Victoria Remains the Queen of Hearts as it's Named Canada's Most Romantic City for the Sixth Year in a Row by Amazon Canada

Abbotsford held on to its No. 2 spot, while new entry, Whitehorse, lands on the list for the first time at No. 3

British Columbia dominates the list with eight cities in the top 20

SEATTLE, Feb. 5, 2018 /CNW/ - Victoria, the capital of British Columbia, sits on the southern end of Vancouver Island. Typically known as the "Garden City," this coastal island's nickname should be changed to "Romance City". For the sixth consecutive year, Victoria has been named Canada's Most Romantic City, as announced today by Amazon Canada. The ninth annual ranking was compiled by comparing sales data from January 1, 2017 to January 1, 2018 on a per capita basis in cities with more than 20,000 residents. The data looks at sales of romance novels (both print and Kindle editions), romantic comedies, relationship books, jewellery and sexual wellness products.

This year, the Top 20 Most Romantic Cities in Canada are:  

1. Victoria, British Columbia
2. Abbotsford, British Columbia
3. Whitehorse, Yukon (new)
4. Courtenay, British Columbia (new)
5. Fort McMurray, Alberta (new)
6. Spruce Grove, Alberta (new)
7. North Vancouver, British Columbia
8. Sherwood Park, Alberta (new)
9. Surrey, British Columbia (new)
10. Nanaimo, British Columbia
11. Lasalle, Quebec (new)
12. Waterloo, Ontario
13. Prince George, British Columbia
14. La Prairie, Quebec (new)
15. Grande Prairie, Alberta
16. Airdrie, Alberta (new)
17. Welland, Ontario (new)
18. Vernon, British Columbia (new)
19. North Bay, Ontario
20. Dartmouth, Nova Scotia (new)   

A closer look at the data revealed:

• Goddess of Love: In addition to taking the top spot, Victoria also earns bragging rights for being number one in the categories of relationship books, romance books and romantic comedies.
• The New Romantics: There are some new cities on this year's list, twelve to be exact, vying for that number one spot. First time romantic cities hail from Alberta, British Columbia, Yukon, Quebec, Ontario and Nova Scotia.
• Big Hearts in the West: The west was surely stung by cupid's arrow with nine of the top ten cities being from the two most western provinces.
• Whitehorse Charges into the Top Three: For the first time ever, a Canadian territory not only makes the list, but takes the number three spot.
• Canada's Love Interests: 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love that Lasts by Gary Chapman, Pretty Woman starring Richard Gere and Julia Roberts, and Hold Me Tight: Seven Conversations for a Lifetime of Love by Sue Johnson were among the bestsellers in the relationship books, romance books, and romantic movies categories.
• Beyond the Top 20: Five provinces didn't get a rose this time around and had no cities place in the top 20, but we still wanted to honour the cities that placed first in each of these five areas: Brandon, Manitoba, Fredericton, New Brunswick, St. John's, Newfoundland, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, and Prince Albert, Saskatchewan.

To browse the Amazon.ca selection of deals and gift ideas for Valentine's Day – and help contribute to future romantic city rankings – visit www.amazon.ca/valentinesday.    

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SOURCE Amazon Canada

Andrew Gouveia, NATIONAL Public Relations, [email protected], 416-848-1385