See Canada in Bloom – VIA Rail Canada Offers New Features to Annual Garden Route

MONTREAL, (April, 2011) – People all around the world travel to visit gardens. In 2007, the most recent year for which statistics are available, 27 million adult Canadians and Americans visited the spectacular gardens of Canada on an out-of-town trip of one or more nights. VIA Rail Canada offers a special VIA Garden Route for travelers to enjoy the country’s spectacular gardens. Based on the increasing popularity of its Garden Route, VIA Rail is pleased to announce that two new gardens have been added to the route this year.

The 2011 VIA Garden Route includes 19 magnificent gardens, 27 award-winning Communities in Bloom destinations and countless local garden attractions from Victoria to Halifax. The new gardens on the 2011 VIA Rail Garden Route are Ottawa’s Central Experimental Farm and the Annapolis Royal Historic Gardens in Nova Scotia.

Travelers can enjoy Canada’s breathtaking scenery from their relaxing and comfortable VIA Rail seat en route to the gardens they choose on their Garden Route vacation. Upon arrival, visitors can take a self-guided tour of the gardens and Communities in Bloom or choose a Garden Route travel package from a number of VIA Getaways within the Windsor to Québec City corridor (http://www.viarail.ca/en/packages).

In fact, visiting a botanical or garden themed attraction while on a trip is among the top 10 cultural activities undertaken by vacation travelers in Canada, according to the Travel Activity and Motivation Study.

“In recognition of the growing significance of garden tourism, VIA Rail Canada is pleased to sponsor Canada Blooms and to offer the VIA Rail Garden Route, Canada’s premier national garden tourism initiative, for the sixth year running,” said Steve Del Bosco, VIA Rail’s Chief Marketing and Sales Officer.

From June 3rd to September 5th, 2011, visitors to each participating garden along the Garden Route, as well as visitors to the websites of the 2011 Communities in Bloom destinations, can enter a contest for a chance to win a round trip for two with VIA Rail to Quebec City in the summer of 2012 to visit the Roger Van den Hende Botanical Garden and see the sights in this lively and historic city.

For a complete listing of gardens, local garden attractions and Communities in Bloom destinations, visit: www.viarail.ca/garden.

About Communities in Bloom

Communities in Bloom is a Canadian non-profit organization committed to fostering civic pride, environmental responsibility and beautification through community involvement and the challenge of a national program. For more information visit: communitiesinbloom.ca.

About VIA Rail

As Canada’s national rail passenger service, VIA Rail Canada’s mandate is to provide efficient, environmentally sustainable and cost‑effective passenger transportation, in the country’s two official languages. Every week, VIA operates 503 intercity, transcontinental and regional trains linking 450 communities across its 12,500‑kilometre route network. The demand for VIA services is growing as travellers increasingly turn to train travel as a safe, hassle‑free and environmentally responsible alternative to congested roads and airports.

April 14, 2011   Posted in: Airlines & Railways, Canada