In this episode of Karryon' Into the Hearts of Canada, I’m delighted to welcome Gloria Loree, Destination Canada's Senior Vice President of Marketing Strategy and Chief Marketing Officer.

Gloria has been a key architect of Destination Canada’s ‘A World of Opportunity’ strategy, a bold vision to position Canada as one of the top seven global tourism destinations by 2030.

For our travel professionals tuning in, Gloria’s insights will provide actionable strategies for marketing Canada as a must-visit destination.

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Into The Hearts of Canada is presented by Karryon, in partnership with Destination Canada.

Subscribe to Into The Hearts of Canada Podcast here

Find your local Canada Specialist Travel Advisor here

Visit: www.destinationcanada.com for more on Canada

Visit: karryon.com.au for more from Karryon

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Presented by Karryon, Into the Hearts of Canada takes you beyond the guidebooks and into the heart and soul of one of the world’s most progressive travel destinations.

Hosted by Karryon founder Matt Leedham, this interview series explores the people, places, and powerful ideas shaping the future of travel through a Canadian lens. From Indigenous knowledge-keepers and local changemakers to iconic landscapes and regenerative tourism pioneers, each episode offers an intimate conversation with the people reimagining what travel can be:

Whether you’re a curious wanderer or a travel professional seeking fresh insights, this podcast invites you to see Canada with new eyes and an open heart.

Into The Hearts of Canada is presented by Matt Leedham and produced by Cassie Walker, with audio production by Rebecca Lewis.

Karryon acknowledges the traditional owners of the lands on which Karryon Media is made and the lands on which you are listening to this podcast today.

Mentioned in this episode:

ITHC midroll updated 14/07/2025

Softer take

14/07/2025 edit

By ensuring that there's visitation there allows young people to have fair living wage jobs in their own communities instead of having to leave in resource type industries or other sectors that they may not want to but feel they don't have an opportunity otherwise?

What about the storytellers in British Columbia from some of our Indigenous communities who actually get not just the ability to retain culture, but a sense of agency and pride in their own community and culture?

Welcome to into the Hearts of Canada, the podcast where we share the stories of extraordinary people transforming Canadian tourism.

I'm your host, Matt Leadham, checking in from Byron Bay on Bundjalung Country, Australia's most easterly point.

Our journey today spans the length and breadth of Canada through the work of Destination Canada's Senior Vice President of Marketing Strategy and Chief Marketing Officer, Gloria Laree.

She's passionate about storytelling, weaving together the magic of Canada's people, places and cultures to inspire travelers worldwide.

Gloria's vision shows how Canada's storytelling today is founded on connection and pride and built on the ethos of Canada's open hearts, open minds, and open spaces.

Well, thank you so much for joining us on the podcast today, Gloria.

We're just thrilled to have you on.

First question I'd like to ask you is, where are you today?

Where does this podcast find you?

First of all, thanks for having me.

I am.

I'm looking out my window.

I'd like to say sunny Vancouver.

I'm in a little bit of a cloudy day here in Vancouver, the west coast of Canada.

Canada.

Fantastic.

Now we're going to dive right into it.

And the first question I wanted to ask you today is, you know, what are the key elements that make Canada such a compelling destination for travelers and particularly Australians?

I'll almost answer backwards in the sense that Australians are almost our perfect or best guess because they aren't afraid of winter and they love summer.

So we've got that duality.

And I think that's why we see so many Aussies in winter and summer.

Some markets love us for the ski and some for just warm days, but the Aussies love both.

I would also say having been to Australia, you're not afraid of a big country or a long drive, and that's good.

That works well because, you know, we have so many miles and kilometers of coastline.

We have a huge stretch.

Last A couple summers ago, I drove from my home in Vancouver up to the Yukon.

And after two weeks of driving, I really started to appreciate just how huge this country really is.

You always need reminders, so I think that's it.

Like those vast landscapes, and then you get underneath that.

Why do Australians travel?

