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(Sault Ste. Marie, ON) – Yesterday, in Los Angeles, California, Viking Cruises announced the expansion of its destination-focused cruises including new ships and new stops into the Great Lakes and Northern Ontario.

Viking Cruises are making Northern Ontario an even bigger part of their $3 billion cruise business moving into 2022 and beyond. Viking Octantis and Viking Polaris will sail the Great Lakes into destinations such as Thunder Bay and Sault Ste. Marie. The Undiscovered Great Lakes, is an eight-day cruise from Thunder Bay, Ontario, to Milwaukee, with stops in Duluth, the Apostle Islands, Soo Locks, Mackinac Island and more. The Great Lakes Explorer, also an eight-day cruise, from Milwaukee to Thunder Bay, with three days exploring Georgian Bay, plus stops in Mackinac Island and the Soo Locks.

Destination Northern Ontario will continue to work with Destination Marketing Organizations, other tourism organizations and businesses at the local level to promote and develop on-shore excursions, maximizing the economic impact of these new visitors to the region.

Destination Northern Ontario thanks and acknowledges the collective work of the Great Lakes Cruising Coalition and destination partners in Thunder Bay, Killarney, Sault Ste. Marie and Manitoulin Island, as well as the significant investment made by Viking Cruises.

Destination Northern Ontario is one of 13 not-for-profit regional tourism organizations funded by the Ontario Ministry of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries. We are the largest tourism region in geography, the second largest in expenditure and the only region that includes sub-regions.

Northern Ontario will be a unique and distinctive tourism destination wherein high quality products and experiences resonate with consumers, entrepreneurship is valued, and tourism provides local, regional and global connections for the entire region. Destination Northern Ontario will take a leadership role to strategically guide and champion growth in Northern Ontario’s tourism industry, through strong communication, collaboration and partnerships with industry.

For more information on Destination Northern Ontario, please visit www.destinationnorthernontario.ca. Follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/DestNorthernOnt or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/DestinationNorthernOntario for the most up to date news and information.