Crowds flock to downtown Chatham to check out classic cars at Retro Fest. May 27, 2017. (Photo courtesy of Sarah Cowan Blackburn News Chatham-Kent).

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Think of a paradise vacation anywhere in the world and Canadians would likely answer Mexico, Bahamas, California and Chatham-Kent? That’s right.

While it may seem an unlikely choice to some, Canadians have voted Chatham-Kent as a top destination to visit in the world this year.

Expedia asked 1,000 Canadians what their top destinations are across the globe in 2019 and compiled a list of 19 places based on their answers. It was released Thursday and Chatham-Kent was right up there with Tuscany in Italy, Las Vegas and Colombia.

The manager of community attraction and promotion with Chatham-Kent, Audrey Ansell, said it was a great way to start off the new year.

“Great news to hear that but I think ultimately it is a testament to the quality of tourism experiences that are offered by Chatham-Kent,” Ansell said. “They’ve headlined some of our really key signature experiences.”

Buxton National Historic Site & Museum, Retro Fest, Blenheim Classics Auto Show, Bothwell Old Autos Car Show and Rondeau Provincial Park were the big draws listed in the article. The Expedia piece talks about how Chatham-Kent is the classic car capital of Canada and how it is was an end destination for the Underground Railroad as slaves escaped to freedom.

Needless to say, Ansell didn’t exactly expect CK to be on a list like this though.

“It was a very positive surprise,” Ansell said. “Last year in 2018 was really a banner year for Chatham-Kent and promoting the community. We had the International Plowing Match, Curling, NCAA Basketball and Hometown Hockey.”

Ansell added on top of all that the municipality received provincial recognition from the Economic Development Association of Ontario for its tourism work and marketing campaigns.

“I think making the list is truly a reflection of the quality of our product and awareness of Chatham-Kent as a great place to visit,” Ansell said.

She added one of the big things the municipality did in the last year is help the owners of tourism sites promote themselves. This year she said the focus will be on making sure all the residents of Chatham-Kent know about all the things going on so no one says “there’s nothing to do in CK” anymore.

“Here we have an international list of places to go and we’re on it,” Ansell said. “Sometimes people in our own community aren’t always aware of all the great things that there are to do.”

She said the staple tourist areas of the community include the three black history sites, especially with black history month coming up, and the numerous fishing tournaments that occur every year, along with WAMBO.

Ansell said there aren’t events planned for 2019 that are quite as big as the International Plowing Match just yet, but she is looking forward to a great year for tourism in the municipality.

Chatham-Kent wasn’t the only Ontario location on the list with Toronto and Stratford making it. Apparently, Canadians like to stay local as those destinations were joined by 10 other Canadian locations, with only six international ones in the top 19.