Lonely Planet names Canada the top country to visit in 2017

CTV Ottawa: Canada top 2017 travel destination CTV’s Eric Longley reports on the Lonely Planet list that places Canada at the top country to visit in 2017.

Call it the icing on the nation’s 150^th birthday cake.

Lonely Planet, the world’s largest travel media company, has named Canada the #1 country to visit in 2017.

Lonely Planet’s Canadian Destination Editor, Alexander Howard, says Canada already has a lot going for it tourism-wise, but the special events planned for the country’s sesquicentennial helped put it over the top. “There’s certain to be a lot of celebrations all over the country,” says Howard. “Plus, with a weak Canadian dollar, international travellers can have lots to spend their money on. If you add that to all of the perennial favourites, Canada's cheerful cities, its wonderful citizens, and its amazing outdoor spaces, you have a great pick for 2017.”

It’s no small endorsement. Lonely Planet is read, watched, or clicked on by millions.

“Being on a Lonely Planet list that says go in 2017 is especially heart-warming for people in the tourism industry because it gives a reason to come now,” says Jantine Van Kregten of Ottawa Tourism. “Not put it on your list of someday destinations but literally book your ticket for 2017 now."

Ottawa came in at the top of a list of destination countries that also includes Colombia, Finland, Dominica, and Nepal. Curiously, when Lonely Planet also released its list of the best cities to visit in 2017, no Canadian city made the top ten.