Destination BC Attends Focus Canada and Viva Holidays Roadshow in Australia

The week of July 24-28, 2023 was busy in Australia as numerous Canadian tourism partners convened for a week of tourism sales activities at the Focus Canada and Viva Holidays Roadshow.

The week kicked off with a gathering of Team BC, where in-market representatives, Joanne Motta and Lizzie Doyle, from Destination BC provided an informative market briefing on Australia’s travel trade and media landscape. Attending BC partners included Destination Vancouver, Destination Greater Victoria, Capilano Suspension Bridge Park, Grouse Mountain, Landsea Tours, Sun Peaks, Rocky Mountaineer, and VIA Rail.

Destination BC joined Destination Canada, Air Canada, and Team Canada for a three-day roadshow. Destination Canada collaborated with Viva Holidays to organize a series of travel agent events in Melbourne, Brisbane, and Sydney. The enthusiastic response from Australian agents was remarkable, and they were delighted to reconnect with their Canadian counterparts in person. Many of these top-performing agents have clients traveling both this year and next, and they valued the opportunity to engage with industry experts face-to-face.

The fourth day of the week witnessed a B2B marketplace held in Sydney where Canadian partners were joined by key tour operator accounts for a full day of 15-minute appointments, followed by a reception co-hosted by Destination BC. Finally, on the last day, Destination Canada and Team Canada hosted a media luncheon, bringing together key contacts from the tourism industry media.

Special recognition goes to Destination BC’s Joanne Motta and Lizzie Doyle, along with the Destination Canada Australia team, for their dedicated efforts in ensuring the week’s success. The combined efforts of Destination BC and Team Canada reached over 500 individuals, including travel agents, tour operators, and media representatives, and the feedback received was overwhelmingly positive.

Australia holds significant year-round importance for BC, bringing a diverse range of travellers to the province from winter sports enthusiasts and cruise/rail vacationers to wildlife and nature explorers, as well as road trippers.