurentian Mountains in the southeast, from the national capital region of Ottawa, to the highlands of the Algonquin Dome, the lower portion of Algonquin Park in the southwest,  In terms of area, it is in the largest county in Ontario (Renfrew County),

Approximately 95,000 people (Ontario Property Assessment Corporation) make the Ottawa Valley their home,  These residents enjoy a high quality of life, rich cultural history and a rich diversity of natural features,

 


Driving Distances (to western point of the Ottawa Valley)

 

ORIGIN

HOURS

 

ORIGIN

HOURS

Buffalo, NY          

6,5 hrs,

 

Rochester, NY    

6 hrs,

Chicago, IL        

13 hrs,

 

North Bay, ON

5 hrs,

Cleveland, OH       

10 hrs,

 

Kingston, ON

2 hrs,

Detroit, MI               

8,5 hrs,

 

Niagara Falls, ON    

6 hrs,

Philadelphia, PA       

12,25 hrs,

 

Sault St, Marie, ON  

10,75 hrs,

Milwaukee, WI         

14,5 hrs,

 

Thunder Bay, ON 

20,5 hrs,

Minneapolis, MN   

20,5 hrs,

 

Toronto, ON      

4,5 hrs,

New York, NY     

9,5 hrs,

 

Windsor, ON       

8,5 hrs,

Pittsburgh, PA 

10,75 hrs,

 

Ottawa (Downtown)

45 min,

 

Largest City
Pembroke: population:15,000


Airports

Served by two local airports--the Pembroke and Area Airport and the South Renfrew Municipal Airport,

Ottawa International Airport (45 minutes from the western point of the Ottawa Valley)


Waters

Over 900 lakes and four major river systems (Ottawa, Petawawa, Madawaska and Bonnechere) provide unlimited recreational and leisure opportunities,


Wildlfe

Over 400 species make their home in the Ottawa Valley’s mixed stands, swamps, fields, shrub lands and hedgerows,  Includes beavers, moose, deer, bluebirds, thrushes, wrens, sparrows, owls, red-shouldered hawk, red-tailed hawk, bald eagles, swallows, phoebes, frogs and toads, woodpeckers, kestrels, ducks, raccoons, chipmunks, squirrels and wolves,


Fishing

Over 20 species of fish including Book Trout, Lake Trout, Splake, Rainbow Trout, Walleye, Northern Pike, Muskellunge, Bass and Channel Catfish,


Area Notables

  • Canada’s only clock museum
  • Towns and villages where the frontier spirit still prevails and "Valley" hospitality is legendary
  • Historic waterways surrounded by cultural heritage points of interest
  • Rolling hills that give way to vast hardwood forests set amidst the rugged beauty of the Canadian Shield with more than half the region is untouched wilderness
  • Provincial parks as well as conservation areas feature abundant wildlife, roadside and interior campsites
  • Eastern Gateway to Algonquin Park
  • Wide range of angling opportunities
  • Extensive four season trail network
  • Ride the rough-and-tumble rapids of the Ottawa River on thrilling whitewater adventures that vary from half-day trips to multi-day excursions - considered the best whitewater east of the Rockies,  Gentle rafting trips available for families,
  • Scores of canoe and kayak routes on pristine waters
  • Explore a labyrinth of strange twisting passages, stalactites and fossils of sea creatures that lived long before the dinosaurs at 500 million year old caves
  • Celebrate country living surrounded by glorious fall colours on the "Rural Ramble" - a fascinating self-guided tour of the farms in the Ottawa Valley,
  • Backroad driving and cycling tours during the spectacular fall foliage
  • Artisans Tours
  • Home of Zurakowski Park – tribute to Avro Arrow’s test pilot Janusz Zurakowski
  • Over 100km of groomed cross country ski trails
  • 2400kms of groomed TOP (Trans Ontario Provinical) Snowmobile Trails
  • Winter Festivals and Ice Fishing Derbys
  • Ontario’s highest vertical ski hill
  • Home to Canada’s first polish settlement
  • Heritage Farms


Wide choice of accommodations

  • Hotel/motel
  • Full service resorts
  • Cottage/cabin rentals
  • Bed & breakfasts
  • Historic country inns
  • Provincial and Private Campgrounds


