Canada Strong Pass helps boost visits to Ottawa’s national museums over the summer

People visit the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa on Friday, July 16, 2021. (Sean Kilpatrick/THE CANADIAN PRESS)

National galleries and museums in Ottawa saw an increase in visitors over the summer, after the federal government introduced free and discounted admissions for young Canadians to explore Canadian attractions.

The Canada Strong Pass was offered from June 20 to Sept. 2, offering free admission for children aged 17 and under and 50 per cent off admission fees for youth aged 18 to 24.

The Canadian Museum of Nature saw a 13 per cent increase in general attendance this summer compared to the June 20 to Sept. 1 period in 2024.

Officials told CTV News Ottawa 49 per cent of general admission visitors were children, teens and young adults (18 to 24), who benefitted from free or reduced admission with the Canada Strong Pass. There was a 62 per cent increase in teens aged 13 to 17 visiting the Canadian Museum of Nature this summer.

“The museum also undertook a post-visit survey, with close to half of the respondents saying they were strongly or moderately influenced to visit the museum because of the Canada Strong Pass,” the Canadian Museum of Nature said.

Visitors to the Canadian Museum of History were up 12 per cent this summer compared to the summer of 2024, while there was an 18 per cent increase in attendance at the Canadian War Museum.

“While this growth can’t be attributed entirely to the Canada Strong Pass program, it has clearly contributed,” said Stephanie Fortin, director of commercial operations for the Canadian Museum of History and Canadian War Museum.

The National Gallery of Canada saw a 3.95 per cent increase in attendance over the summer. The Gallery notes 21,802 children, youth and young adults took advantage of the Canada Strong Pass to visit this summer, up 10.9 per for the same demographic last year.

Ingenium said attendance figures were still being calculated for the Canada Agriculture and Food Museum, the Canada Aviation and Space Museum and the Canada Science and Technology Museum.

On Tuesday, Ottawa Tourism said it was a successful summer for the capital’s tourism sector.

New statistics from Ottawa Tourism show Ottawa saw a five per cent increase in overall hotel demand in June, July and August, while visitor spending increased seven per cent over the summer compared to the same period in 2024.

According to Ottawa Tourism, July 2025 set a benchmark for the busiest July for Ottawa’s tourism sector, while it was the strongest August on record.

In addition to the Canada Strong Pass, Ottawa Tourism launched the Visit Ottawa Pass for the summer.  For $100, adults could choose five out of 14 attractions and activities to visit, including national museums, the Royal Canadian Mint, the Bytown Museum and The Haunted Walk.

Ottawa Tourism says the tourism numbers were bolstered by several marquee events, including Bluesfest, Escapade, the inaugural Ironman Canada-Ottawa event, the Canadian Track and Field Championships, and the Canada-USA Women’s Rugby match at TD Place in August.