Mayor Sutcliffe to join trade mission to London, run in marathon

Mayor Mark Sutcliffe speaking to CTV News. (Leah Larocque/CTV News Ottawa)

Ottawa Tourism will cover Mayor Mark Sutcliffe's travel and accommodation expenses, when he travels to London, England later this month to promote the capital as a tourism destination and run in the London Marathon.

Sutcliffe announced on Tuesday morning he will join officials from Ottawa Tourism and Invest Ottawa for a "quick but busy and impactful trip!" The trip is scheduled for four days and three nights.

"I'm very excited that later this month I will be joining a Team Ottawa mission to London organized by Ottawa Tourism and with the participation of Invest Ottawa and Run Ottawa," Sutcliffe said.

"We'll be hosting a series of events, promoting tourism to Ottawa, meeting with companies that do business in Ottawa, marketing Ottawa Race Weekend, and possibly signing a deal or two."

Ottawa Tourism tells CTV News Ottawa they invited Sutcliffe on the trip, "which will allow for him to engage directly with key stakeholders through targeted meetings and networking opportunities."

"Ottawa Tourism continues its efforts in business development within key international markets to promote Canada’s capital as a prime destination for business and leisure travel," Ottawa Tourism said in a statement Tuesday evening.

"This year's mission to the UK, Ottawa’s top overseas market, will last 4 days/3 nights and aims to provide opportunities for our delegation to join forces and meet with new and existing contacts to encourage business in our destination, from meetings and conventions to major events, tour operators, and beyond.

"The focus is to highlight Ottawa's strengths as a destination to business and leisure travelers, as well as its potential for economic development and event hosting."

Last June, Sutcliffe joined Ottawa Tourism on a trade mission to Paris, saying at the time the trip was designed to "promote our city to tourism operators and bring more visitors here."

Sutcliffe is an avid runner, completing 40 marathons since 2004. He ran in the Berlin Marathon last September, finishing in a time of 3:51:42.

The London Marathon is set for April 21, and is the second-largest annual road race in the UK. More than 48,000 runners participated in the run last year.

 

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