Associated Press
TORONTO — Canada is launching a campaign to encourage Canadians to travel to New York to shop and play in an effort to help the city recover from the Sept. 11 terrorist attack.
With the backing of such Canadian-born celebrities as Dan Aykroyd and Wayne Gretzky, the "Canada loves New York" weekend kicks off Nov. 30.
Airlines, buses and hotels are offering discounts for the weekend excursion, said Jerry Grafstein, a Canadian senator who is organizing the event.
Grafstein said he came up with the idea as a way to "stop the consumer paralysis" and get people to "snap back to normal."
Television ads featuring Aykroyd, Gretzky and even Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien are touting the outing to Canada’s southern neighbor.
"All Air Canada flights to New York for that weekend are booked," said Tania O’Callaghan, who works with Delta Media, the public relations company promoting the event.
Copyright ©2001 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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