Museum, pop-up restaurant win awards

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This article was published 04/12/2015 (3616 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

THE outside accolades for visiting Winnipeg continue to pile up.

The Canadian Museum for Human Rights and Raw: Almond both received some hardware Wednesday night in Ottawa from the Tourism Industry Association of Canada (ITAC) at the 2015 Canadian Tourism Awards.

The CMHR was presented with the National Cultural Tourism award while Raw: Almond won the Innovator of the Year category for its pop-up restaurant on the frozen river at The Forks in winter.

CMHR spokeswoman Angela Cassie said the challenge now is to turn the awards and notoriety into paying customers. “When the industry association recognizes you, it’s a stamp of approval. It’s responsible for advancing and ensuring the continued growth and development of Canada’s tourism industry,” she said.

“If people from across Canada and internationally are considering Winnipeg and the museum as a destination, hopefully this (award) will help.”

The CMHR had more than 400,000 visitors during its first year of operations, up from its initial projections of 250,000 visitors annually, but Cassie said there’s plenty of work to do to ensure the turnstiles keep turning.

“We recognize that we’re the new kid on the block. We’re hearing that the awareness of the museum across the country and internationally is growing. We hope that will position us to post strong numbers for years to come,” she said.

That wasn’t all for the CMHR. It also topped Traveller.com’s list of the best-looking buildings in Canada this week. And last month, the museum was cited, along with other local landmarks, for convincing National Geographic Traveler to name Winnipeg as one of the best places to visit in 2016.

It’s enough to convince you to raise a glass of Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye (which was named the 2016 World Whisky of the Year last month) in celebration.

A spokesperson for Raw: Almond wasn’t available for comment.

geoff.kirbyson@freepress.mb.ca