Jul 09, 2026
WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 9, 2026) — Brand USA, the destination marketing organization for the United States, today announced that Brand USA Travel Week Canada will launch this fall, taking place October 26–29, 2026, in Toronto and Montreal. The event introduces the organization’s signature Travel Week platform to Canada for the first time, marking the next step in Brand USA’s long-term strategy to deepen engagement with one of the United States’ most important international source markets.
Formerly known as Canada Connect, Brand USA Travel Week Canada brings Brand USA’s longstanding Canadian trade and media engagement under the organization’s global Travel Week platform, which now spans the U.K. and Europe, India, South America, and Canada.
“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,” said 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 travelers.”
The launch comes as Brand USA continues to expand the Travel Week model into priority markets around the world. Earlier this year, Brand USA brought the platform to India, the United States’ third-largest overseas source market, and launched Brand USA Travel Week South America in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Together, these expansions underscore the growing role of Brand USA Travel Week as a cornerstone of the organization’s global trade and media engagement strategy.
Canada remains one of the United States’ most important international travel markets, supported by deep cultural, geographic, and economic ties. Tourism Economics projects Canadian visitation to the United States will reach 16.7 million in 2026, up 4.4 percent 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 percent 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.
“Canadian travelers 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, senior vice president, 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.”
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 Wednesday, October 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.
Registration for Brand USA Travel Week Canada is now open. Additional information is available at brandusaevents.com/event/TWC2026.
To learn more about Brand USA, visit TheBrandUSA.com.