Well, I often find you're looking for learning and some kind of growth, and we've got stories galore, so those kinds of experiences help with that.

I think there's a lot of similarities between Australians and Canadians, which is probably another reason why we love visiting Canada so much.

I think one of the real standouts is the warmth and openness of Canadians.

How do you see that reflected in how you tell the story of Canada in terms of tourism?

Yeah, so we talk about it really quite naturally.

We talk about our big, open hearts and our open landscapes and our open minds, and it's that unique blend, that combination, and it.

It's effective because it's true.

You know, we're.

We're known for some of that beautiful, vast landscape, and then when you come here, you really start to appreciate the big open hearts.

We're often known as, you know, this country that has room for one more at the table.

And I certainly live my life that way.

There's big benches in my backyard for anybody who wants to come by for an extra meal on the weekend.

So it's that that you see, I think, reflected in the way that we really try to communicate.

Little bit of a side note here, but the name of this podcast, into the Hearts of Canada, which frames it beautifully, was actually your idea.

I'd love to get the background of, you know, how you came up with the thinking there.

I mean, you touched on it just before, but.

Yeah.

Can you expand on that a little bit more for us?

Yeah.

Well, you know, even just our logo is sitting in a.

In the shape of a heart.

You know, there was something that inspired us that Anthony Bourdain actually said, which is, you know, travel.

It can kind of break you in terms of the stories, can break your heart.

But, you know, when you go home, there's a little mark on your heart forever.

And that's what I feel happens when people get a chance to come, slow down, hear about how.

Why somebody is making a quilt on Fogo island or why somebody is walking through a forest and just sitting with the trees outside of Wendake in Quebec.

You know, there are these stories that will touch you, and they live up to the opportunity.

And I think the true value of travel.

Well, it's a beautiful segue into opportunity.

You know, it's a big goal.

What's inspired that goal and how are you working to achieve it?

Modern day realities inspired the goal.

I think there was nothing like Covid to really demonstrate to us the fragilities of our business in Canada.

There's a lot of reliance on a summer, but beyond that, there's reliance in some key areas.

And when you think about, when you.

If we don't figure it out as a full system, if we don't take a regenerative approach, we can't take care of one part of the country or one time of the year and expect that to thrive.

And really our job is to impact the wealth and well being of our citizens.

So if we're going to do that, that inspired this.

More systems thinking, a regenerative approach to tourism, to understand the job of impacting our economy as well as making sure that when our guests come, they have the best experience possible too.

So it's.

We balanced it.

I think we used to think too much about just the travelers and we forgot about Canadians.

And so we've been given a very good reminder about our own citizens and the citizens of the world.

Yeah, and you're right.

I mean, I guess so much has changed since the pandemic.

Not just, you know, globally, but I guess in terms of how, as people just how we view the world, the kind of things we want out of life, particularly, you know, when it comes to travel, I mean, you know, all of our demands are evolving.

So, you know, how do you think the vision sort of meet you Again, you touched on a little bit there.

But how does the vision sort of meet those evolving demands of both Canadians and travelers?

Because it's a real, a real balance to try and achieve.

Well, from a very practical point of view, we looked at our data and analytics and we decided to make them world class.

And they are.

And the reason that might not be the answer you're expecting, but it's the foundation of helping our entire industry, made up mostly of mom and pop shops, and understanding how we can help them make business decisions and keep pace with the changes that you talked about that you're referring to, that we know are happening.

But also how can we help our travel trade internationally have a look and understand in a way that's really a lot easier what the different segments are and what products align with it.

And that means their travelers are going to have a better experience.

So it's it's just everybody's got data.

We were drowning in data, and we decided instead to make very good use of our data and in a way that has allowed us to lead and live up to our mandate.

Yeah, it's fascinating.

Collaboration as well is obviously a big part of this.

And you just mentioned, you know, when.

It comes, Matt, it's massive.

It's massive.