Valuable Information Sources (fact-checking, photos, etc)

Ottawa Valley Tourist Association,
Media Inquiries: Judy Hugli: jhugli@countyofrenfrew,on,ca
www,ottawavalley,org
(800) 757-6580

Ontario Parks (provincial parks),
www,OntarioParks,com
(800) 668-7275

Ontario Tourism,
www,ontariotravel,net
(800) 668-2746


Tourism Statistics

Some of the categories below were changed or ommitted altogether and are indicated with a "-". The year 2005 is currently unavailable from Statistics Canada. We will provide the latest statistics as they become available.

 

Category

Number of People

Dollars Spent   

 

2003

2004

2006

2003

2004

2006

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Province of Origin

953,000

949,000

1,136,000

$91,873,000

$76,416,000

$93,423,000

NEWFOUNDLAND

3,000

1,000

-

$844,000

$219,000

-

PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND

0

0

0

$42,000

$12,000

$24,000

NOVA SCOTIA

1,000

2,000

4,000

$143,000

$418,000

$1,269,000

NEW BRUNSWICK

4,000

0

3,000

$774,000

$25,000

$1,227,000

QUÉBEC

33,000

49,000

38,000

$1,691,000

$2,475,000

$1,866,000

ONTARIO

898,000

891,000

1,084,000

$83,207,000

$71,164,000

$85,079,000

MANITOBA

8,000

1,000

1,000

$4,249,000

$323,000

$1,448,000

SASKATCHEWAN

0

-

-

$284,000

-

-

ALBERTA

-

-

3,000

-

$1,781,000

$1,703,000

BRITISH COLUMBIA                       

5,000

4,000

3,000

$639,000

-

$177,000

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Age Groups

953,000

949,000

1,136,000

$91,873,000

$76,416,000

$93,423,000

UNDER 15

149,000

140,000

-

-

15 - 19 YEARS

31,000

27,000

-

$3,333,000

$1,357,000

-

20 - 24

85,000

100,000

75,000

$20,463,000

$11,420,000

$3,698,000

25 - 34

174,000

111,000

297,000

$13,829,000

$8,311,000

$22,883,000

35 - 44

175,000

119,000

186,000

$19,337,000

$20,106,000

$18,809,000

45 - 54

111,000

179,000

233,000

$16,492,000

$12,787,000

$16,862,000

55 - 64

152,000

194,000

219,000

$11,535,000

$17,851,000

$15,949,000

65 - 69

38,000

34,000

41,000

$4,967,000

$1,471,000

$2,884,000

70 YEARS & OVER

38,000

44,000

63,000

$1,916,000

$3,112,000

$8,358,000

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One Way Trip Distance

953,000

949,000

1,136,000

$91,873,000

$76,416,000

$93,423,000

80   -  159 KILOMETERS

 365,000

463,000

493,000

 $21,859,000

$27,652,000

$35,253,000

160  -  319 KILOMETERS

 356,000

221,000

212,000

 $33,515,000

$14,543,000

$23,825,000

320  -  799 KILOMETERS

 204,000

234,000

75,000

 $28,076,000

$29,787,000

$10,186,000

800  - 1599 KILOMETERS

 14,000

17,000

10,000

 $5,425,000

$1,834,000

$2,763,000

1600 - 3199 KILOMETERS

 7,000

6,000

7,000

 $2,183,000

$2,242,000

$3,327,000

3200 KILOMETERS OR MORE

 8,000

8,000

-

 $816,000

$357,000

-

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Visit Duration

953,000

949,000

1,136,000

$91,873,000

$76,416,000

$93,423,000

0 NIGHTS

 290,000

349,000

579,000

 $9,336,000

$12,303,000

$26,086,000

1 NIGHT

 174,000

197,000

132,000

 $12,578,000

$11,594,000

$7,703,000

2 NIGHTS

 191,000

200,000

245,000

 $15,677,000

$18,279,000

$21,992,000

3 NIGHTS

 130,000

89,000

72,000

 $23,321,000

$11,984,000

$8,595,000

4 NIGHTS

 74,000

56,000

36,000

 $6,957,000

$12,727,000

$6,045,000

5 -  9 NIGHTS

 70,000

40,000

47,000

 $18,667,000

$7,395,000

$12,440,000

10 - 16 NIGHTS

 22,000

14,000

21,000

 $4,931,000

$1,914,000

$9,094,000

17 - 30 NIGHTS

 3,000

2,000

3,000

 $406,000

$82,000

$1,469,000

                        

