Whatever rhetoric has emanated from the political class south of the border, Brand USA has steadfastly maintained its support for and willingness to remain connected to Canadians and the travel trade here that serves them. To that end, the U.S. DMO has announced it will hold Brand USA Travel Week Canada in the country this Fall.
Formerly called Canada Connect, this year’s iteration of the event will take place in Toronto and Montreal Oct. 26-29 and will introduce the organization’s signature Travel Week platform to Canada for the first time, joining U.K. and Europe, India, South America, and recognizing the organization’s “long-term strategy to deepen engagement with one of the United States’ most important international source markets.”
“Canada has always been essential to the United States’ travel economy, and the expansion of Brand USA Travel Week deepens our engagement with partners in the market who help shape travel decisions every day,” says Fred Dixon, president and CEO of Brand USA. “By bringing our signature event to Canada, we’re aligning our engagement under one unified platform to strengthen collaboration and keep the United States top of mind for Canadian travellers.”
Brand USA Travel Week Canada will feature pre-scheduled travel trade and media appointments, market insights, and networking opportunities designed to connect U.S.
exhibitors with Canadian travel trade professionals and journalists. Held alongside the week’s programming, a CEO roundtable will bring together senior leaders from the U.S. and Canadian travel industries to discuss shared opportunities to strengthen collaboration and inspire future visitation to the United States.
The program will also include a dedicated media track on Oct. 28, in partnership with Discover America Canada to engage Canadian travel media and highlight new storytelling opportunities across the United States.
The dual-city format in Toronto and Montreal reflects the importance of reaching key partners across both English- and French-speaking Canada, says Brand USA.
Canadian travel
Tourism Economics projects Canadian visitation to the United States will reach 16.7 million in 2026, up 4.4% from 16 million in 2025. While the market continues to face headwinds, early leading indicators point to encouraging signs of resilience and renewed demand. Preliminary May data shows overnight land arrivals from Canada increased 11% year over year, marking the first positive year-over-year movement in land arrivals in some time. Air arrivals remain slightly below prior-year levels, but combined drive and fly arrivals are expected to move into positive territory.
These indicators reinforce the importance of sustained, in-market engagement and the need to work closely with Canadian partners to support travel planning, product development, and long-term visitation growth,” says Brand USA.
“Canadian travellers know the United States well, but there is still tremendous opportunity to inspire new trips, new itineraries, and new reasons to visit,” said Malcolm Smith, Sr. VP, global markets and chief trade and product development officer at Brand USA. “Travel Week Canada will give U.S. destinations a focused platform to connect directly with Canadian buyers and media, share what is new across the country, and build the partnerships that support future visitation.”
Registration for Brand USA Travel Week Canada is now open. Additional information is available at brandusaevents.com/event/TWC2026
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