Mr. Speaker, even though the summer is in the rear-view, I want to share how exciting it was. Ottawa Tourism reports that from June to August, our city saw a 5% increase in hotel demand and a 7% jump in visitor spending compared to last year. July and August broke records. That is hundreds of thousands of people choosing to visit Ottawa. What brought them here? It was world-class events like Bluesfest, the inaugural Ironman Canada-Ottawa and the Canadian Track and Field Championships.
Thanks to the Canada Strong Pass, our national museums, including the Agriculture and Food Museum, the Museum of Nature and the War Museum in my community of Ottawa Centre, brought in unmatched crowds. We can add in the buzz of Metcalfe Plaza by the Downtown BIA, the new Uncommon event space by the Centretown BIA and countless festivals.
We are revitalizing our downtown through community and culture.