Summer may be quickly slipping from the grasp of the Northern Hemisphere and trickling towards the Southern Hemisphere, but that doesn’t mean the tourism season is over. Far from it. There has been a growing trend to plan holidays and breaks towards the end of summer and into fall.

Back in May, Canadian Tourism Minister, Mélanie Joly, announced plans to boost tourism revenues to the country by 25% by 2025 – which would see a huge leap from its 3.3% increase in 2019. The ambitious scheme looks to help add funding for tourism and the marketing that would encourage foreign travellers to plan their trips to Canada.

This would bring in $128 million and produce 54,000 new jobs, according to official estimates. As such, in order to entice these new tourists, provinces such as Ontario have stepped up their game and are beginning to prove just why a late summer or early fall vacation should be booked to the Great White North.

Ontario — The Fall Hub of Entertainment

Niagara Falls in Ontario in the fall. Image by Keith Johnston from Pixabay

Canada has long been offering swathes of entertainment with little fanfare. For instance, Americans are still discovering the benefits of travelling up to Toronto to visit Niagara Falls for weddings, bachelor and bachelorette parties, honeymoons, and even birthdays. The entertainment district surrounding the Canadian side of the waterfalls has been improved too for tourists looking to have a good time.

Many compare the area around Niagara Falls to that of Las Vegas, with a selection of nightclubs, restaurants, bars, and casinos. Indeed, the casinos in Ontario cater to those who want to enjoy the nightlife and provide around 43% of all gambling revenue for the country, showing just how the province has gained its Vegas-like reputation. The most famous of these is the Fallsview Casino Resort, which, as its name suggests, capitalizes on its location, and offers live music and performance in its 1,500 theatre as well as a program of casino events from poker to slots, roulette to blackjack.

Skylon Tower and Fallsview Casino Resort, Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada — Photo by tiger_barb

But there are a range of venues in Ontario that are considered fall party destinations. Toronto’s King West offers a perfect amount of venues to go bar hopping, while beer lovers could visit the Steamwhistle brewery. There are too many bars to name specifically, but there is something for everyone, and for all kinds of travellers — from show bars and cabaret venues to comedy nights. What’s more, Ontario is big on rock bars, so especially if you’re a heavy metal or glam rock lover, you’ll find a night out tailored specifically to you.

Ontario — The Land of Culture

Art Gallery of Ontario. Image by Nicolas Lebrun from Pixabay

Ontario also offers a lot for the mind when it comes to cultural attractions. To many, this equates to museums. There is the Royal Ontario Museum, the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Canadian War Museum, and the Canadian Museum of Nature among many others with all kinds of specialities.

For those who enjoy a different kind of culture, Ottawa’s Mayfair Theatre offers independent film lovers the chance to discover new gems and has been in operation since 1932. The Grand Theatre in London, Ontario, attempts to rival the National Theatre in its namesake with musical nights such as Mary Poppins, Amelie and Pink Floyd.

Maxwell’s Concerts and Events in Waterloo offers a chance to see some unsigned and unrepresented acts and indulge in the wide variety of talented musicians that Canada has to offer. Move over Shawn Mendes, Drake, and Justin Bieber! For those who get their culture fix from sport, Ontario has countless venues to offer you the chance to watch the national game of ice hockey to Canadian football, basketball, and baseball.

The Grand River in the fall — Waterloo, Ontario. Image by Tunney Moriarty from Pixabay

There’s BMO Field in Toronto, Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton, Rogers Center in Toronto, and Paramount Fine Foods Center in Mississauga. Culture comes in all shapes and sizes, as Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada shows. You can learn about marine life, about all kinds of fish, and expand your horizons. Culture in Ontario isn’t just about museums. The range of learning experiences, cultural excursions, and natural vistas proves that Ontario is as versatile a province as any.

Ontario — The Home of Relaxation

Relax in the Muskoka area of Ontario this fall. Wooden dock with chairs on calm fall lake — Photo by elenathewise

Sometimes it pays to get away from it all and relax surrounded by some of the most beautiful fall vistas on the planet. Blue Mountain not only offers every pampering and relaxing opportunity, but it has a range of bars and restaurants to break up the hard work of being massaged all day. It is also home to an award-winning Scandinavian Spa and Scandinavian Baths nestled in the forest to allow you to truly find your zen. Relaxation comes with a glass of wine in hand at a visit to many of the Niagara wineries and vineyards that offer the best backdrop for winding down during the fall season.

Muskoka has a wide variety of relaxing activities such as yoga, paddle boarding and canoeing, as well as lakefront cottages to recline in and a town filled with charming and quirky stores to help you truly escape from real life for a while, plus enjoy the fabulous colours of autumn.

Of course, no talk about relaxation in Ontario can be complete without the Niagara Falls themselves. Contrary to belief, the sound of water hurtling down from a rockface is actually soothing and you find yourself dumbstruck staring at the sheer power of the natural world. The deafening roar helps take you out of the hustle and bustle of the city and grounds you as to how beautiful the planet’s natural foundations can be. Of course, it helps to then have a relaxing lakeside cabin to go back to afterwards.

Plan Your Visit to Ontario

Ontario is definitely putting its best foot forward to achieve Canada’s tourism numbers and is fielding visitors from all over the globe as well as throughout the rest of Canada this fall. Indeed, reports indicate that fewer Britons are choosing holidays in the EU and are instead looking further afield — after all, those who are environmentally conscious of their carbon footprint understand that longer haul flights are better value and better for the planet. With this in mind, Canada is ready to welcome all kinds of tourists and visitors with open arms and show them just how Ontario is able to offer entertainment, culture, wild nights, and peaceful autumn days.

On the Web: Visit Ontario

More Places to Visit In Canada