We have 205 sources of data coming into our data collective and currently 25 billion rows of code, which I don't even know what that means.

It just sounds like a lot of makes my head spin, you know what I'm saying?

But to have it organized and enabled in such a way that we can produce reports in both official languages in real time and in such a way that.

Can I brag for a second?

You absolutely can.

Okay.

So just last week, we were at ces, which is the world's largest technology show, in Las Vegas, and we announced what we're doing with the data collective, which is moving it.

The important thing to understand is we have digital twins, so you can start talking to the different traveler segments using some AI and holograms.

But the important thing is you can start talking to the spreadsheets and.

Is how I was saying it.

I get into a room and you look at 50 million pieces of data and spreadsheets, you ask one question and they go, well, we'll come back with another presentation.

But instead you can talk to them and say, well, tell me about the Australia Outdoor Explorer.

Tell me, you know, tell me what really resonates with them and start asking more questions and prompting as you would with any GPT, so you can actually talk to our proprietary data.

And that, to me, means we're making it accessible instead of having a couple of really smart people know it all, but, you know, they can never answer all the phone calls they need to, right?

Yeah.

Yeah, for sure.

Now, that's.

That's really powerful because you really are arming people with so much information, and as you say, that's going to be relevant, particularly for the travel trade to their clients, you know, in terms of the kind of things that they might want to do for new business, especially, I guess, thinking about different kinds of travelers, you know, have you got sort of examples of there of what that collaboration piece looks like at a travel industry level for us here in Australia?

I'll do two things.

I'll give you an example of what travel trade could do now, just going in on their own and looking at the data collective.

But then I'll also talk about the other collaboration, what's going on there.

So they could go in and look at the traveler segmentation, really understand how they might want to position the experiences they're selling and in a way that then will catch the attention and really engage their best clients.

And so I think just these little pieces of.

Oh, I need to highlight that they really care about that.

So looking at the drivers, just some simple ways of communicating and highlighting would be a really good example.

But then when we talk about and we move into collaboration, we're delighted that you and others are being like some of the frankly showing the best leadership in all of our markets.

Because as I always think, well, of course the Aussies did that.

Like you just got around, said, well then let's do it.

And you came up to Canada and had a little meeting, it seems like, and you went home and said, no, we're going to.

We're actually willing to put our money where our mouths are and say, how do we collaborate in a way that does support a regenerative approach?

How do we help grow indigenous tourism to the benefit and agency of those communities as well as our guests?

Not at the expense of anybody.

I would say that kind of leadership and collective is going to help change our industry and it's going to be a beacon to help other markets who are going, we'd like to do something.

Oh, well, here's, you know, when you just show the way, show there's some tangible actions in play, it's a huge difference.

Well, it's brilliant to hear that we're leading the way here in Australia as well with you on that.

You really are.

I hope the other markets don't listen, but they need to.

But I would also say it's been an important partnership of values alignment.

I really heard when I was in Australia from yourself and others how much you appreciate the way that we invest in trade, whether we have a Canada specialist program, you know, some education programs, tools to use.

I was talking about the data, but I also Carry on is independently owned and Australian owned.

So there's a value alignment.

When you think almost 90% of our businesses in Canada in the tourism sector are mom and pops, they're independent, they're Canadian families.

And so I just think you automatically got it where you went.

Yeah, okay.

There's some a cultural values alignment there that helps us understand the importance of what we're doing and that there's a lot to the bottom line.

But there's people that are right there and you know, for a lot of in a lot of our communities.

If we don't do our job, their families have to move.

We really think about that and understand that and appreciate what the leadership in Australia is doing to be our partner.

I love that idea of wealth and well being.

World of opportunity in a moment.

But yeah, I had a look at the, a good look at the report and I think, yeah, the one thing that stands out for me is that goal of creating wealth and well being for Canadians as well as enriching the lives of guests that visit Canada.

That seems like a beautiful way to tie it all in.

You know, when we talk about that transformative roadmap, can you walk us through the sort of key pillars for it?

