VIA Rail supports the Canada-China Year of Tourism Français
TORONTO, July 16, 2018 /CNW Telbec/ - VIA Rail Canada (VIA Rail) is delighted to promote the Canada-China Year of Tourism (CCYT) by displaying the CCYT logo on some of its trains until September. VIA Rail is seizing this opportunity to present Chinese tourists a unique experience and the chance to discover by train some of the 400 communities it serves. The Honourable Bardish Chagger, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister of Small Business and Tourism, along with Yves Desjardins-Siciliano, President and Chief Executive Officer of VIA Rail, held the unveiling today at Toronto Union Station.
"This year marks VIA Rail's 40th anniversary and we invite Chinese tourists to come and celebrate it with us by choosing to get onboard our trains and discovering the beauty and spirit of Canada. We hope that as they visit our great cities and travel through our magnificent and varied landscapes, they will return home with fond memories of our country and most importantly, its people," said Yves Desjardins-Siciliano, VIA Rail President and Chief Executive Officer of VIA Rail Canada.
"As we celebrate the Canada-China Year of Tourism, I am pleased to officially unveil a VIA Rail train featuring the logo of this unique year. These trains will carry the spirit of goodwill to the many communities along their routes. I hope they will also inspire many of the businesses in these communities to add a few words of Chinese to their websites, and learn more about Chinese tourists by visiting the Canada-China year of Tourism website. This year is one to celebrate the close people-to-people ties between our two countries, and share the very best of what Canada has to offer as we remain committed to Canada's Tourism Vision and doubling the number of Chinese visitors to Canada by 2021", declared Bardish Chagger, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister of Small Business and Tourism.
The branded trains will operate on the Québec City – Windsor corridor, and on the Canadian train between Toronto and Vancouver.
About Canada-China Year of Tourism
Canadian ties to China run deep – there are almost 1.8 million Canadians with Chinese heritage living all across the country and aside from English and French, Mandarin and Cantonese are Canada's most widely spoken languages. In 2016, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier Li Keqiang announced that 2018 would be the Canada-China Year of Tourism. This celebration is an opportunity to build stronger people-to-people ties through tourism. The first half of the Canada-China Year of Tourism was very successful, with preliminary estimates for the first four months of 2018 showing 178,400 tourists from China, an increase of 23.9% over the same period in 2017. For the first time ever, China overtook the UK as the largest overseas market. 2018 is expected to be another exceptional year for tourism in Canada and the Government of Canada is proud to support the Canadian tourism industry and Canadian businesses so that they can benefit from this unprecedented opportunity.
About VIA Rail Canada
As Canada's national rail passenger service, VIA Rail (viarail.ca) and all its employees are mandated to provide safe, efficient and economical passenger transportation service, in both official languages of our country. VIA Rail operates intercity, regional and transcontinental trains linking over 400 communities across Canada, and about 180 more communities through intermodal partnerships, and safely transports nearly 4.4 million passengers annually. The Corporation has been awarded five Safety Awards and three Environment Awards by the Railway Association of Canada since 2007. Visit the "About VIA Rail" section at: www.viarail.ca/en/about-via-rail.
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SOURCE VIA Rail Canada Inc.
For further information: Marie-Anna Murat, Media Relations, VIA Rail Canada, 1-877-393-8787, [email protected]
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