5 New Free Learning Resources for Tourism Operators & Destination Partners

It’s no secret that Canada’s tourism industry was devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic. One year into this new reality, our task is two-fold. We, as individual stakeholders, need to recover from the pandemic. And together, we must rebuild the visitor economy—when it is safe to do so.

The Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC) launched the Elevating Canadian Experiences (ECE) program to help tourism stakeholders seize innovative opportunities in culinary tourism and in the winter and shoulder seasons (WSS).

The ECE program was conceived as a series of in-person workshops held in rural and remote areas. But the program launch dovetailed with the pandemic and, like so many organizations, we needed to pivot.

From April 2020 to March 2021, TIAC and our partners delivered virtual workshops/webinars to over 4,000 participants, reaching over 30,000 businesses from coast to coast to coast.

And now, we’re pleased to announce the ECE content hub, where you can access five new practical tools and resources developed for the program.

Culinary tools

Canada has all the ingredients to become a world class culinary destination. Our culinary webinars and national guidelines support growth and innovation in creating tasty experiences for domestic and international visitors.

SELF-GUIDED WEBINARS 

Over the course of five learning modules, you will learn how to concoct compelling culinary experiences, attract tourists and partner with other tourism stakeholders in your region. You’ll also explore how to nurture agritourism, create multisensory experiences, and how to exceed your visitors’ expectations—every single time.

CULINARY TOURISM STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT NATIONAL GUIDELINES

Create your destination’s culinary tourism strategy using best practices from TIAC’s culinary tourism strategy development pilot, which took place in four regions in Québec, Ontario, Saskatchewan, and Newfoundland and Labrador. Informed by the methods, processes, activities, and learnings from the pilot project, the guidelines provide practical advice for tourism operators and destination partners.

Winter / shoulder season tools

Summer is Canada’s peak tourism season. But we have a lot to offer visitors beyond June, July and August! Our WSS webinar, toolkit, and research report help operators and destination partners develop exceptional year-round experiences for when it’s safe to welcome visitors back.

ENHANCING WSS TOURISM IN CANADA WEBINAR

Made up of six learning modules, this webinar will give you actionable advice on how to define your strategy, develop products and experiences, build collaborative partnerships and more to boost seasonal tourism in your business or region.

DEVELOPING WSS TOURISM TOOLKIT

Developed by industry experts, this toolkit helps destination partners discover untapped opportunities for tourism products and experiences from September to May. Full of valuable insights, worksheets, tips and strategies, the toolkit will fuel ideas to boost your region’s off-season tourism.

WSS CONSUMER DEMAND RESEARCH REPORT

Discover current data on the domestic WSS travel consumer that provides essential market insights to help tourism operators and destination partners develop exciting off-season products and experiences. 

Start today!

Get access to free tools and strategies to grow your business and tourism in your region at the ECE content hub: https://ecehub.tiac-aitc.ca/en/