Building a robust visitor economy in rural, remote, and northern Communities

Transcript

Presented by Destination Canada

FCM is once again partnering with Destination Canada on a free Collective webinar exploring the positive impact that the visitor economy can have on local growth, community pride and job creation.

Last year, our joint Collective webinar explored how intentional destination development has become an important factor in the visitor economy. Building on that theme, Destination Canada will explore how tourism—when thoughtfully developed and community-led—can serve as a powerful catalyst for sustainable prosperity.

The expert panel will share practical tools, insightful resources and best practices to help municipalities harness the power of tourism to enhance infrastructure, diversify economic growth, foster resilience via job creation, and celebrate local cultural and natural heritage.

Based on your local goals and aspirations, this is an opportunity to learn about tools and strategies that can leverage visitors into long-term value for your community. This Collective webinar aims to reimagine tourism as a force for good—built by communities, for communities.

Moderator

Gracen Chungath, Senior Vice President, Investment & Destination Development, Destination Canada

Gracen Chungath is a strategic leader with over 20 years of experience driving economic growth, investment attraction and destination development across the private sector, government and non-profits. At Destination Canada, she directs the national Destination Development strategy and leads a coordinated pan-Canadian effort to attract investment into tourism, aligning partners across jurisdictions to strengthen supply, foster regenerative practices and ensure long-term competitiveness.

Her achievements include launching Canada’s first Tourism Corridor Strategy Program to drive cross-provincial development and climate-forward investment, initiating a Tourism Investment Thought Leaders Committee that brings together policy makers, public sector, developers, investors and industry leaders to shape future investment flows into tourism, convening the country’s first International Symposium on Destination Stewardship and establishing a pan-Canadian professional forum to accelerate collaboration and innovation to catalyze tourism supply.

A recognized international voice, Gracen has spoken at the UNWTO, OECD and other global forums, showcasing Canada’s leadership in sustainability and innovation.

Previously, as Director of Strategic Operations at the City of Vancouver, she managed a multi-billion-dollar real estate portfolio spanning affordable housing, arts and cultural spaces and social policy infrastructure. Earlier in her career, she worked with MacDonald Dettwiler & Associates in the earth observation sector, bringing private-sector innovation and a global lens to her later public-sector leadership.

Gracen holds an MSc in Public Policy from SOAS, University of London, and an MBA from Creighton University, USA. She contributes to several non-profit boards and was recently appointed by the province to the Board of Directors of the Royal BC Museum.

Panelists

Olga Goldin, Program Manager, Insights & Analytics, Destination Canada

Olga Goldin is a senior program management professional at Destination Canada, leading transformative digital, data and AI initiatives that advance the organization’s technology strategy and national tourism intelligence capabilities. As Program Manager for the Canadian Tourism Data Collective, she oversees one of Destination Canada’s flagship digital programs—a collaborative platform that unites tourism data, insights and AI to support evidence-based decision-making across the tourism sector.

With over a decade of experience managing complex, multi-stream programs spanning marketing, data and digital transformation, Olga’s background bridges strategy, technology, marketing and people. Her work increasingly focuses on integrating AI and advanced analytics to modernize how data is used across Canada’s visitor economy—helping transform insight into impact.

A certified Project Management Professional with training in Scaled Agile and Lean Portfolio Management, Olga holds a Bachelor of Commerce from Concordia University. Outside of work, she finds balance and inspiration in the natural beauty of Vancouver’s North Shore.

Silken Cinq-Mars, Tourism Development Advisor, Destination Development Unit, Department of Tourism and Culture, Government of Yukon

A self -proclaimed tourism nerd with experience in destination marketing and development, Silken is driven by client connection: there is nothing more rewarding than working with a client on the heart of their vision and helping shape the strategy to bring it to life. Her focus areas include sustainable capacity & infrastructure expansion and fostering innovation, especially in the digital space, across the industry.

Her background is training as a GAIQ & SEO certified digital marketing strategist, with three major tourism website renovations under her belt, each focused on significant UX improvements and driving high-value conversions.

She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Commerce (International Marketing & Trade) from the Sprott School of Business. When you can’t find her at work, she’s usually outside with her dog, reading or watching reality TV.

Stephanie Hardisty, Manager, Tourism & Parks, Government of Northwest Territories

Stephanie Hardisty is the Manager of Tourism Industry Services with the Government of the Northwest Territories (NWT). She works closely with communities, Indigenous governments and tourism operators to support the growth and sustainability of the NWT’s tourism sector. Her role focuses on building industry capacity and ensuring tourism initiatives reflect the values and strengths of the North.

Stephanie brings a practical, collaborative approach to her work, helping to shape programs and policies that support product development, market readiness and long-term resilience. She’s passionate about creating opportunities that benefit local economies while preserving the cultural and environmental integrity of the places that make the NWT unique.