RVC 2015 makes waves in Niagara Falls

The 39th annual Rendez-vous Canada (RVC) has taken over Niagara Falls this week, with close to 1,600 international travel industry professionals – 921 delegates representing 537 organizations selling Canadian products, and more than 453 buyers from 28 countries – topping RVC’s record-breaking attendance numbers from 2014.

Hosted by Destination Canada, formerly the Canadian Tourism Commission, the yearly event provides Canada’s tourism businesses the opportunity to connect with international buyers through a series of one-on-one appointments, new product launches and evening events.

This year, RVC’s 420 booths were all sold out and 24,000 business appointments were scheduled to take place throughout the three-day event, with Canada leading the way at 83 buyers (followed by the U.S. at 65 and China with 52). Other buyers from around the globe include those from Japan, Germany, India, Australia, Mexico, Brazil, South Korea, Peru, France and UAE.

RVC kicked off on May 26th with the introduction of “Destination Canada”, the Canadian Tourism Commission’s rebranding intended to represent the organization’s new goals for Canada amidst the travel industry’s ever-changing landscape.

This was following the federal government’s pledge to invest $30 million to Destination Canada’s Connecting America program, a new campaign designed to attract U.S. leisure travellers and raise awareness about their options in the Great White North. Although the U.S. now represents less than half of Canada’s total international visits, it still remains the country's biggest market, with its inbound travel seeing close to 11.5 million overnight stays in 2014, and generating more than $7.2 billion annually to Canada’s tourism revenue.

Also headlining RVC’s programme of news and travel developments this year were matters surrounding Destination Canada’s Millennial program, a strategy seeking to encourage Canadian millennials to explore their country through the art of storytelling; and changes to Canada’s Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) program, which requires citizens from other countries to obtain online authorization prior to entry into Canada.

The impact of China’s approved destination status on Canada’s tourism sector was also discussed, with David Goldstein, president and CEO of Destination Canada, saying that although there has been a 23 per cent growth since Canada was granted the status five years ago this June, “Canada still needs time to catch up.” When ADS was originally granted to Canada in 2010, visitor numbers from China were projected to grow up to 50 per cent by 2015.

Such announcements and discussions are what contributes to Rendez-vous Canada’s reputation as the country’s top international tourism marketplace. However, amidst the news and speed-dating-style business meetings, it was the energy and sheer enthusiasm surrounding the tradeshow floor that really defined the event.

Lunch was hosted by Banff Lake Louise Tourism, serving up ultra-Canadian dishes such as bison pot pie while a spirited video promoting the famous region played above diners’ heads, prompting laughter and applause. Travel Alberta, Canada’s dinosaur destination, brought out a ‘live’ raptor on a leash, delighting guests in a way that was inarguably authentic. Costumed representations of Ontario's heritage moments also walked the floor, posing for pictures and answering historical – and tourism-related – queries.

And although the tourism industry’s big players had larger booths and offerings such as Air Canada’s popular massage corner, they were vastly outnumbered by the boutique, off-beat businesses that travelled from across the country to showcase their wares, such as Gatherall’s Puffin & Whale Watch, started in 1985 in Newfoundland and Auberge Gisele’s Inn, a classic hotel started in 1976 and an institution for Cape Breton’s tourism – both representations and reminders of Canada 's resiliency as an in-demand destination.

Stay tuned next week for more Canadian-related travel stories from RVC2015.