Fuelled by rising gas prices and the high Canadian dollar, several tourism operators and hoteliers say they are observing more local residents choosing to spend their vacation in Ottawa, and are adjusting their marketing efforts as a result.
But with a focus on selling packaged tours that include hotel rooms, Ottawa Tourism is not oriented to promote individual attractions, says Mr. Huck.
"Their mandate ... is (hotel) room nights. Unfortunately, they're missing the drive-in people and the regional people," he says.
However, Ottawa Tourism's package deal arrangements are a way to drive people to multiple attractions at once, some of which may not be large enough to attract attention on their own, notes Jantine Van Kregten, the organization's director of communications.
The marketing agency offers several types of packages on its website for different audiences, ranging from families to food lovers. Participating vendors pay a regular fee to Ottawa Tourism as they are "reaping some of the benefits," she says.
Although she has anecdotally heard of a rise in staycationers, Ms. Van Kregten says Ottawa Tourism's mandate is to market the city to people who are considering a visit, not living here, as the hospitality industry is a major contributor to the local economy.
"We're trying to ... say, ‘There is more to do here than you can do in one day,'" she says, pointing out there are a number of museums and attractions in the downtown core alone that would take several days to properly appreciate.
Mr. Huck says it's therefore up to himself to market locally. He buys ads in community newspapers and talks up the more lucrative business cruises when reaching out on radio, a more expensive medium.
There are other local players who are also turning to the airwaves to get their message out.
The Minto Suites Hotel has run advertisements on local radio stations for the past three years, touting its big rooms and proximity to local attractions as reasons for local families to book a short stay.
This year, the 417-suite facility sweetened the offer through a package offering a free one-day visit to the Calypso water park in Limoges, and implemented a new blog, Inspired Ottawa, to grab a larger share of the market.
"We're a business and we don't care where the money comes from," joked Sharon Williamson, director of branding for Minto's hospitality group, when asked why the hotel markets to locals when other tourism entities do not.
But in Ottawa, she has observed local residents taking the city's cultural institutions for granted; they live here, but tend to look past Parliament Hill, the ByWard Market and others. This is why Minto continually urges in Ottawa advertisements to see the city through new eyes rather than using the term "staycation."
The Albert at Bay Suite Hotel offers package discounts to Bluesfest and other local festivals as part of its marketing efforts to bolster sales at the hotel during the traditionally slow months of July and August.
While the corporate and government sectors fall off, the leisure market fills in the summer months, says Roger MacKinnon, the director of sales and marketing. The hotel advertises the festivals to the locals to bring them in, as opposed to talking about the amenities of the hotel, he says.
But rather than put out an ad campaign, he says drumming up business sometimes means hitting the streets.
"We've even gone as far as (marketing the hotel in) subcities: the Kanatas, the Orleans ... and gone to their local chambers of commerce," Mr. MacKinnon says.
Dan Duhamel, the owner of Paul's Boat Cruises, also takes a different approach to local advertising.
While reaching out to television stations and conferences pull in tourists from Watertown, N.Y. and Pennsylvania, Mr. Duhamel has found more success working with local organizations.
He's seen a surge of locals this year, although overall numbers are down as high water levels prevented the ship from sailing into town during the Tulip Festival, usually one of its busiest weekends with Ottawa crowds.
"We are very generous with local groups giving out (tours) and supporting their fundraisers," he says.
This includes the Ottawa Humane Society and the Ottawa-headquartered Canadian Diabetes Association.
But like other operators, Mr. Duhamel says he does the advertising on his own and does not rely on outside tourism groups to generate business.
ACCELERATING ACCOMMODATION
Apart from the early spring months, aggregate hotel room
occupancy across Ottawa is up in 2011, according to the Ottawa Gatineau Hotel Association.
January: 53% (up 8%)
February: 72% (up 6%)
March: 63% (up 2%)
April 61%: (down 2%)
May 78% (up 1%)
June: 80% (up 5%)
July: 72% (up 4%)
