TIABC Voice of Tourism Newsletter – April 24, 2026

Given my inquisitive disposition, or as my daughter prefers to call it, my “nosey” disposition, I have a habit of striking up conversations with strangers. A comment about the weather becomes a discussion about neighbourhoods. A question about coffee turns into a ten-minute exchange about family, work, and the best park bench in the city.

That was certainly the case during my recent visit to New York City. Despite its reputation for being fast-paced and perhaps a touch unfriendly, I consistently find the opposite to be true. Or perhaps it is simply that when you are curious, people respond in kind. I have had some of the most engaging conversations with complete strangers while walking through Manhattan. I learn about hidden restaurants, favourite parks, family histories, and local politics. In return, they ask me questions, often very direct ones, about where I am from and what I do.

And then often comes a question I have been asked, in one form or another, dozens of times.

“Oh, you’re from Canada? I have a cousin who lives in Canada. They’re in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Do you know them?”

And while I politely suppress a smile, I respond, “No, I’m afraid I don’t.”

I used to be genuinely surprised by this question. Why, I wondered, did so many of our southern neighbours assume our country was small enough that we might all know each other? This time, however, instead of being surprised, I found myself reflecting on just how vast Canada truly is.

Canada spans 9,984,670 square kilometres. We stretch roughly 5,500 kilometres from east to west. We occupy nearly half of North America. We have the longest coastline in the world at approximately 243,000 kilometres. We also have more lakes than the rest of the world combined.

It is not a small country. It is enormous.

And because it is enormous, it is critical that national conversations reflect the full breadth of this country. Geography matters. Regional nuance matters. The west coast has its own economic drivers, infrastructure realities, cultural assets, and tourism dynamics. When conversations about national priorities happen, BC must be part of them, not as an afterthought, but as a central contributor.

That context felt especially important during National Tourism Week, which ran April 20 to 24 this year under the theme “Canada: Powered by Tourism.” The theme was more than a slogan. It was a recognition that tourism powers communities, small businesses, jobs, and investment across this vast country.

As part of National Tourism Week, TIABC, alongside several of our colleagues, hosted Minister Valdez, the federal Minister of Women and Gender Equality and Secretary of State for Small Business and Tourism, and Minister Kang, BC’s Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport, in Vancouver for a substantive discussion on the power of tourism. The roundtable included representatives from across BC’s tourism sector, including operators, business owners, and industry leaders who are shaping the visitor economy every day. These conversations are not symbolic. They are essential. They ensure that federal and provincial leaders hear directly from those on the ground about what is working, what needs alignment, and how tourism can continue to drive economic growth and community resilience on the west coast.

These conversations are essential in a country as geographically diverse as Canada. If tourism truly powers Canada, then every region must have a seat at the table when decisions are being shaped.

National Tourism Week is a reminder that tourism is not a niche industry. It is national in scope, regional in character, and local in impact. And if Canada is powered by tourism, then it is powered by communities, by businesses, and by conversations like these that ensure every part of this vast country is heard.

Amber Papou, B.Ed, MBA, ICD.D

CEO, TIABC