12 Inspiring Tourism Videos on Canada

Posted on April 25, 2012  •  7 minutes  • 1318 words

The other day I came across Travel Alberta’s incredible award-winning (Remember to Breathe ) tourism video, which somehow or another brought me to browsing the videos of every provincial & territorial tourism board. It’s great to see how much thought and passion goes into each of these videos, and what better way to explore a location virtually then through the use of video. I thought it would be a great idea to do a quick Canada fly-by and check out each corner of the country from the comfort of your computer (or phone). While there are several videos that stand out amongst the pack, they each are worthy of your attention. Who knows, you might feel inspired to visit somewhere you’ve never even considered!

British Columbia

Starting in the west coast of Canada, this video shows the British Columbia lifestyle that many have come to know and love. Outdoor adventure, peaceful vistas, a mix of city life with mountain trekking and a clear love affair with water activities. This video makes visiting BC seem like something you need to do this summer!

[button link=“http://www.youtube.com/user/TourismBC" color=“red” window=“yes”]Visit Tourism British Columbia’s Youtube Page![/button]

Alberta

Travel Alberta recently won the award for best tourism video in the world and received the equivalent of the tourism industry’s “Oscar” award at the International Tourism Fair in Berlin. With over 1 million views it’s clear to see why this video is so captivating. The slow-mo shots with beautiful panoramic shots of nature, adventure, and happy people make this one of my favourite’s of the bunch. Congrats to the folks at Travel Alberta and their talented branding team who managed to catch these one of a kind shots of this beautiful province.

[button link=“http://www.youtube.com/user/TravelAlbertaCanada" color=“red” window=“yes”]Visit Travel Alberta’s Youtube Page![/button]

Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan’s video does a great job of showcasing the adventure that can be had in my home province. The fun song mixed with the fast shots make this an exciting and quick video that helps sell the prairies as more than just a drive-thru province. Stop, get off the highway, and see for yourself the beauty this place.

[button link=“http://www.youtube.com/user/TourismSaskatchewan" color=“red” window=“yes”]Visit Tourism Saskatchewan’s Youtube Page![/button]

Manitoba

I had a tough time deciding which video of Manitoba’s to put up, as their newest video campaigns are short 15 second spots, which I felt seemed unfair to use, as most of the other provinces videos play for a couple minutes. So I dug through their older videos and found one that I was fond of. Manitoba is a beautiful province rich with history and wildlife. Did I mention they’re home to the Polar Bear capitol of Canada!?

[button link=“http://www.youtube.com/user/TravelManitoba" color=“red” window=“yes”]Visit Travel Manitoba’s Youtube Page![/button]

Ontario

Ontario! It rolls of your tongue in an addictive way. Ontario is such a massive province, their videos cover everything from city architecture to the nature & beauty of Algonquin, to the romantic allure of the Distillery District. The Distillery Disctrict is easily one of my favourite spots in Toronto, which is why I chose to use this video. However, be sure to check out some of their other videos to see what fall is like in Algonquin Park.

[button link=“http://www.youtube.com/user/TravelOntarioCanada" color=“red” window=“yes”]Visit Travel Ontario’s Youtube Page![/button]

Quebec

Quebec Tourism’s video on Mont Tremblant makes me want to skip summer all together and find a group of friends to explore every inch of this small mountain village. They managed to capture emotions that are universal in French and English. A beautifully shot video the reminds us anglophones to stop being scared of not speaking their language and just dive in. The french-Canadians are friendly, their food is breath-taking, and the province of Quebec has weeks worth of activities to keep you busy!

[button link=“http://www.youtube.com/user/TourismeQuebec" color=“red” window=“yes”]Visit Tourisme Quebec’s Youtube Page![/button]

New Brunswick

I read once that in the early days of Canada New Brunswick was the place to visit. Several American presidents even had cottages in these parts. While it’s still quite popular, it can often be overlooked by it’s neighbours to the west and east. Fact is, they have some mind-blowing geological formations worth checking out. The largest tide in the world is just one of the many reasons to stop by this beautiful seaside province.

[button link=“http://www.youtube.com/user/TourismNB" color=“red” window=“yes”]Visit Tourism New Brunswick’s Youtube Page![/button]

Nova Scotia

I had a tough time choosing whether to embed this video, or the one with the fiddle playing in the background. While I went with the former, I feel like it’s worth mentioning you should check out their Youtube page to see the other. This video showcases Nova Scotia as more than just an old city to walk around. There’s adventure, outdoors, heart-pumping activity, and relaxing ocean sunsets to top it all off. Of course, history seeps in at almost every turn as well. I think Nova Scotia Tourism did a great job of promoting the many sides of Nova Scotia.

[button link=“http://www.youtube.com/user/NovaScotiaTourism" color=“red” window=“yes”]Visit Nova Scotia Tourism’s Youtube Page![/button]

PEI

Big thanks to Alouise for pointing out in the comments the fact that I missed PEI (woops!). Kind of a big screw up on my part, especially considering how big of a year it was for PEI tourism, what with Regis & Kelly and the whole Royal Wedding stuff going on. I managed to find an aerial video that showcases the entire island with scenic panoramas and jaw dropping shorelines. Check it out!

[button link=“http://www.youtube.com/user/tourismpei/videos" color=“red” window=“yes”]Visit PEI Tourism’s Youtube Page![/button]

Newfoundland & Labrador

If there’s a video you may have seen amongst these, the Newfoundland & Labrador is likely it. They’ve become famous across Canada for dropping the jaws of people from all over the world with their beautiful colours, high contrasting light, and the way that each of these videos tells a story. I particularly like this one, not only for it’s beauty, but for it’s tagline. See for yourself!

[button link=“http://www.youtube.com/user/NewfoundlandLabrador" color=“red” window=“yes”]Visit Newfoundland & Labrador’s Youtube Page![/button]

Yukon Territories

The Yukon! I picture this territory as a wild outdoor adventure, steeped in folklore, arts, saluting an era when men moved mountains in search of riches. Their video, which while a bit lengthy, captures many of these feelings. I look forward to visiting this northern territory of Canada this May, and hope to see some of what’s showcased in this video.

[button link=“http://www.youtube.com/user/travelyukon" color=“red” window=“yes”]Visit Travel Yukon’s Youtube Page![/button]

Northwest Territories

The Northwest Territories have always held a romantic allure to me. Their video managed to reignite that drive and need to visit this northern getaway. This video covers the beauty and outdoor adventures that can be had in this massive area of Canada. With some of the most surreal night skies and outdoor adventures, they’re going to have a tough time keeping me from checking the NWT out!

[button link=“http://www.youtube.com/user/spectacularnwt" color=“red” window=“yes”]Visit SpectacularNWT’s Youtube Page![/button]

Nunavut

I remember when Nunavut became an official territory, I would have been in grade 4 I believe. We spent several days discussing the cultural differences between our people and theirs, learning about some of their customs and beliefs. I had never been so fascinated by a culture in Canada. Their video showcases some of these cultural aspects, and reminds me that I need to find a way up north to experience this for myself.

 [button link=“http://www.youtube.com/user/NunavutTourism" color=“red” window=“yes”]Visit Nunavut Tourism’s Youtube Page![/button]

The tourism video’s you saw here were produced in order to bring you to their province, but I can’t help but feel that when seeing them all together like this that you feel a sense of unity amongst them. Each province wants you to be healthy. Each province wants you to find your own slice of nirvana in the great outdoors.Each province wants you to experience something new and life changing. One of my favourite taglines from these videos was from Yukon’s video. “It can be hard finding yourself, fortunately, we have a lot of places to look.”