Yeah, sure.

Obviously we'll talk a bit more about it too.

Probably is the brand leadership, which is the marketing and sales.

Probably the most obvious aspect I already started with what underpins our work is the data and analytics.

But two other important aspects that really help buoy up our work is understanding destination development.

And so not for us to be buying and building infrastructure, but influencing smart investment, helping attract foreign direct investment, whether it's through our business events, work or through our data and analytics, which helps people.

Part of the data collective is we've mapped 500 communities across the country where you can start to see what infrastructure is around these communities and it could give confidence and, and attract foreign direct investment.

So that's one side in terms of destination development and then the last one is industry advancement.

You know, no point in us being really smart and not really supporting the advancement, whether it's digital enablement of our industry or just understanding some of the trends that are coming and where they can best focus their investments and help them make decisions.

You know, some of the key pillars which again you've mentioned already, really sustainability and regeneration, you know, see big difference between those two categories alone, which I think is often missed, which definitely feels like a real big education opportunity for us, for the travel industry and then of course community, you know, bringing all of those three things together.

How does that translate into marketing and telling the story there?

You know, I think look at some of the small communities.

I'll take Fogo island or some of the smaller communities in Atlantic Canada by ensuring that there's visitation there, allows young people to have fair living wage jobs in their own communities instead of having to leave in resource type industries or other sectors that they may not want to but feel they don't have an opportunity otherwise.

What about the storytellers in British Columbia from some of our indigenous communities who actually get not Just the ability to retain culture, but a sense of agency and pride in their own community and culture.

Those are the kind of ripples that you see.

And to me that's understanding a regenerative approach.

The wealth and well being in balance.

And who doesn't want to go to a place like that, you know, not just a good place to visit, but who doesn't want to go to a place that's great to live?

So it's that balance of beauty and brains.

And our stories really feature from coast to coast to coast, the changes that are coming.

One of my favorite ones, if I can.

Is it alright to give you an example?

Please do.

Yeah.

Is in Carcross in the Yukon where some little young whippersnappers wanted to get some mountain biking trails going and they consulted actually with their elders.

And the trails they use were not new, they were cut in the gold during the gold rush.

And so they reused these trails that had already been carved on this land and they partnered with the, with their elders in the community to create this great network of killer mountain biking.

And it's just like this tiny little thing.

But they had a dream and they respected their place and where they are.

Yeah, to me that, that's huge.

And I can't tell you how many surprising different people have said to me, oh, you gotta go to Carcross.

I'm like, it was just this, otherwise it wouldn't be talked about.

Yeah, it's such a different way to market travel now and it's clearly the right way, certainly the most genuine way.

But it's such a different angle from the traditional way tourism has often been marketed, which is about the icons and you know, all of those bigger kind of things that maybe lack those unique, beautiful threads that make up this tapestry of a nation like Canada.

One thing we haven't touched on is the investment in all the seasons.

And it's too easy to get overly focused on your highest yield and revenue.

But for us as a country, we really have to understand that again if we are going to talk about something sustainable in terms of the economy and taking a regenerative approach.

We've been investing in really highlighting the fall and I actually think it's better, better time, you know, less of those rotten kids of mine anyway, they're all back in school so it's a nice time to travel.

But also investing in winter and winter product and, and that isn't just for the benefit of an economy, but think about a labor force that wants year round employment.

So those are the kind of systems Thinking that we really are thinking about and looking long term.

Yeah.

Again, again with the travel trade in mind.

It's how we bring that to life and put it on people's radar, really, so that they're getting it in front of enough people, enough travelers to start thinking, oh, actually this is a really great idea to travel at a different time, see a different season.

It's probably going to be a lot less busy.

You know, we're going to maybe get a nicer welcome as well, where perhaps it's, if it's really busy sometimes, obviously that puts a lot of pressure on people.

So it feels like a really natural solution.

It's how we tell that story, isn't it?

