Hollywood, step aside: Canadian travel pros light up the TIFF red carpet

Hollywood, step aside. The Canadian travel industry is having its red-carpet moment.

On Sunday night (Sept. 7), the 50th annual Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) rolled out the velvet ropes not just for film stars Elizabeth Olsen and Miles Teller, but also for a dazzling lineup of familiar faces from Canada’s travel scene.

The occasion? A VIP Red-Carpet Experience at Roy Thomson Hall, hosted by Brand USA in partnership with Visit California, ahead of the world premiere of Eternity—director David Freyne’s otherworldly romcom about souls navigating the afterlife (and an awkward love triangle).

But before actors lit up the big screen, it was the travel industry’s turn to shine.

Against a backdrop of flashing cameras and roaring fans, boldfaced names like Travel Leaders’ Christine James, Virtuoso’s Úna O'Leary, Collette’s Brett Walker, Air Canada’s Viktor Spysak, the Jamaica Tourist Board’s Angella Bennett, and Brad Cicero of Porter Airlines, made their grand entrance, strutting down the carpet like seasoned pros.

In fact, the frenzy was so real that for a moment, you could almost imagine Angelina Jolie, Russell Crowe, Natalie Portman, Jodie Foster and Ryan Reynolds (just a snapshot of celebs spotted in Toronto over the weekend) politely stepping aside—because clearly, the travel industry has its own brand of star power.

The paparazzi-style affair hit its peak when Susan Webb, president and owner of VoX International, leaned into the glamour, posing for the fans, offering to sign autographs.

The crowd lapped it up, proving once again that Canada’s travel leaders know how to work a room—or, in this case, a red carpet.

Brand USA returns to TIFF

Brand USA returned as a TIFF sponsor this year, though with a somewhat scaled-back presence in response to decreased demand from the Canadian market amid the current geopolitical climate.

While sentiment for U.S. travel has softened, Brand USA—America’s official marketing organization—continues to maintain strong ties with Canada, said Jackie Ennis, the organization’s vice president of global trade development, speaking to PAX earlier at a pre-party that was held in a secret speakeasy at Coffee Oysters Champagne on King Street West.

“Canada is, and always will be, a very important market for inbound visitation,” Ennis said. “Despite the environment we're operating in, we feel it's very important to show our commitment to the Canadian market and be present.”

Hosting travel partners for an evening of celebration and film was, above all, about “keeping bonds of friendship alive,” Ennis said.

“It’s our way to show that we’re here to stay. We’re in this for the long haul,” she said.

Brand USA’s relationship with TIFF can be credited to the organization’s late director of global trade development for Canada, Casey Canevari, who sadly passed away in May this year. 

“TIFF was his baby,” Ennis said. “It was his passion. He had the vision for the United States and Brand USA at TIFF.”

Canevari was known for his ability to connect with anyone. His upbeat personality and genuine investment in relationships created an electric energy that lit up every room, and last night, his presence was definitely felt.

“Sentiment has stabilized”

Many travel advisors know Brand USA through its Canada Connect series, a multi-city initiative that aims to strengthen ties between U.S. tourism organizations and Canadian travel pros.

This year featured events in Toronto and Montreal, as well as West Coast stops in Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver.

In light of recent events – notably, Brand USA having to recalibrate due to an USD$80 million-dollar funding cut – it’s too soon to say if that event will return to Canada next year, Ennis said.

“It will depend on our staffing capabilities,” she said. “Hopefully, it will be on the calendar for 2026.”

It’s widely known that fewer Canadians are travelling to the U.S. these days as President Donald Trump clashes with Canada over tariffs and annexation threats.

The weak Canadian dollar and widespread media coverage of border security incidents and national travel advisories have further contributed to a negative image of the U.S. abroad.

With the busy winter season approaching, is there any hope (or expectation) that Canadians will change their minds and give U.S. travel a chance?

“The sentiment has stabilized,” Ennis said, noting that Brand USA does monthly reporting to check the pulse of Canadian travellers.

The number of Canadians travelling to the U.S. is down 20 per cent, she said – “and it certainly looks like it’s not going to be more than that.”

Perspective is everything. Even if Canadian arrivals have dropped, 16 million citizens are still travelling to the United States every year, Ennis noted.

“That’s still a lot of people, which is why Canada remains vital to our economy,” she said. “We’re hoping winter will see a bit of a turnaround.”

Positive energy only

For TIFF, Ennis said the movie Eternity was chosen as Brand USA’s partner film for its “feel-good” vibes and “positive energy" (two things the destination, arguably, could use right now).

Sponsors aren’t allowed to preview TIFF films in advance, so making the choice of which film to support can be something of a gamble.

Considering the other options Brand USA was offered—a psychological drama about addiction and Easy’s Waltz, starring Vince Vaughn in Las Vegas—Eternity emerged as the safest choice.

And the gamble paid off—Eternity, a romantic fantasy (filmed in British Columbia) depicts the afterlife much like purchasing a permanent timeshare.

After dying from a pretzel-related mishap, senior citizen Larry (Miles Teller) finds his younger himself on a train bound for a central station, where he waits to reunite with his wife, Joan (Elizabeth Olsen), and contemplate their afterlife together.

But when she arrives, her first husband, Luke (Callum Turner), who died young at war, also seeks eternal time with Joan.

She now faces the difficult choice of whom to spend eternity with. Awkwaaard!

Fittingly, the film (which is full of laughs) was a perfect pick for travel pros as the characters in the film consider a variety of environment-based “eternities.”

The beach? The mountains? At times, it felt like we were strolling through a tourism expo or trade show.

Seen & heard

Attending a separate party that night was the team from the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB), who made an extravagant splash on the red carpet.

Today (Sept. 8), the JTB will be sponsoring TIFF’s invite-only Black Excellence Brunch at RBC House (Petros82), a celebration of the Black creative community.

“It’s a great opportunity to showcase what Jamaica is for filmmaking and the opportunities it presents,” Angella Bennett, the JTB’s regional director for Canada, told PAX last night, shortly after she and her team posed for photographers.

Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO) is the agency that oversees filmmaking opportunities in Jamaica, a “film-friendly” destination that hosts “more than 100 productions” on island every year, said manager Jackie Jackson.

From the James Bond films, to the 2024 drama Bob Marley: One Love, to TV’s Get Millie Black and Black Cake, productions like Jamaica not only for its year-round sunshine, but also because “we’re service based,” Jackson said.

“People love to come, knowing they’ll be taken care of,” she said. Productions also provide key employment opportunities on the island. “It’s something we’re really proud of."

Montego Bay-based Donovan White, the JTB’s director of tourism, was also spotted. The last time he attended TIFF was in 2019.

The JTB’s involvement this year is about “diversifying our approach to the market,” White said. 

“TIFF crosses many demographics and age groups…it’s a great place to bring opportunities to Jamaica and showcase the beauty of the destination,” he said.  

Finally, Intrepid Travel also returned to TIFF this year as the presenting sponsor of the Midnight Madness program, for the second consecutive year.

The tour operator is once again connecting the worlds of cinema and adventure with the Intrepid Travel Box Office Pop-Up at David Pecaut Square, running daily until Sept. 14. 

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