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There’s something rather reassuring about a trade show that doesn’t pretend to be anything else.

No inflated buzzwords. No grandstanding. Just business quietly, methodically, and, if the numbers hold, to the tune of more than $100 million.

That’s the scene this week in Toronto, where Rendez-vous Canada 2026 has once again turned the country’s tourism sector into a well-oiled marketplace. And if ever there was a year to pay attention, this is it.

Behind the polite handshakes and neatly printed name badges sits a much larger play: Canada’s push to turn tourism into one of its most dependable export earners.

Less Talk, More Trade

It’s easy to forget that tourism, for all its glossy brochures, is serious commerce. At RVC, that reality is front and centre.

More than 500 international buyers from 24 markets have landed in Toronto, each with one thing in mind: product. Not a theory, not an inspirational product they can package, sell, and send travellers across oceans for.

Over three days, more than 60,000 pre-arranged appointments will take place. That’s not networking; that’s industrial-scale deal-making.

And it works.

Last year’s gathering in Winnipeg quietly generated close to $90 million in signed business. This year, the expectation is to comfortably push past the $100 million mark, no fireworks required.

A Sector Finding Its Feet Again

If there’s a story running beneath the surface, it’s one of quiet recovery maturing into something more confident.

Canada’s tourism revenue is forecast to reach $140.9 billion this year, a 6 per cent lift that speaks less to a rebound and more to a recalibration. The industry is no longer scrambling back; it’s stepping forward.

More importantly, tourism is being repositioned as a strategic export.

The federal ambition is ambitious enough: an additional $300 billion in non-US exports by 2035. Tourism’s slice of that pie could reach $30 billion, placing it firmly alongside more traditional heavyweights.

You don’t get there on sentiment. You get there on distribution, and that starts on a trade show floor like this one.

Australia: Small Numbers, Serious Intent

From this side of the world, Australia’s presence is modest but meaningful.

Twelve buyers have made the long haul to Toronto, and while that may not sound like much, seasoned operators know it’s not the headcount that matters; it’s the contracts that follow.

Julie King, Managing Director for Destination Canada in Australia, put it plainly: the demand is there, and it’s evolving.

“Australia remains a key growth market… driven by strong demand for immersive, high-yield travel experiences,” she said.

That last phrase high-yield is doing some heavy lifting. Canada isn’t chasing volume for volume’s sake. It wants travellers who stay longer, spend more, and venture beyond the usual suspects.

In other words, the kind of traveller Australians tend to be.

Toronto Sells Itself Quietly

Hosting duties fall to Toronto, a city that doesn’t need to shout to be noticed.

Last year, it welcomed 28.2 million visitors, who collectively spent $9.1 billion, a figure that would have raised eyebrows not so long ago. International arrivals, often the most lucrative segment, climbed 8 per cent, led by steady demand out of the UK and Germany.

There’s also a sense of timing about all this.

With FIFA World Cup 2026™ on the horizon, Toronto is positioning itself as a city ready for the global stage, polished, prepared, and commercially astute.

At RVC, that preparation is on display, not through slogans, but through experience: neighbourhoods that feel lived-in, a dining scene that reflects its diversity, and an events calendar that keeps ticking year-round.

Ontario’s Broader Pitch

Step outside the city, and the message broadens.

More than 85 tourism operators from across Ontario are taking part, offering everything from wilderness escapes to Indigenous-led experiences that carry genuine cultural weight.

There’s also a clever bit of old-fashioned selling built into the programme.

Some 215 buyers and media will head off on 17 familiarisation tours before and after the event. Because in this business, seeing isn’t just believing; it’s booking.

The Money Trail

Of course, there’s an immediate economic benefit as well.

Toronto is expected to bank around $6.7 million in direct impact from hosting the event, with another $5.7 million flowing through the wider economy. More than 4,000 hotel room nights have already been snapped up.

Useful figures, certainly, but in truth, they’re the sideshow.

The real value lies in the deals struck, the itineraries shaped, and the long tail of international visitation that follows.

A Familiar Rhythm Returns

What’s striking about this year’s RVC is not just the scale, but the feel.

There’s a rhythm to it that had been missing for a while, confidence without arrogance, ambition without overreach.

Interest from markets such as Brazil, France and China has picked up again, aided by policy shifts such as the reinstatement of Approved Destination Status late last year.

It’s not a boom, and it doesn’t need to be.

It’s something more sustainable: a steady, deliberate return to form.