Tourism operators flock to Saint John for Atlantic Canada Showcase

Tourism operators from around the world have come to Saint John, N.B., for the Atlantic Canada Showcase.

Over 120 tourism providers and more than 70 tour operators from both domestic and abroad have made there way to Saint John to join Atlantic Canadian tourism businesses for the Atlantic Canada Showcase (ACS) 2025.

The biennial event is designed to build stronger connections and attract more visitors to the region. Over the course of three days businesses will have the chance to meet with one another, take part in networking activities and sit in on informative educational sessions aimed at driving tourism growth on Canada’s east coast.

“This marketplace is an unmatched chance to showcase Atlantic Canada’s diverse tourism experiences to buyers from around the world,” says event co-chairs Roy Billingslet and Jen Silliphant. “From motorcoach and group travel to FIT and specialty markets, ACS is where operators discover authentic products that resonate with their clients. As they explore New Brunswick and our neighbouring provinces, their excitement for promoting Atlantic Canada will only grow.”

On top of the marketplace sessions, some tour operators will embark on familiarization (FAM) tours across the four Atlantic Canadian provinces.

“ACS is a cornerstone event for our sector,” says Ginette Doiron, CEO of the Tourism Industry Association of New Brunswick. “The collaboration between tour operators and our Atlantic industry is vital to ensuring growth and long-term sustainability. By working together, we are creating opportunities that benefit communities and businesses throughout the region.”

Over the next few days, Atlantic tourism operators will make their pitch to buyers that mostly reside in other parts of Canada and the U.S., but Doiron says there are also buyers from overseas including from Germany, the Netherlands, and United Kingdom.

“Mostly the sellers and the buyers research each other to see if there’s interest, to see if it’s what they’re looking for,” Doiron points out. “If both parties accept then they have meetings. It’s kind of like a speed network of dating, the buyer stays, the sellers move around. They have about eight minutes to tell them why they should visit them and what their product is about.”

Rick Gedink is the owner of Nordic Delights based in the Netherlands and is one of many buyers taking part in the festivities.

He is hoping to develop more destinations for his travel company along the eastern shore, which is even easier these days thanks to a direct flight between Halifax and Amsterdam.

When he sits down with sellers, he will be looking for a few things in particular.

“Honesty, you can have a very nice product because if you’re a horrible salesman and not a nice person, to say it nicely, then it’s not easy to operate,” says Gedink as a main point. “I’m looking for good experiences, authentic experiences. Not just doing the scheduled performances, but just authentic meetings also with the locals.”

Nancy Petrie is one of many Atlantic Canadian businesses hoping to grow their footprint outside the east coast. As the tour and travel sales manager of Oak Island Resort based in Western Shore, N.S., she says this biennial event has had a big impact on growing their operations.

She also has high hopes heading into the next few days.

“A successful showcase for me is not walking out the door with a piece of business in my hand,” she says. “It’s building the awareness with my client, selling Nova Scotia, selling the region of my province so the operator is able to build itineraries that will encompass our area and compass my resort and bring them there for 2 or 3 nights to spend dollars in our local economy.”

The event is hosted in partnership with the Atlantic Canada Agreement on Tourism (ACAT), which is a nine-member pan-Atlantic initiative made up of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, as well as each Atlantic province’s tourism industry association and provincial tourism departments.

The three-day showcase wraps up on October 8.

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