2026 TOURISM CONGRESS FOCUS
ACCESS: Converting Tourism Demand into Community Prosperity
From a distance, tourism in Canada looks strong. Demand is there, but demand alone doesn’t guarantee jobs, local revenue, or resilient destinations.
The challenge is conversion. We need to turn interest into experiences that businesses and communities can deliver consistently and with quality.
Tourism doesn’t stall because people stop travelling. It stalls when access breaks down and we can’t translate demand into employment, earnings, and long-term destination strength.
Access is what determines whether demand becomes prosperity:
- Can visitors get here easily and move around once they arrive?
- Can businesses find and retain the people they need?
- Can operators secure the capital required to grow?
- Can destinations reach the right markets?
- Can experiences scale in ways that communities support and benefit from?
Across plenaries and concurrent sessions, we’ll examine the critical access points that shape our industry’s competitiveness and explore the capital, partnerships, and policy levers that unlock progress.
Strengthening access turns demand into real value.
WHAT’S NEW IN THE 2026 TOURISM CONGRESS PROGRAM?
In 2025, many of you told us you wanted Congress to move beyond big-picture trends and focus more directly on the barriers affecting your business right now.
You asked for...
- More practical tools
- Clearer takeaways
- Stronger connections between discussion and action
- Space for your voice to shape what happens next
This year’s program is being formulated with that feedback in mind. We've already made several improvements to our direction, including...
- More structured networking time built into both days, so you can discuss what matters most.
- Clearer session tracks to help you focus on the access challenges most relevant to you while gaining insights from others in the industry.
- More practical, implementation-focused content with less theory, and more actionable steps so that you can walk away with a plan of action.
You told us you wanted clearer takeaways, more meaningful connections, and more visibility into how your input drives action to better strengthen the tourism industry.
We listened. We can’t wait to see you in Fredericton!
| PROGRAM AT A GLANCE * Subject to change | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday, November 16 | Tuesday, November 17 | ||
| 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM | Ancillary Meetings | 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM | Registration |
| 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM | Forum (TBC) | ||
| 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM | Welcome Reception | ||
| Wednesday, November 18 | |||
| 7:00 AM – 8:00 AM | Registration | Coffee & Connect | 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM | Air Canada Future Leader’s Luncheon |
| 8:00 AM – 8:15 AM | Welcome Remarks | 1:30 PM – 2:30 PM | Concurrent Sessions |
| 8:15 AM – 8:45 AM | TIAC Report | 2:30 PM – 3:00 PM | Networking Break |
| 8:45 AM – 9:45 AM | Keynote Address | 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM | Keynote |
| 9:45 AM – 10:30 AM | Networking Break & Marketplace | 6:00 PM – 6:30 PM | Awards Finalists Private Reception |
| 10:30 AM – 11:30 AM | Concurrent Sessions | 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM | Tourism Award’s Reception |
| 11:30 AM – 12:00 PM | Networking | 7:30 PM – 10:30 PM | Canadian Tourism Awards |
| Thursday, November 19 | |||
| 8:00 AM – 9:00 AM | Registration | Coffee & Connect | 11:30 AM – 12:00 PM | Networking |
| 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM | Plenary | 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM | Luncheon |
| 10:00 AM – 10:30 AM | Networking Break | 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM | Plenary & Closing Session |
| 10:30 AM – 11:30 AM | Concurrent Sessions | ||