Road trips and red carpets: California shines at TIFF and Air Canada roadshows

California continues to deepen its relationship with Canada, a vital tourism market. In 2023, Canadian travelers made up the second largest international visitor group to California, highlighting the importance of fostering strong connections with this key audience. Through a series of activations and partnerships, Visit California has worked to ensure that California remains top of mind for Canadian tourists.

One of the major initiatives was the collaboration with Brand USA at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in September 2024. The festival, which draws over 400,000 visitors to Downtown Toronto, offered a prime opportunity to showcase California’s diverse experiences. A street activation, celebrating California as The Ultimate Playground, invited festival goers to envision their own road trip adventures and embrace the state's Hollywood lifestyle. 

This highly visible engagement, along with red carpet events for media and trade partners, provided exceptional exposure and further solidified California's appeal to Canadian travelers.

In addition, Visit California partnered with Air Canada Vacations for their September roadshow, reaching travel advisors in four Canadian cities. By focusing on building relationships and promoting California's offerings, the partnership ensured that travel professionals were well-equipped to recommend the Golden State to their clients. The roadshow also helped elevate California STAR, a program designed to keep the region’s diverse tourism products front and center in the travel marketplace.

Canada’s enduring importance to California tourism cannot be overstated, having contributed more than $3.5 billion to California’s economy in 2023. Ongoing collaboration with Canadian partners is key to driving visitation and maintaining a strong presence in this competitive space.