Destination Canada launches new toolkits to support tourism development in rural communities

Destination Canada, in partnership with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM), launches two new Tourism Destination Development Toolkits to more than 1,500 elected officials at the FCM Annual Conference and Tradeshow.

The two toolkits, focused on tourism development for rural as well as remote and northern Canadian communities are designed to support municipalities in building vibrant, sustainable, and competitive tourism destinations. As part of Destination Canada and FCM’s ongoing partnership, these resources were developed collaboratively with FCM, incorporating feedback from their remote, rural, and northern community caucuses.

Connected to Destination Canada’s 2030 strategy, the toolkits are designed for communities starting from the ground up and who may not have dedicated tourism organizations or personnel. These comprehensive resources offer practical guidance on tourism innovation, community involvement, Indigenous partnerships, and regenerative tourism practices.  They help define tourism’s ecosystem and showcase how destinations can leverage Destination Canada’s latest tourism intelligence and analytics, which also focus on the growing value of the visitor economy.

• The toolkits will be available on Destination Canada’s website and shared through FCM’s communication channels, which reach 2,100 municipalities of all sizes and represent more than 92 percent of all Canadians from coast to coast to coast.

The toolkits include:

• Checklist: A practical guide to help communities get started with tourism planning.
• Investment Readiness: Tools to assess if a community is ready for investment, including zoning, bylaws, and collaboration frameworks.
• Resources: Links to videos, case studies, best practices, and existing provincial and organizational resources.

Key features

• Case Studies: Examples like the Rugged Apprentice Program in Yukon, which showcases community engagement and transformative visitor experiences.
• Support for Indigenous Communities: Highlighting the significant impact cultural tourism has on Indigenous communities and the increasing demand for Indigenous experiences.
• Youth Opportunities: Emphasizing the creation of quality career jobs to attract and retain youth in these communities.

The toolkits make their debut during the “Ask the Expert” session at the FCM Annual Conference May 29-June 2  in  Ottawa. During this session, municipal panelists will share their own perspectives on economic diversification and highlight the value of leveraging the visitor economy in today’s uncertain landscape. The discussion centres around how the toolkits can facilitate tourism development and community engagement, improve both visitor and resident experiences, and drive sustainable economic growth by expanding the visitor economy into new regions.

Tourism’s opportunity

In 2024, tourism contributed $130B to the Canadian economy—that’s over $350M a day in revenue, powered by 265,000 businesses in 5,000 communities coast to coast to coast.

• Nearly 18,000 tourism businesses operate in remote communities.
• There are over 1,900 indigenous tourism businesses operating across Canada.
• 704,400 jobs are supported by direct visitor spending throughout Canada. This exceeds the total jobs in agriculture, forestry, fishing, mining, quarrying, and oil and gas combined.

Tourism is an important catalyst for economic growth. It breathes life into economic opportunities across diverse sectors such as hospitality, transportation, retail, arts and culture, and entertainment—while also enhancing the quality of life in communities.

The Tourism Destination Development Toolkits reflect Destination Canada’s commitment to supporting municipalities with actionable strategies and innovative solutions, connecting communities to the tourism ecosystem and catalyzing their visitor economy.