From Small Town Charm to Big City Bucks - How Tourism Does it All

Travel Talk: The Real Impact of Tourism
From Small Town Charm to Big City Bucks - How Tourism Does it All

Tourism isn’t just a city thing. It’s a powerful, place-based economic engine that supports small towns, sparks growth, and strengthens communities across Canada. This blog explores how tourism connects the dots—and why it deserves more recognition. Because Canada’s economy doesn’t just live in the skyscrapers.

Let’s talk about something that most people don’t realise is slipping through our fingers—until it’s gone.

There’s a persistent myth in economic development circles that tourism is a “nice-to-have”—a seasonal perk or an urban luxury reserved for the big cities with glossy billboards and sprawling airports.

But if you’ve ever spent time in a small town café on a summer morning, watched a highway-side motel fill up during a local festival, or you've seen a line of hikers outside a family-run adventure outfitter… you know better.

Tourism isn’t a luxury.
It’s a lifeline.
And it’s one of the only industries that bridges the gap between big city buzz and small town resilience.

Let’s be clear: tourism is one of the few economic levers that works everywhere.

Unlike other sectors that concentrate in urban cores—tech hubs, industrial parks, head offices—tourism is community-driven, location-agnostic, and deeply embedded in our shared landscapes.

It fuels everything from urban food tours and gallery crawls to roadside ice cream stands, fishing lodges, powwows, parades, and scenic backroad drives.

It brings dollars into places that don’t typically see external investment.
It fills beds, seats, and shops in communities that aren’t near a port or a border.
And it creates opportunities for Canadians who don’t want to leave their hometowns to build meaningful livelihoods.

Small towns aren’t side stories—they’re centre stage.

We talk a lot about “supporting local” these days, but tourism puts that into action at scale. When travellers choose a locally owned inn over a chain hotel, book a guided paddle with an Metis operator, or explore a community market instead of a mall, they’re circulating dollars directly into the hands of residents.

That kind of local economic loop? It doesn’t just generate revenue.
It builds pride.
It sustains traditions.
It allows small businesses to not just survive—but to evolve and grow.

And in a world where remote work is making more people rethink where they live, these vibrant tourism ecosystems become magnets. People want to visit interesting, connected places. Some of them even stay.

Big cities get the buzz—but small towns often deliver the soul.

Don’t get me wrong—urban tourism is incredible. Conferences, concerts, galleries, foodie neighbourhoods, vibrant multicultural events… cities are tourism powerhouses.

But often, it’s the quiet places that create the most lasting memories.
A snowy dog sled ride in the Yukon.
A sunrise farmer’s market in Prince Edward County.
A weekend spent wandering artist co-ops on the east coast.

Tourism isn’t just one thing. That’s the beauty of it. It stretches across Canada in every direction, adapting to the flavour of each place. And when we support it holistically—from coast to coast to community centre—we build something much more powerful than seasonal traffic.

We build connection.
We build economic resilience.
We build the kind of Canada we want to live in.

So what’s holding us back from fully embracing tourism as a national economic strategy?

In many cases, it’s a visibility issue. Small-town operators don’t always have the tools—or the time—to market themselves beyond their own community. Cities, provinces, and economic boards don’t always share systems that allow travellers to plan seamlessly across regions. And until recently, we haven’t had strong digital infrastructure that showcases the full spectrum of what’s out there.

That’s why we built Roamlii.

To put every experience—rural or urban, niche or mainstream—on the map.

To power connection between travellers and places.
To make discovery easy, equitable, and genuinely useful.
And to show that when tourism thrives, communities thrive.

From highways to high rises, tourism drives growth.

Whether it’s attracting new residents, keeping legacy businesses alive, encouraging youth entrepreneurship, or creating space for cultural celebration—tourism has a ripple effect.

And that ripple touches everyone.

So no, tourism isn’t just about souvenirs and snapshots.
It’s about strategy.
It’s about sustainability.
And it’s about time we gave it the platform it deserves.

Ready to support the sector that supports us all?
#GetRoaming and let’s build a more connected, resilient, and thriving Canada—one traveller, one town, one story at a time.

Yours in tourism, innovation and startups,

Founder & CEO
Roamlii