THE OPPORTUNITY:
Parks Canada plays a key role in Canada’s tourism industry, offering high-value visitor experiences that attract both domestic and international travellers. To support continued growth and targeted marketing efforts, BC Hughes was engaged to conduct the Next Tier Destination Export Readiness Analysis. The goal was to identify tourism products and experiences across Parks Canada-administered sites that are travel trade ready, or near travel trade ready, and have the capacity to welcome increased visitation.
THE PROCESS:
BC Hughes led a multi-phase approach focused on developing updated travel trade readiness criteria, assessing experiences and assets across Parks Canada sites, and aligning those experiences with key target markets.
Research informed the development of a refreshed Export Readiness Criteria Checklist, which was used to guide evaluation and support staff participation. Workshops were delivered to Parks Canada representatives to build understanding of travel trade readiness and introduce the assessment tool. Staff from 37 sites engaged in the process and submitted 42 experiences for review.
Submissions were evaluated to identify travel trade ready and near-travel trade ready experiences. Additional research examined domestic and international market priorities, enabling the alignment of identified experiences with target audiences to support future travel trade and marketing efforts.
THE OUTCOME:
The analysis identified 27 export-ready experiences across Parks Canada-administered sites, providing a focused inventory of market-ready offerings with capacity for growth. These experiences were aligned with key domestic and international target markets, equipping Parks Canada’s Travel Trade team with actionable assets for promotion.
The project also delivered an updated and adaptable export readiness framework, establishing a consistent approach for evaluating experiences over time. Insights from the process highlighted opportunities to further develop export-ready products across additional regions and site types, as well as the importance of ongoing updates as new experiences are introduced.
Overall, the project strengthened Parks Canada’s ability to strategically position its experiences in the global marketplace, supporting increased visitation and contributing to the economic vitality of communities across the country.
