Destination Canada’s Australia Office has embarked on an industry first signing a pledge with Australian travel partners to collaborate on efforts, knowledge, and resources to infuse the travel industry with the principles of Canada’s regeneration, equity, and sustainability.
Aligning with Destination Canada’s “Tourism 2030: A World of Opportunity” strategy, the pledge is aimed at strategically enhancing Canadian product offerings to positively impact the environment, culture, society, and economy of Canada. This commitment prioritises community-led destination development and supports the advancement of reconciliation with Indigenous people and the land.
Gloria Loree, Senior Vice-President of Marketing Strategy & Chief Marketing Officer at Destination Canada, emphasised, “The growth trajectory of Destination Canada presents both exciting opportunities and intricate challenges that require a new path forward. Our vision for 2030 is centred on achieving sustainable prosperity within our sector, calling for innovative strategies and decisive actions. This impactful initiative, spearheaded by our Australia office in partnership with key stakeholders is a tangible step towards realising this vision.”
Destination Canada Australia, Managing Director Julie King noted “We have been working extensively with our founding strategic advisory group, consisting of key industry partners over the last nine months to realise our vision, align, and develop this pledge. This is part of our collective commitment to make significant impact in the work we are doing to do to create responsible growth in the Canadian tourism sector.”
The advisory group who recently signed the pledge, following a series of strategic discussions in Australia and Canada includes Neil Rodgers-Adventure World, Tim Holden – Flight Centre, Melissa Warren-Helloworld, Greg McCallum-Entire Travel Group, Rodney Muller & Casandra Foister- Ski Max Holidays, Daniel Walker – Sno’n’Ski Holidays, and Vic Naughton-Air Canada Australia alongside Julie King and Nathan McLoughlin, Destination Canada Australia.
These stakeholders will play a pivotal role in aligning with Destination Canada’s 2030 ambition. Quarterly meetings in Australia will serve as a platform for acting on the pledge, while annual gatherings in Canada will provide opportunities to view strategic progress on the ground and meet with partners.
Julie King highlighted that the initiative encourages all industry members interested in aligning with the Destination Canada Australia vision, to sign the pledge. Key areas of focus for partners centre around creating and raising awareness of new legendary programs and experiences, driving support, and creating partnerships towards projects of impact, sharing best practices, and fostering education within the Australian Travel Industry.
“There is a collective commitment between our partners in having a far-reaching impact across the industry through multi-channel engagement, panel discussions and media interviews, and setting short-term and long-term goals to measure progress. We are incredibly proud that Australia will serve as the pilot market for this impactful partnership collaboration that has been developed locally and which will be rolled out globally in the future.” said Ms King.
Full details of the members of the industry who have signed the pledge and form part of Destination Canada Australia Office’s founding strategic advisory group are:
- Neil Rodgers, Adventure World Managing Director
- Vic Naughton, General Manager Australia, Air Canada
- Greg McCallum, Entire Travel Group, Part Owner & Sales and Marketing Director
- Tim Holden, Flight Centre Travel Group, General Manager of Tourism Bodies and Global Partnerships
- Melissa Warren, Helloworld, Group General Manager – Marketing
- Rodney Muller, Managing Director, Ski Max Holidays
- Casandra Foister, Vice President, Ski Max Holidays
- Daniel Walker, Managing Director, Sno’n’Ski Holidays
- Julie King- Managing Director, Destination Canada, Australia
- Nathan McLoughlin – Director-Travel Trade, Destination Canada Australia