And the other thing too, for us, I guess, as I think about it, you know, your summer holidays with your kids is in our winter.

And it honestly, I was talking to somebody in Sun Peaks and they're like, yeah, I'm here with my son for the month.

And I'm like, what?

But it's summer holiday for you.

So it was like, wow, you're just getting the best snow and like the best deals because you're not like crossing into that peak, peak of a Christmas period.

Right.

So anyway, yeah, well, we see all the beautiful images of fall in autumn and it just looks magnificent.

I think there's a lot of opportunity there alone.

There are.

And what I will say is Parks Canada is helping us really tell that story.

They've, you know, traditionally there hasn't been enough visitation in an all of the parks to stay open past into September.

And we've been using again our data to show there's demand and the visitation numbers are there.

So more and more the national parks are staying open much later through to the end of October to help support all the guest visitation and blessed all those Aussies that have like three weeks it seems to travel.

It's, it's quite nice.

So, yeah, so there's, we're starting to see things get pushed farther and farther out.

So that, that's, that's a really important trend to see.

We.

You talked about a little story before on the transformation front.

But you know, I guess in terms of thinking about, you know, meaning for yourself and just some of those little gems that you've seen in terms of, you know, maybe it's a destination or as you said, a little power operator.

Have you got any other examples where you've seen just some, I guess some beautiful impact of that aligns with what you're doing now with the new strategy?

Yeah, I'll Give a personal one.

And then I can also speak to some industry, broader examples.

But one that really, really hit home for me was I happened to be on Fogo island and I went to one of the sheds and sheds are usually owned by men, but this one was run by a woman and she was actually selling quilts.

I mentioned quilts earlier.

If it weren't for visitation, she wouldn't have a business.

You know, these are 400 year old fishing villages.

Their folk art is based on quilting through the winters.

They used to get less than $100 for a quilt.

But the story that really struck me was she had two sons and she'd lost them both.

And she decided to get a shed and, and to work in a collective and sell these quilts and tell the story of her place.

And if it, if it weren't for the fact that Fogo island is now, I feel, famous, that purpose would be gone.

And those, those communities keep shrinking and they lose their culture.

I just couldn't believe it in terms of knowing that visitation is bringing meaning not just to her, but to that collective of women who all sell through her fishing shed.

And it struck me like that's just one example in one small hamlet of our massive country.

And I.

And we do see it over and over again.

You just have to look at indigenous tourism and see how places like Wendake, outside of Quebec and others have also been able to retain language and bring back jobs and connect to community in a way that is really healthy.

Honestly, pick a place and I'll tell you a story because it's that big.

And I see partnerships in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, between chefs who have returned home and the farmers.

And you've got these Michelin star experienced chefs working with farmers and making outstanding food.

So it's just like honestly, pick a place.

Well, it's really heartwarming to, you know, to hear because I think these are the stories that often we don't hear about.

And just seeing the actual impact on such a grassroots level and one that feels like such a sustainable one for future generations.

Because, you know, you're right.

I guess one of the biggest challenges it feels like for the travel industry is people bringing new people into the industry.

We have a lot of older people in the industry, but where is that next generation going to come from and what opportunities are available to them?

Listen, this is on all of us.

During COVID the hospitality, the industry, the tourism industry proved not to be a very good employer.

And so we have to prove ourselves differently.

And there are many examples of great work and how people really supported their staff.

And there is a lot of work to be done, we all know that.

And it's just understanding the system of things again, because everything I'm talking about relates to the work we do in business events and thriving communities across the country.

And so it all works together.

So yeah, we're very mindful that not just in Canada, but around the world, we really have to think and understand how do we support those frontline people who at the end of the day make or break our trips and our vacations.

You know, they just, they tell the stories, they take care of us, they look out for us.

You mentioned, you mentioned some great stories there.

I can imagine you must have such a big lens on, you know, seeing some really optimistic green shoots, if we can call it that.

