As a prosperous nation, Canada boasts a large domestic and foreign tourist industry. The second largest country in the world, Canada's incredible geographical variety is a significant tourist attracter. Canada's three largest cities, Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal are major metropolitan areas, well known for their culture and diversity. Canadian historic sites across the nation are also important to the tourist industry.
Canada's provinces and territories
British Columbia
British Columbia is Canada's westernmost province, along the Pacific Ocean. The winters in the coastal areas are relatively warm compared to the rest of Canada. British Columbia is broken into 6 regions:
* Vancouver, Coast & Mountains
* Thompson Okanagan
* Cariboo Coast Chilcotin
* Northern British Columbia
* Kootenay Rockies
* Vancouver Island
British Columbia (BC) is Canada's most mountainous province, boasting some of the most spectacular alpine scenery in the world. Not surprising then that alpine skiing is a major draw for the province. The province has about 33 large ski resorts spread out from Vancouver Island to the Alberta border. Whistler, British Columbia, nestled in the rugged Coast Mountains, is consistently ranked as the ski resort destination in North America and will co host the 2010 Winter Olympic Games.
Vancouver, the largest Canadian metropolitan area west of Toronto, is one of Canada's most multi cultural cities, with a large proportion of people of Asian origin . Being a harbour city, Vancouver enjoys beautiful landscapes of mountains and ocean.
Alberta is a province in Canada's western prairies next to the Rocky Mountains. Its two major cities are Calgary and Edmonton, the provincial capital. Edmonton is wellknown for West Edmonton Mall, the largest mall in North America. Another world class attraction is the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology in Drumheller, housing the largest collection of dinosaur fossils under one roof in the world. Alberta also contains significant natural scenery, including 5 of Canada's 13 UNESCO World heritage sites. These are Banff and Jasper National Parks, Waterton Glacier International Peace Park, Wood Buffalo National Park, Dinosaur Provincial Park and Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump. Alberta has no provincial sales tax.
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan offers two major cities, Regina and Saskatoon. Regina is home to one of Canada's most significant attractions, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Academy at Depot Division where visitors can view the Sergeant Major's Parade held weekdays and the seasonal Sunset Retreat Ceremonies. Regina is also home to the RCMP Heritage Centre which opened in May 2007.
Manitoba
Manitoba was the 5th province to enter confederation in 1870. The province is home to many lakes and rivers with over 14.5% of the land are covered by lakes. This offers many opportunities for outdoor recreation, hunting, fishing, boating, some of the finest beaches in North America. The province is a four season travel destination offering cross country and downhill skiing opportunities, as well as many miles of groomed ski doo trails. Churchill on the Hudson Bay is a popular attraction due to the large polar bear and beluga whale population. The capital city Winnipeg with a population of near 700,000 offers many cultural and artistic events, museums and year round festivals. Other cities with more than 10,000 people are Brandon, Thompson, Portage la Prairie, Selkirk and Steinbach.
Top Rated Hotels
1. Maison du Fort
2. KeriGlen's Lakeview Bed & Breakfast
3. Loden Vancouver
4. Auberge Le Vincent
5. Auberge Saint-Antoine
6. Cairns Motel
