ITTN Joins Atlantic Canada at Dublin’s Hugo’s Restaurant

ITTN’s Sharon Jordan and Katie Doyle were delighted to join the Atlantic Canada press event last night in Hugo’s restaurant on Merrion Row.

The dining experience brought together Ireland’s top travel journalists alongside destination representatives, being the inaugural media event hosted by Atlantic Canada and its four provinces.

Excitingly, WestJet‘s new schedule to Halifax and St. John’s direct from Dublin now brings Ireland closer to our Canadian neighbours than ever before.

Representatives from New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland & Labrador, alongside Nova Scotia excitedly told us about the new destinations that Irish customers can experience, just a short hop over the Atlantic. 

Craig Sulis from Prince Edward Island painted a picture of red-sand beaches, lighthouses, and fertile farmland,  with festivals celebrating its renowned seafood and culture. Reachable by a ferry connection in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, the island’s capital of Charlottetown is known as the birthplace of the Canadian Confederation – and even features an Irish settler monument in the town.

From music festivals like Cavendish Beach Festival headlined in the past by Taylor Swift and now featuring our own Hozier in 2025, to the SoMo festival combining food and music- there’s lots happening on this island in the in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

Candice Walsh told us about Newfoundland and Labrador- which features big, wide-open spaces in this popular destination for those looking to reconnect with nature.

The most popular thing on the agenda for tourists is whale watching, or getting up close and personal with icebergs on exciting boat journeys.

The region also has over 300 hiking trails, perfect for those travellers looking to explore the location on foot. Like Prince Edward Island, this part of Canada also has close links to Ireland.

In the late-17th through to early-19th centuries, Newfoundland and Labrador’s cod fishery was a strong pull factor that attracted Irish immigrants, who eventually came to make up over 50% of the population. And they haven’t lost their Irish roots- St. Patrick’s day is a Public Holiday here!

Luise Uruena, representing Nova Scotia- has lots of exciting updates and experiences for Irish travellers to the region.

Just a six-hour flight from Dublin, the Bay of Fundy is one of the most famous places for scallops in the world- and alongside them, there are a huge amount of gastronomical experiences for tourists to enjoy.

New experiences including the Evangeline Enchantment and Elixirs experience where visitors can learn about Acadian and Mi’kmaw culture through plant medicine and food remedies. With herbalist Angie Oriana Jenkins, you can explore four historic sites in the Grand Pré-region including Landscape of Grand Pré UNESCO World Heritage Site and National Historic Site, the Deportation Site, the Guzzle, and finish at the Horton Ridge Malt House.

There are also evening kayak tours, scheduled around the new and quarter moons where the water is warm and the sky is it at its darkest- meaning tourists can experience the magical lightshow of bioluminescence in the waters below. 

From crab cracking, to fly-fishing, gastronomic tours to UNESCO heritage sites- Atlantic Canada and it’s four provinces have it all. The time between Dublin and St. John’s airport is a sweet 5 hour flight while to Halifax, Goffs, Nova Scotia- it’s just six hours!