Ottawa Tourism Welcomes Summer Visitors by Opening 76 Museums in One Day

With summer travel season officially in full swing, Ottawa Tourism is welcoming visitors by highlighting unexpected aspects of Ottawa’s culture and creativity. 

In a new campaign developed in partnership with Rethink, Unofficial Museums shines a light on Ottawa culture - simultaneously celebrating the city’s famous cultural institutions while highlighting hidden gems and attractions. Because in a city where everything is about culture, just about everything is a museum.

“Culture is all over Ottawa. The city is home to seven of Canada’s nine national museums and one-of-a-kind festivals, not to mention our new Unofficial Museums like the one and only Pizza by the Metre or the Unofficial Museum of Sleeping with the Wolves. These are the hidden gems we want visitors to discover this summer,” says Glenn Duncan, senior vice president and chief marketing officer, Ottawa Tourism. 

The tourism organisation and creative agency worked closely to lend special museum status to 76 attractions, restaurants, bars and events across the nation’s capital. With this in mind, each location was unofficially renamed to emphasise its distinctive character. For instance, Tavern on the Falls, one of Ottawa’s best-kept secrets to relax and take in the scenery, is now the Unofficial Museum of Airplane Mode. The Rideau Canal, a local favourite for running and cycling, is now the Unofficial Museum of Scenic Cardio. And the Great Canadian Bungee is now the Unofficial Museum of Free Falling.

The campaign is being rolled out across the country in multi-format video, display, social and radio, and features a complementary influencer program. 

“Anointing these 76 new museums has made us see Ottawa in a completely different light, and we hope that Canadians will feel the same way,” says Xavier Blais and Maxime Sauté, partners and creative directors at Rethink.