Translating Tourism: Improving French Language Offerings at Key Manitoba Attractions

Manitoba is unique among the western Canadian provinces, with over 15 bilingual municipalities centered around the capital of Winnipeg and over 1 in 7 residents living nearby who can speak both French and English. According Destination Canada, visitors from France are the third largest group of arrivals in Canada and show an 11 per cent likelihood of visiting Manitoba. Within Canada, Manitoba ranks high as a destination among culture seekers pursuing the hidden gems around the country (read Canada Market Profiles for Manitoba on page 32). Travel Manitoba identified the opportunity that tapping into our French language and culture could bring, strengthening the province's appeal to domestic and international markets.

With the support of Canadian Heritage funding, Travel Manitoba worked with Prairie Research Associates to assess the French-language offerings of ten tourism attractions across the province to better understand the gaps and how to help attract more local, national and international guests.

French is an official language in Canada which highlights our rich cultural history that continues today as a living part of our identity, connecting communities from the French-speaking descendants of the fur trade to recent newcomers. The Francophone community is alive and well in Manitoba, reflected in the many museums, art galleries, attractions, restaurants, shops, educational institutions and neighbourhoods that are predominantly French speaking. That bilingualism is found across Manitoba and at all age groups. There are 35,000 kids currently in Immersion programs and attending French schools. Manitoba has a unique opportunity to connect with travellers in a way that most western Canadian provinces cannot.

The assessment found that while most visitors—whether from Manitoba, another province or another country—do not necessarily expect to receive service in French throughout their trip, they greatly appreciate having the option when it is available.

Expanding French-language services provides an opportunity to enhance the Francophone visitor experience, strengthen Manitoba's tourism competitiveness across the country and position the province as an export-ready destination for international French-speaking visitors.

Travel Manitoba invited ten leading tourism attractions and organizations to participate in the assessment:

• Assiniboine Park
• FortWhyte Alive
• Manitoba Agricultural Museum
• Manitoba Children's Museum
• Manitoba Museum
• Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada
• The Forks
• Winnipeg Art Gallery–Qaumajuq
• Winnipeg Folk Festival
• Winnipeg Waterways

Each organization completed a self-assessment before participating in interviews, site visits and consultations led by Prairie Research Associates. While organizations were at different stages and had different ideas of how to create a bilingual offering, several common themes emerged. Most organizations recognized the importance of French and expressed a strong interest in expanding their service offerings. Many, however, were only somewhat familiar with the size of the Francophone tourism market or the opportunities it presents.

Each participating organization received a clear assessment of their needs based upon their current level, ready to develop and adapt that information into a list of future goals.

The overall assessment from Prairie Research Associates identified several practical ways Manitoba's tourism industry can continue building stronger French-language experiences.

One recommendation was to improve market intelligence by sharing data on francophone tourism demand to support planning and decision-making at tourism attractions. This insight included continuing to share information with tourism operators on data on francophone tourism demand to support planning and decision-making. Other recommendations included support to bilingual staffing, translation, technology and pilot initiatives. Plans are currently in the works for Travel Manitoba to offer a series of webinars on helpful topics, like: translation, hiring and training staff, data and partnerships with Francophone organizations.

Francophone workforce development was also identified as an opportunity area. Recommendations from the report included strengthening bilingual recruitment support, identifying existing bilingual staff, offering training and other shared staffing solutions across attractions.

Recognizing that reaching full bilingualism can take time and resources, the report stated that attractions can prioritize practical, high-impact improvements that fit their capacity and budget, gradually expanding services over time.

Digital tools—including QR codes, mobile content and translating audio guides—offer scalable ways to expand French-language access while supporting existing staff.

Initial implementation will focus on helping attractions establish or build upon their core French-language offering with a focus on translation of visitor resources.

For 2026-2027, all ten attractions will be offered some funding for a translation project falling under these three tiers:

• Translation of exterior and/or interior signage
• Translation of printed, on-screen or exhibition materials
• Translation of website content

The assessment and translations support phase is only the beginning. Future efforts, like developing a bilingual guide training program, will help participating organizations further expand French-language services.

Expanding French-language tourism services creates welcoming experiences that reflect Manitoba's cultural diversity while helping tourism operators reach new markets and strengthen their businesses. At it’s core, building French tourism experiences helps Manitoba to become a truly bilingual province. As Manitoba's tourism industry continues to grow, these investments will help ensure visitors from across Canada and around the world can experience the province's culture, attractions and communities with greater confidence and connection.

By working collaboratively with industry partners, Francophone organizations and tourism operators, Travel Manitoba is helping build a stronger, more inclusive visitor economy—one that welcomes everyone to le Coeur du Canada.