Extra! Extra! USA Today declares Saskatoon top tourist destination … so far

In some respects, it's difficult to believe Saskatoon has ever graced the pages of USA Today, let alone in the context of being a "Best Destination in Canada."

But not only is the city among the nominees in the newspaper's Readers' Choice 2017 "Best Destination in Canada" online poll — it's currently in the top spot.

"It's very exciting and we are still in the No. 1 spot," said Tourism Saskatoon's Aviva Kohen in an interview with CBC Radio's Saskatoon Morning.

Saskatoon is a beautiful city, but it faces stiff competition in the online voting — after all, this is a country with no shortage of scenic coastlines, majestic forests, great lakes, and soaring mountains. Canada has much to offer the curious traveller.

Saskatoon vies with popular tourist destinations like Banff, Alta., and Tofino, B.C., as well as big cities like Toronto, Montreal and Calgary, in the voting, which closes June 19.

Social media surge pushes Toon Town to top 

But Kohen marshalled her social media connections and people were more than happy to start voting, pushing Saskatoon up into the No. 1 spot.

"I think we have some real hidden gems here that people are really excited to brag about and to get people to put Saskatoon on the world map," she said.

Kohen doesn't think there is any way to really measure the impact of winning a contest like USA Today's. Still, she said, it may convince weary travellers looking for an under-the-radar destination to give Saskatoon a try.   

"I think that's something that has a lot of clout in the industry."

Kohen is urging everyone to put that Saskatoon pride to work and to vote in the USA Today poll. It's easy to do, she says, and you can vote once a day until the June 19 deadline.