2024 Tourism Congress and Canadian Tourism Awards
Date: December 3 - 5, 2024
Location: Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre Hotel, Vancouver, British Columbia
Join us in Vancouver for the 2024 Tourism Congress and Canadian Tourism Awards. This event unites tourism leaders, stakeholders, and innovators from across Canada and beyond. Share insights, explore new ideas, and celebrate our industry's resilience and creativity.
Theme: Canada: Powered by Tourism
This year's theme, “Canada: Powered by Tourism,” emphasizes tourism’s vital role in shaping Canada’s economic, cultural, and societal landscape.
Congress Workshop Day: December 3 (See Full Program)
- Introduction to Export READIness: Expand Your market reach with the TIAC READI Stamp Program
- Advancing Sustainability in Tourism: An Experiential Workshop for Leaders and Managers: Transform your tourism operations with GreenStep's sustainable tourism.
- Delicious Storytelling 101: Master food storytelling with Culinary Tourism's Workshop
- Managing Environmental & Social Impacts with Visitor Use Management Framework: Learn strategies for ensuring sustainable, positive experiences on recreational trails by effectively managing visitor impacts.
- Flourishing in Tourism: Building Your Capacity to Flourish in the Future: Explore how the Flourishing Business Canvas can help your organization shape a sustainable and impactful future in the Canadian tourism sector.
- Canada's National Forum on Disaster Readiness and Response: Join us for an insightful session where tourism leaders and experts explore the impacts of global warming, pandemics, and natural disasters on Canadian tourism, sharing lessons learned and strategies for future resilience.
Main Congress Sessions: December 4 (See Full Program)
- Embracing the Journey: The Power of Canada's Tourism Industry with Jon Montgomery: Join Gold Medal Olympian Jon Montgomery, Host of The Amazing Race Canada, as he shares his inspiring journey through Canada’s vibrant tourism landscape, celebrating its beauty, diversity, and unforgettable experiences.
- State of the Industry: Leadership Report & Innovation Forum: Join us for an engaging session that showcases TIAC’s impactful work over the past year and ignites fresh ideas for a thriving future in Canadian tourism!
- From Caution to Confidence: How to Stop Worrying and Learn to Love AI: Explore how AI is transforming cultural tourism with interactive designer Corey King as he unveils Artefacta, an innovative AI-curation platform, and shares insights on enhancing visitor engagement, maintaining authenticity, and navigating future trends in the industry.
- Telling Your Destination's Taste-of-Place Story: Discover how to leverage your destination's unique culinary stories with Gabrielle Mueller and industry leaders as they explore the art of promoting local flavors to attract visitors, stimulate economies, and elevate your region’s global profile.
- Navigating the Future: Emerging and Key Sectors in Canadian Tourism: Explore the dynamic sectors reshaping Canadian tourism in this expert panel, where industry leaders highlight the rising economic impact of RVing, wellness tourism, sport tourism, and business events in driving the future resilience of destinations.
- National Tourism Panel Session: Enhancing Canada's Global Competitiveness through Transportation: Join leading experts from the airline, rail, motorcoach, and water transportation industries as they explore groundbreaking advancements that are boosting Canada’s global competitiveness by enhancing accessibility, innovation, and infrastructure in the transportation sector.
- DestinationNEXT: Insights from the Canadian Futures Study: Discover the key insights and future trends shaping Canadian tourism from DestinationNEXT's Futures Study, presented by MMGY NextFactor's Greg Oates.
Main Congress Sessions: December 5 (See Full Program)
- Ensuring Tourism Thrive When All Belong: Powering Canadian Tourism Through Inclusive and Accessible Employment: Explore how inclusive employment practices can transform Canadian tourism as industry experts and diverse voices share insights on fostering accessibility, boosting innovation, and enhancing guest experiences for a more resilient and thriving sector.
- Navigating Tomorrow: How DMOs Are Addressing the Ongoing Challenges in Our Sector: Join top DMO CEOs as they explore sustainable tourism, crisis management, and technological advancements, offering actionable strategies to balance tourism growth with environmental responsibility, cultural preservation, and community benefits for long-term destination success.
- Sustainable Tourism: Global Trends and Canada's Performance: Delve into the evolving landscape of sustainable tourism and Canada’s pivotal role in this transformation, as expert insights and compelling case studies provide practical guidance on navigating regulations, enhancing sustainability efforts, and avoiding greenwashing in an increasingly complex environment.
- Building Partnerships and Employment Pipelines With Canadian Educational Programs: Discover how the Canadian Coalition of Tourism Universities aims to strengthen the tourism industry through education by presenting a structured model for connecting students with industry opportunities.
- How Brand Leadership Will Power Canada’s Tourism Future: Explore the role of brand love and how Canada’s distinctive strengths can be the superpower that keeps our tourism sector resilient, even amid huge disruption.
- Harnessing the Spotlight of Major Events – Lessons Learned and Future Strategies: With major events such as FIFA Men's World Cup 2026, the Invictus Games in Whistler & Vancouver 2025, how are our communities, cities, provinces/territories and Canada leveraging the most out of the influx of visitors and eyeball from the global media covering these events?
- Navigating Challenges and Seizing Opportunities in Canadian Tourism Investment: Explore the complexities of investing in the Canadian tourism industry as experts discuss challenges like economic fluctuations and regulatory hurdles while offering strategic solutions and insights on succession planning to help you navigate and seize opportunities in this dynamic sector.
- Strengthening Canada's Global Position: A National Panel on Enhancing Competitiveness: Engage in a dynamic discussion with leading national organizations as they tackle Canada's global competitiveness in tourism, exploring innovative strategies and actionable solutions to enhance the country’s status as a premier destination.
Special Events
- Welcome Reception: On December 4, join us for an evening of surprises and networking at our Winter Wonderland Beneath the Waves welcome reception at the Vancouver Aquarium! (ticket is included in registration. Additional tickets could be purchased separately).
- Canadian Tourism Awards: Celebrate the industry’s best on December 5, recognizing outstanding teams and individual luminaries who exemplify exceptional tourism experiences across Canada (ticket to be purchased separately).
- Congress Showdown: Close out this year’s Tourism Congress with an entertaining and thought-provoking session as teams of industry professionals tackle some of tourism's hottest topics.
Why Attend?
The Tourism Congress 2024 is your chance to network, gain insights, and influence public policies. Register today to rise, innovate, and thrive at this year's Tourism Congress 2024!