Australian travel professionals will come together for Destination Canada’s inaugural Together for Impact Virtual Summit.
The event will explore how purposeful travel to Canada can create stronger commercial opportunities while delivering greater benefits for travellers, communities and destinations.
The 90-minute virtual event will be hosted by Destination Canada’s Australian Strategic Advisory Group (SAG) and will take place from 10am to 11:30am (AEDT) on November 5.
It will move the conversation about a regenerative approach to tourism from principle to practice, giving travel professionals tangible and practical ideas for developing meaningful, higher-value Canadian itineraries, responding to changing traveller expectations and growing their Canada business.
Julie King, Managing Director for Destination Canada Australia, will open the Summit by exploring why the future of tourism depends on creating value not only for travellers, but also for the destinations and communities they visit.
Keynote speaker tourism leader Kukpi7 (Chief) Frank Antoine is from Sťuxwtéws, which is one of the 17 communities of the Secwépemc (Shuswap) Nation within Secwépemcúl̓ecw (traditional territory) in Canada.
As Co-Founder of Moccasin Trails, Frank will examine how Indigenous-led tourism can foster cultural continuity, meaningful exchange, connection to land and reconciliation, while giving travellers richer ways to understand the places they visit.
During the Summit’s centrepiece panel session Selling More Than the Destination: How Purpose Is Changing Canada Travel, SAG members Melissa Warren (Helloworld Travel), Brett Mitchell (Intrepid Travel), Neil Rodgers (Adventure World) and Dan Walker (Sno’n’Ski Holidays) will examine a critical industry question: Can doing the right thing for destinations and communities also be good for business?
The second live session, From Canada, With Purpose: Three Stories of Tourism Creating Impact, will bring feature speakers from Jasper Food Tours, Churchill Wild and Niagara Parks Commission who will show how a regenerative approach to tourism can create tangible benefits for visitors, communities and destinations.
An extensive on-demand programme that will be exclusively available to Summit participants to view in their own time will focus on opportunities to grow Canada business and will include presentations from SAG members Greg McCallum (Entire Travel Group), Casandra Foister (SkiMax Holidays) and Mladen Vukic (APT Travel Group).
Additional on-demand content will take viewers across Canada, from the Yukon and Manitoba to Alberta, British Columbia and Québec and will include speakers from:
- Hébergement aux Cinq Sens;
- Eagle Wing Whale & Wildlife Tours;
- The Klondike Experience;
- Turtle Tours;
- Alberta Food Tours; and
- Burwood Distillery.
Together for Impact is designed to leave travel professionals with more than just inspiration. Participants will gain practical ideas for:
- selling Canada throughout the year;
- developing longer, higher-value itineraries;
- incorporating Indigenous-led and community-based experiences;
- responding to changing traveller expectations; and
- telling stronger stories about why clients should visit Canada.
Eligible Summit attendees will also have the chance to earn a spot on a Canadian famil in 2027.
Register for the Together For Impact Virtual Summit here.