And you know, this can be a big scary world at times with a lot of, you know, with some unfortunate kind of news taking precedence.

So, you know, it's really nice to hear stories like that.

And I feel that those are the stories we need to be telling more of at a travel industry level.

You know, stories that are going to excite and pique travelers interest.

How do we kind of translate that into giving the travel industry tools, I guess, to be able to do that?

I would say, I think it goes right down to, you know, the team that we have in Australia, the amazing team we have in Australia, they produce 24 new videos featuring fall experiences, winter experiences.

There's a tool right there, the Canada Specialist program.

Remember all of those pieces of information, they're just right at the edge of those stories I'm talking about.

They're all connected to these moms and pops who run the businesses or to those incredible guides at Canada Mountain Holidays.

Those guides, like I don't even have words for how much they have changed our experiences.

Whether you're hiking with them, which they're not as famous for, but their ski stuff, oh my goodness.

And they welcome you in if you're open minded and you got that big open heart.

Yeah, Aussies tend to have that.

Yeah.

And I love that the age old saying, people only remember how you made them feel.

And I guess that's case in point when people are having these unique, incredible travel experiences that they will never forget.

And it becomes the currency of the dinner tape, the dinner parties and all of those beautiful things that I guess create more ambassadors, which is exactly what we want, the right kind of people.

Who are going to share, you know, share the love and spread the word if you like.

Totally.

You got me nodding and smiling because this might turn into a blooper, but I was hiking with CMH and I went on the Via Ferrata and I didn't know what that even meant or was.

And for those who don't know, you're kind of hiking on a big high, wire clipped in.

And I just tell us what CMH is again for us, such as for our listeners.

Oh, Canadian mountain holidays.

Yeah, I just crying and everybody, like, treated me like a hero, you know, like, amazing that you're here.

And some, I don't know, Spider man guy came out of nowhere and got me to a place where I was comfortable.

And I've never felt like more proud and really I should have, like.

But I just, I was scared and they were just like, they all handled it, but everybody, the people hiking as well as the others.

And it was just like, wow.

I don't even know what rock I was.

Flowers, trees I was looking at, but I will never forget how good they made me.

There you go.

That's a beautiful thing.

Yeah.

Well, let's stay on the practical tips for room for travel professionals.

So, I mean, what, what types of travelers resonate most, do you think, with Canada's offer?

We think of them as highly engaged.

So the travelers who are curious, who genuinely would like to learn something, and of course, the outdoors.

But you know, is it outdoors for winter or is it summer?

Is it fall?

How does that go?

But I just the enjoyment of quiet.

You know, you go to the north and it's actually, you realize how noisy your life is when you get outside under the northern lights and the snow, there's nothing.

It's those who are curious and would like to experience things that they're maybe not afforded at home, but also those people who love to connect, you know, Canadians.

Oh my gosh.

Well, I guess I'm case in point.

But we love to chatter, love to tell you stories, love to show you our homes.

If that's your kind of travel, you know, welcome.

And obviously you have an amazing network and infrastructure to get around.

It's a big place, much like Australia, but a very connected place too.

It is.

And from, you know, a practical point of view, like there I mentioned the Canada Specialist program.

We have other tools.

We have assets like maps and imagery that could help travel agents and those in the industry look and get the right images because it's.

Nothing's worse than getting to a place.

And it's not what you expected.

You know, you, you want to, you want to have the right type of clothing, but you also want to know, okay, it is that big.

It'll take me two days or it'll take me one minute.

You know, you just, you want to know what to expect.

So our imagery is up to date and will really help people appreciate the differences in the seasons.

Are there any kind of emerging trends or things you're seeing?

This is going to sound like it's not new, but I think it is.

And the reason I say this, so this idea of wellness, but not the spa, not the massage, but this understanding of the importance of nature.

And I get it not necessarily from the trends that I'm seeing in our own data and research, but the podcasts I listen to how people are really, a lot of influencers in all different areas are talking about the importance of giving, feeding your own, nurturing your soul and this idea of wellness.