 

 

 

 

 

 

Trip Activities

953,000

949,000

1,136,000

$91,873,000

$76,416,000

$93,423,000

VISITING FRIENDS OR RELATIVES

834,000

918,000

419,000

 $87,231,000

$69,417,000

$32,038,000

SHOPPING

 325,000

339,000

139,000

 $42,965,000

$34,769,000

$19,575,000

SIGHTSEEING

 164,000

189,000

55,000

 $20,945,000

$19,708,000

$5,372,000

ATTEND A FESTIVAL, FAIR OR EXHIBITION

 46,000

20,000

6,000

 $5,848,000

$2,980,000

$2,668,000

ATTEND CULTURAL EVENTS (PLAYS, CONCERTS)

 29,000

31,000

-

 $2,475,000

$3,461,000

-

ATTEND ABORIGINAL /NATIVE CULTURAL EVENT

 25,000

20,000

1,000

 $2,014,000

$1,412,000

$305,000

ATTEND SPORTS EVENT

 42,000

88,000

30,000

 $3,754,000

$3,659,000

$1,047,000

VISIT A MUSEUM OR ART GALLERY

 13,000

19,000

12,000

 $2,699,000

$2,575,000

$3,585,000

VISIT A ZOO, AQUARIUM, BOTANICAL GARDEN

 3,000

8,000

-

 $489,000

$277,000

-

VISIT A THEME OR AMUSEMENT PARK

 58,000

9,000

5,000

 $2,958,000

$1,547,000

$1,300,000

VISIT A NATIONAL OR PROVINCIAL PARK

 32,000

108,000

18,000

 $5,428,00

$10,914,000

$3,228,000

VISIT AN HISTORIC SITE

 45,000

29,000

5,000

 $5,360,000

$4,241,000

$1,669,000

WENT TO A BAR OR NIGHTCLUB

 66,000

68,000

11,000

 $9,910,000

$13,642,000

$4,541,000

WENT TO A CASINO

 2,000

2,000

1,000

 $225,000

$404,000

$86,000

TOOK A CRUISE OR BOAT TRIP

 28,000

26,000

-

 $4,554,000

$3,158,000

-

PARTICIPATE IN SPORTS /OUTDOOR ACTIVITY

 317,000

309,000

-

 $45,026,000

$32,399,000

-

SWIMMING

 96,000

119,000

-

 $16,144,000

$16,029,000

-

BOATING

 88,000

83,000

-

 $15,567,000

$14,475,000

-

OTHER WATER-BASED ACTIVITIES

 20,000

17,000

-

 $6,242,000

$1,808,000

-

GOLFING

 37,000

87,000

35,000

 $4,593,000

$14,021,000

$7,005,000

HUNTING

 9,000

2,000

9,000

 $1,209,000

$1,229,000

$834,000

FISHING

 59,000

71,000

116,000

 $7,328,000

$3,839,000

$12,139,000

BIRD OR WILDLIFE VIEWING

 52,000

23,000

37,000

 $9,255,000

$4,098,000

$6,692,000

CROSS COUNTRY SKIING

 -

 

4,000

 -

-

219,000

DOWNHILL SKIING

 42,000

 

 9,000

 $10,080,000

-

1,446,000

SNOWMOBILING

 8,000

12,000

6,000

 $411,000

$741,000

$617,000

WALKING OR HIKING

 127,000

141,000

239,000

 $20,475,000

$19,747,000

$22,555,000

CYCLING

 26,000

9,000

22,000

 $8,711,000

$1,450,000

$3,073,000

OTHER SPORTS OR OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES

 80,000

88,000

-

 $16,431,000

$7,878,000

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Accommodation Type - Person Visits

953,000

949,000

1,136,000