Destination Canada Launches New Toolkits to Support the Development of Tourism in Rural, Remote and Northern Communities
Empowering communities to leverage tourism in their municipal planning and tap into the $130B per year tourism contributes to the Canadian economy
OTTAWA, ON, May 30, 2025 /CNW/ - Today Destination Canada, in partnership with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM), launches two new Tourism Destination Development Toolkits to more than 1,500 elected officials at the FCM Annual Conference and Tradeshow.
The two toolkits, focused on tourism development for rural as well as remote and northern Canadian communities are designed to support municipalities in building vibrant, sustainable, and competitive tourism destinations. As part of Destination Canada and FCM's ongoing partnership, these resources were developed collaboratively with FCM, incorporating feedback from their remote, rural, and northern community caucuses.
Connected to Destination Canada's 2030 Strategy, the toolkits are designed for communities starting from the ground up and who may not have dedicated tourism organizations or personnel. These comprehensive resources offer practical guidance on tourism innovation, community involvement, Indigenous partnerships, and regenerative tourism practices. They help define tourism's ecosystem and showcase how destinations can leverage Destination Canada's latest tourism intelligence and analytics, which also focus on the growing value of the visitor economy.
- The toolkits will be available on Destination Canada's website and shared through FCM's communication channels, which reach 2,100 municipalities of all sizes and represent more than 92 percent of all Canadians from coast to coast to coast.
The Toolkits Include:
- Checklist: A practical guide to help communities get started with tourism planning.
- Investment Readiness: Tools to assess if a community is ready for investment, including zoning, bylaws, and collaboration frameworks.
- Resources: Links to videos, case studies, best practices, and existing provincial and organizational resources.
Key Features
- Case Studies: Examples like the Rugged Apprentice Program in Yukon, which showcases community engagement and transformative visitor experiences.
- Support for Indigenous Communities: Highlighting the significant impact cultural tourism has on Indigenous communities and the increasing demand for Indigenous experiences.
- Youth Opportunities: Emphasizing the creation of quality career jobs to attract and retain youth in these communities.
The toolkits make their debut during the "Ask the Expert" session at the FCM Annual Conference May 29-June 2 in Ottawa. During this session, municipal panelists will share their own perspectives on economic diversification and highlight the value of leveraging the visitor economy in today's uncertain landscape. The discussion centres around how the toolkits can facilitate tourism development and community engagement, improve both visitor and resident experiences, and drive sustainable economic growth by expanding the visitor economy into new regions.
Tourism's Opportunity:
In 2024, tourism contributed $130B to the Canadian economy—that's over $350Ma day in revenue, powered by 265,000 businesses in 5,000 communities coast to coast to coast.
- Nearly 18,000 tourism businesses operate in remote communities.
- There are over 1,900 indigenous tourism businesses operating across Canada.
- 704,400 jobs are supported by direct visitor spending throughout Canada. This exceeds the total jobs in agriculture, forestry, fishing, mining, quarrying, and oil and gas combined.
Tourism is an important catalyst for economic growth. It breathes life into economic opportunities across diverse sectors such as hospitality, transportation, retail, arts and culture, and entertainment—while also enhancing the quality of life in communities.
The Tourism Destination Development Toolkits reflect Destination Canada's commitment to supporting municipalities with actionable strategies and innovative solutions, connecting communities to the tourism ecosystem and catalyzing their visitor economy.
Quotes:
"Tourism is a powerful economic engine that drives growth and prosperity across Canada. By supporting travel and tourism at the community level, we're creating meaningful opportunities—including for Indigenous peoples—while strengthening the economic fabric of the places we call home. These toolkits will empower northern, remote and rural communities to build on their unique strengths, improve their quality of life and develop tourism in a way that reflects their identity and values." – The Honourable Rechie Valdez, Minister of Women and Gender Equality and Secretary of State (Small Business and Tourism)
"Canada's rural, remote, and northern communities are packed with one-of-a-kind cultural experiences and natural beauty — they're at the heart of what makes our tourism industry special. This practical toolkit is all about helping local businesses and communities play to their strengths and grow tourism in a smart, sustainable way that really benefits folks on the ground in our communities."-The Honourable Buckley Belanger, Secretary of State (Rural Development)
"Destination Canada's new toolkits represent a pivotal step forward in empowering our municipal leaders to create authentic, sustainable, and competitive destinations," says Gracen Chungath, SVP, Investment and Destination Development. "With an intentional destination strategy that is integrated into the community plan; municipal leadership, residents and businesses work towards a common goal which only increases the value of tourism for all."
About Destination Canada
At Destination Canada, we believe that tourism enhances the wealth and wellbeing of Canadians and enriches the lives of visitors. Our mission is to influence supply and build demand for the benefit of locals, communities and visitors through leading research, alignment with public and private sectors, and marketing Canada nationally and abroad.
Tourism contributes $130B to the Canadian economy. That's more than $350M a day in revenue powered by 265,000 businesses in 5,000 communities coast to coast to coast. Destination Canada's activities convert public dollars into international visitor spending within the same year—creating jobs, GDP, and tax revenues almost immediately. Every dollar invested in DC turns into a demonstrable financial return for Canadian businesses, workers, communities, and governments.
Knowing that diversity is our greatest asset, we promote Canada as a premier four-season leisure and business tourism destination around the country and world in Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Japan, Mexico, South Korea, United Kingdom and the United States. Additionally, our Business Events team uses global insights to target and attract international events aligned with Canada's top economic sectors.
Destination Canada is a Crown corporation wholly owned by the Government of Canada.
SOURCE Destination Canada