So, yes, cold plunging, but the science behind cold plunging and how it actually does help with inflammation and all these, you know, it's not just a haha, I can do it trend it.

It's, it's true.

And you know, the Japanese have a whole language for the science behind why you want to sit around a bunch of trees, but it is science and I think it's coming much more closer to the wellness industry and people are really starting to go, okay.

And the fascination with steps and the fat.

So I just really see that.

And so I think for me, if I was trying to communicate things, it would to help people understand.

Look at what hotels are doing around sleep.

Like, people are really care about sleep, steps, their mental health and wellness.

But that connects so wonderfully to what is natural and what's in landscapes and what's it, what happens to your brain when you're actually around other people who are learning and how you're like, you level up.

It's fascinating.

So it's, it's more the science and hearing this in these popular podcasts and other areas that I say it's, it's only going to get bigger to me, I think in Canada, for sure.

Well, here in Australia, in Boronborough, this is a, this is a kind of a thing, whether it's Ice Bus or, you know, getting really curious about, you know, our sleep or all of those things.

I totally get it.

Yeah, it makes sense.

So much sense.

I think we're getting a lot more curious, aren't we, about ourselves, humanity and the possibilities?

I suppose.

Yeah.

And where's my food from and how ancient is that grain?

And this is 5,000 years old.

Oh, and it was rediscovered by some bison out here.

You know, like the connectivity.

I think we're back to wellness is very strong, but it, it taps on all the drivers.

We've been talking about Aurelian already in terms of that really caring about where you are and where the people you're meeting, where they're from, where they're at.

And it encompasses as you, as we've talked about, that responsible, sustainable, regenerative elements.

They all feature so heavily in that wellness piece.

As you say they do.

And I'm smiling because I'm thinking about in Newfoundland, they have a saying.

They always say where you at?

Instead of saying how are you?

Which is such a, like a question I'm trying to get out of, out of my vernacular because it's too easy, but it's too hard to answer.

So where yet where am I at?

Where am I at right now?

Well, I'm ready for a coffee.

That's, that's enough of an ads.

So I love that.

And, and so I like that when we think about the sense of a regenerative approach to tourism, it really does matter where you're at in terms of what I'm going to suggest for you and where I know you'll have an amazing experience.

That's a great tip for travel advisors as their number one lead question, where are you at?

Not where do you want to go?

Where are you at?

But where are you at mentally and where are you, you know, like, do you want quiet?

I'll get you quiet.

Do you want a little bustling, tiny community right where you at?

I love it.

All right, well, look, my last question for you today, Gloria, is really just, I guess a message for our travel industry here in Australia.

What message would you have for the travel industry here in terms of, you know, our collaboration with Canada and just.

First and foremost, we appreciate your business.

You really do have the best guests and as well.

And again, this is from going around Australia, you really care about the Canadian business and this, this us as a country, it seems like to me it goes beyond the Commonwealth.

So connection.

I think there's just some values, a true values connection.

We don't like a lot of bs.

We, we just kind of want to go and get things done.

And I, you know, I know some other countries right now are eating our lunch in some ways, but that's good too.

Like people aren't always just going to come to one country or another.

They're going to be curious and go around.

Those are the best guests.

And you know, you're welcome back or welcome here anytime.

Thank you.

And again, congratulations on all the amazing work you're doing.

It really makes a difference.

And I know all of us here in Australia just love working with you all at Canada Tourism, so thank you.

All right, then.

Bye.

Gloria's leadership shows how storytelling can shape the future of tourism by weaving together Canada's diverse people, places, and cultures.

She reminds us that the true power of travel is not just to attract visitors, but to build pride, connection, and a brighter future for all.

Into the hearts of Canada is a Carry On Podcast original series hosted by me, Matt Leadham, Executive producer of Carry On Podcasts is myself, Matt Leadham, and all podcast production is by Cassie Walker.