Provincial Pals - How Crossing Borders Builds Bigger Tourism Wins

Oh, Canada: Business, Tourism, and Economic Truths
- Provincial Pals - How Crossing Borders Builds Bigger Tourism Wins

Canada is a big country. Like, really big. You could start a road trip in British Columbia, drive for what feels like forever, and still be in the middle of the Prairies with days to go before hitting the Maritimes. One fun fact that absolutely nobody asked for is that Luxembourg can fit inside the Prince Albert National Park approximately 1.5 times. That means the park is about 50% larger than the entire country of Luxembourg! How fun. And yet, despite all this space and endless possibilities, our provinces often act like separate little islands when it comes to tourism. And don't even get me started on our interprovincial transportation situation. OMG why don't we have high speed trains by now! I'll save that for another blog though.

But here’s the thing, travellers don’t see borders the way governments do. They’re not thinking, well, I’ve hit the Manitoba border, guess I’ll turn around. They’re looking for experiences, and the best ones don’t stop at provincial lines. That’s why inter-provincial collaboration in tourism is such a massive opportunity. When cities and provinces work together, through smart inter-provincial corridor strategies, everyone wins.

A traveller planning a ski trip to the Rockies doesn’t care whether they’re in Alberta or British Columbia. They care about the best runs, the best après-ski spots, and whether they’ll have time to squeeze in a soak at a hot spring before heading home. The same goes for road trippers cruising down the Atlantic coastline, foodies hopping between Quebec and Ontario, or history buffs exploring Indigenous sites across multiple territories.

When tourism organisations and businesses collaborate across provincial lines, they create incredible experiences. Instead of each province marketing itself in isolation, they can work together to showcase connected travel routes, themed experiences, and joint tourism packages that make cross-border travel easier and more enticing. You know what would also make cross-border travel easier and more enticing...high speed trains!! Ok ok, I'll get back on...track. 😉

Now let’s talk dollars and cents for a second. Encouraging travellers to cross provincial borders doesn’t just keep them exploring longer—it keeps them spending longer. More hotel stays, more meals at local restaurants, more guided tours, more everything.

• Instead of a 3-day trip to a single city, a collaborative itinerary could turn it into a week-long adventure across two or three provinces.

• Rather than a single attraction getting all the attention, a multi-destination marketing campaign can drive traffic to smaller, lesser-known gems along the route.

• When governments work together, they can pool funding for tourism promotion, making their marketing budgets stretch further and hit a bigger audience.

• Establishing an inter-provincial corridor strategy means creating clear, connected routes that naturally encourage travellers to move between regions, benefiting local economies along the way.

Think of it as tourism cross-pollination. The more travellers move between regions, the more economic impact they leave behind.

If working together is such a no-brainer, why don’t we see more of it? Well, old habits die hard. Provinces have long operated independently when it comes to almost everything, and tourism is no different; resulting in each operating with their own marketing budgets, priorities, strategies and even goals. And sometimes, there’s a bit of that friendly provincial rivalry—because let’s face it, no one from Saskatchewan is going to say Alberta’s landscapes are better. But the reality is, breaking out of these silos would benefit every region, because every single province has something uniquely amazing and beautiful about it. Collaboration doesn’t mean losing individual identity, it means enhancing what each province already offers by making it part of something bigger, building a Canada-wide Tourism Tapestry. I literally just made that up right now. I'm pretty proud.

There’s already proof that collaboration works. The Trans Canada Trail connects thousands of kilometres of hiking, cycling, and paddling routes across provinces. The Atlantic Canada Agreement on Tourism pools resources between the Maritime provinces to attract international visitors. These are the kinds of initiatives that need to be expanded!

• Inter-provincial travel passes that give discounts when people visit multiple destinations in different provinces.

• Cross-border tourism trails that highlight themed experiences—like a Canada-wide craft beer road trip, a multi-province Indigenous culture tour, or a coastal seafood crawl.

• Regional partnerships between businesses that offer bundled travel experiences—imagine booking a week-long getaway that includes a guided canoe trip in Manitoba and a wildlife safari in Saskatchewan.

At the end of the day, travellers don’t think in provincial boundaries—they think in experiences. And if we want to grow Canada’s tourism industry, we need to start thinking that way too. And establish a Canada-wide high speed rail network. Yes, I did have to mention it one more time on my way out the door.

Provinces that collaborate create bigger, better tourism opportunities for everyone involved—businesses, governments, and, most importantly, travellers. It’s time to stop treating tourism like a series of disconnected fiefdoms and start embracing the idea that we’re all in this together.

So, let’s make it happen. After all, who says provinces can’t be besties?

Yours in tourism, innovation and startups,

Founder & CEO
Roamlii