"He loved you all": Discover America Canada honours Casey Canevari at holiday event

"Bittersweet" is how Susan Webb, president of Discover America Canada Committee (DACC), described the evening ahead as guests arrived Thursday night (Dec. 4) at downtown Toronto’s Radisson Blu for its U.S. Thanksgiving/Holiday Season event.

It was both a festive celebration and a tribute to Casey Canevari, who was Brand USA's director of global trade development for Canada and passed away suddenly earlier this year.

READ MORE: “A champion” for U.S. travel: Brand USA’s Casey Canevari passes away

Casey's wife, Christine Canevari, flew in from Boston to join 45 travel industry partners and friends for an evening honouring a man who was described as "bigger than life" and who "made so many friends and partners in Canada."

"We do this annually, and it's such a lovely time to gather and celebrate U.S. Thanksgiving - and now we're getting ready for the holidays," Webb said, welcoming guests. 

"But also, as we all know, this is a very special event, because we are here in celebration of our very, very good friend Casey."

Webb remembered when Casey first arrived on the scene in Canada: "He kind of came into town, and we're like, who is this guy? Brand USA? What? And then the next thing we know, everybody's his best friend, he knows everyone, he's made all these incredible partnerships."

Casey's impact was obvious from the room's turnout. DACC opened its members-only event to the broader industry "as many had the opportunity to call Casey their friend," according to the invitation.

"You don't know how much he loved you all"

When Christine shared with attendees how much Casey's travel industry family meant to him, things got pretty emotional for many in the room.

"The biggest thing for me that I want to say is to just thank you guys for being his extended family, because the way he thought about all of you, I'm not sure that you guys know how much he loved you all as colleagues, but more as friends," Christine shared.

"The amount of stories that I've heard about so many of you in this room and beyond - he was so proud of his relationships, and he was so proud of the work that he was doing."

She added that their friends often joked about Casey's constant travel.

"We would be hanging out around the fire pit at night, and it would be like, 'oh, Casey's on vacation again.' And I'm like, no, he's actually working. And they're like, 'no, he's on vacation.'"

The reality, she explained, was that Casey loved what he did so much that "it was never hard for him to go to work - for him to travel and to be up (in Canada) with you guys. It wasn't black and white. Work and life. It was life."

Some travel industry colleagues also shared their own stories and memories of Casey.

Raina Williams, one of DACC’s directors and senior account executive at Expedia Group Media Solutions, spoke about Casey's unique place in the industry.

"He arrived in our market as an American resident, but it didn't take long before he became an honorary Canadian. And secretly, I actually think he loved that title," Williams said. Christine confirmed with a nod that he actually did.

"Casey was kind. He was genuine. He was passionate. He was brave," Williams said. “He made time for everyone, and he had this very rare ability to elevate people, to elevate conversations, and yes, he absolutely elevated our industry in Canada."

U.S. Consul General Baxter Hunt, who met Casey during his first week in Toronto, called him "a charismatic problem solver" who "provided insights and advice and worked to understand the unique needs of specific destinations, crafting strategies to help all of destinations succeed."

Hunt highlighted Casey's achievements, including the inaugural Brand USA Canada Connect Travel Trade mission, which filled all 25 destination marketing organization slots within 36 hours, and a TIFF 2024 partnership that placed Brand USA and Visit California promotions "at the heart" of the festival.

Chris Alexander, U.S. Commercial Officer sent a tribute that was read at the event, noting Casey's "enthusiasm, curiosity, and genuine desire to get to know others was absolutely contagious."

A legacy that continues

The evening also raised awareness about epilepsy – a condition many didn't know Casey lived with. Guests were also encouraged to wear purple in his honour and received "forever in our hearts" purple ribbons.

"Many of us don't fully understand the condition, but his journey reminds us of how vital it is to understand that he and many others battle in silence every day and still show up with strength and courage," Williams noted.

Christine shared details about the Canevari Memorial Fund, established to support their three sons' college savings for the first three years.

"In year four and beyond, we're turning it into a scholarship fund in Massachusetts for someone who wants to go in hospitality or travel tourism for their career," she explained.

A memory box was available for guests to share written stories and tributes for Casey's family, and QR codes around the room directed to the memorial fund here.

"Everybody could really see the legacy that he left behind and the work that he did. So, his legacy is pretty grand, and I think he would be very proud of that, and I think he would be very, very proud to see all of you here honouring him tonight."

Jonas Maijala, senior manager of research and insights at Brand USA and a close colleague of Casey's, acknowledged the Canada-US challenge ahead.

"I'm actually glad that as long as he was here, Canada was still our number one market," Maijala said. "We will do everything we can to bring it back because we owe that to him."

DACC's mission continues

"We've had our best year of attaining new members than we have for years," Webb told PAX, as U.S. partners look for guidance on navigating the Canadian market amid the current Canada-U.S. political climate and currency challenges.

Webb shared that DACC has been providing research on Canadian traveller patterns to U.S. destinations, showing them that younger demographics are still travelling for experiences, sporting events, festivals, and family vacations.

U.S. destinations were encouraged to rejig their messaging with welcoming campaigns like "we love Canadians" and to offer special Canadian promotions as recognition that Canada remains their number one international market.

During an interview with PAX, Stephen Fine, president of Snowbird Advisor and a DACC director, shared results from a late October snowbird survey showing a 15 per cent drop in U.S. travel among snowbirds – from 82 per cent last year to 70 per cent this year.

Fine pointed out this is "not nearly as big as what many people have anticipated or what we're seeing in other travel segments" where drops reach 25 to 40 per cent.

Fine also addressed border crossing concerns, noting inconsistencies in how U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers apply registration requirements.

"We're advising (snowbirds) how they should proceed at the border - but ultimately it's up to the CBP officer that you approach – we haven’t heard people being rejected from going into the U.S,” Fine shared.

Looking ahead, DACC is planning its Media Day for 2026 and will host a Canadian event at IPW in Fort Lauderdale in May.

For more information on Discover America Canada Committee, visit here.

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