My love for small towns comes in all shapes and sizes, and I never pass up a chance to talk about the communities we work with. There is something special about their grit, their creativity, and the big adventures that come from places that might only have one main street and a whole lot of heart.

I recently had the chance to support Tourism Nicola Valley and help promote adventure tourism at the BC Sports and Wilderness Show in Abbotsford, British Columbia. It was a fantastic event and a great opportunity to showcase the outdoor experiences waiting for travellers in our corner of the province.

The best part was meeting and reconnecting with so many small town adventure tourism businesses. These are the folks who make the outdoors economy tick. It was great catching up with Wes David from the Fishing the Wild West TV show, chatting with the crew from BuzzBomb Tackle, and meeting the team from Alice Charters out of Port Alice on Vancouver Island, along with many other passionate operators.

Events like this remind me why small towns matter. They may be small on the map, but when it comes to adventure, hospitality, and good people, they punch well above their weight. In Canada, some of the best stories always start in a small town.

Big news, Canada! The EH Canada Travel Talk Podcast is officially launching with your host, Canada Adventure Seeker Jesseca Perry!

Get ready for insider tips, epic adventures, and the stories behind Canada’s most incredible destinations.

First episode drops Tuesday, January 27th (Travel Tuesdays)! Don’t miss out—bookmark it today:


 https://open.spotify.com/show/7eyde3eXCLb45p8QJp5ZBQ?si=f13d2662911c4fd8&nd=1&dlsi=939c8730d651467f

They didn’t just scroll Canada… they lived it.

Top 3 Canada Adventure Seekers – February 2026

1. Andrea Horning
2. Thomas Worsley
3. Sonya Richmond

From winter trails to backcountry bridges and cliffside climbs, these Seekers are proving that adventure in Canada isn’t a filter, it’s a lifestyle. Snow, sweat, and serious explorer energy.

Think you’ve got what it takes to crack the Top 3?
Join the club and show the country how it’s done.

?  https://www.ehcanadatravel.com/community.html

Love this. Sonya Richmond, one of our talented Canada Adventure Seekers, is now an expert at identifying whales and dolphins in Canadian waters. Innovation, taking initiative, and determination are all traits of our Seekers. Well done, Dr. Sonya Richmond.

All aboard.

This week, our special guests Chris and Jill of Artistic Voyages pull up a seat with our host, Canada Adventure Seeker Jesseca Perry.

And they don’t just talk travel. They relive it.

Edmonton to Halifax. By train. On VIA Rail. Watching Canada roll by one window at a time. Prairies stretching forever. Northern Ontario lakes that look painted on. Maritime air getting closer with every mile.

Slow travel. Real conversations. The kind you only have when WiFi fades and the landscape takes over.

It’s not just a train ride.
It’s the long way across the country.
The good way.

A new episode drops every Tuesday on Spotify. So if you love Canada, rail journeys, and stories that make you want to pack a bag immediately… this one’s for you.

Spotify Channel:
 https://open.spotify.com/show/7eyde3eXCLb45p8QJp5ZBQ

Resharing this with a full heart and a hot cup of coffee.

There’s something special about seeing your work live on EhCanadaTravel.ca , Canada’s leading independent adventure travel platform and then holding a little piece of that journey in your hands.

The new travel mugs have officially landed, and they’re road-trip ready. Highway coffee just tastes better when it’s brewed with a bit of Canadian pride.

If you’re part of the small-town tourism movement, a road warrior, or just someone who believes in supporting homegrown platforms that shine a spotlight on communities across this country, you can grab yours here:

Proud to create. Proud to collaborate. Proud to support Canadian travel.

Meet Greg Girard, the co-founder of Canada's largest adventure planning website on the Canada Adventure Seeker podcast on Spotify. Take a listen, and you may learn something new about him, how it started, trends and his favourite destinations. It is the official launch of Jesseca's podcast, so be kind and share.

New podcast drops on Tuesday!

Our special guest Canada Adventure Seeker Jesseca Perry sits down with Guest Host and EH Canada Travel Co Founder Greg Girard for a conversation that sets the tone for the road ahead.

This episode introduces you to Jesseca, your podcast host, and dives into why she fell in love with road tripping across this vast, beautiful country. From open highways to small town surprises, she shares what pulled her into the Canada Adventure Seeker Club and why exploring Canada is more than travel. It is connection, community, and a good story waiting around every bend.

If you believe the best way to understand Canada is by driving it, walking it, paddling it, and meeting the people who live it, this one is for you.

A new episode is published every Tuesday on Spotify. Add it to your weekly routine, and let us ride shotgun on your next adventure.

Listen now
 https://open.spotify.com/show/7eyde3eXCLb45p8QJp5ZBQ

"Moose Academy is a fantastic resource for anyone looking to boost their social media game AND a great (free!) resource for Canada Adventure Seekers Club - my creative writing skills have also amped up thanks to Moose Academy!" - Jesseca Perry

"It is the time of the year for conferences, tradeshows, and round tables! I look at the agendas and speaker lineups for many of them. I have a question. Why do provincial and federal tourism associations bring in the same speakers every year from big companies and corporations? Odd, since according to Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, small businesses account for over 98 percent of all businesses in the country.

Canada’s tourism sector generates over $100 billion in annual economic activity and supports more than 1.7 million jobs. Small and medium sized businesses make up the vast majority of tourism operators in this country. Yet, their successes and challenges are never front and centre on stage?

In many regions, especially rural and small town Canada, tourism is one of the few scalable economic drivers available. So why do our stages so often feature the same corporate voices discussing urban issues? I get it, large brands matter. National data matters. They pay big membership fees. But innovation rarely comes from repeating the same case studies year after year. Excitement comes with innovation. Excitement in new ideas keeps people from nodding off during presentations.

Innovation comes from founders testing new booking models. From rural operators building experiential packages that increase length of stay. From Indigenous entrepreneurs redefining authentic travel. From destination marketers experimenting with AI discoverability and community led storytelling.

If tourism GDP is growing by single-digit percentages while costs for operators rise in double digits, we need more than recycled slide decks. We need fresh thinking. We need voices that are actually moving the needle in their communities.

In tourism, they are the product. They are the experience. They are the economic impact in small communities under 20,000 people.
So where are the innovators and out-of-the-box thinkers on the main stage? Is it because they do not follow the company line? Is it because they tried and it did not work? Is it because the associations do not want anyone poking holes in their theories? Why, why, why?

If we want a stronger, more resilient visitor economy, our conferences and associations need to reflect the full spectrum of leadership in this country.
Tourism will not evolve by listening to the same voices. It will evolve when we create space for new ones.

If we keep recycling the same voices, we cannot expect different results for Canada’s tourism economy." - Greg Girard, Co-Bro Founder of EH Canada Marketing Group

Just Dropped. NEW COURSE! Why Should My Business Create a #Hashtag? Simply put, industry statistics indicate a 10%–30% increase in engagement; a 20%–50% increase in reach and impressions; a 5%–15% lift in brand recall and recognition; and a 5%–10% increase in website traffic. A good hashtag won’t save bad marketing—but it will make good marketing work harder. A new course in the Moose Academy is available to EH Canada Travel members. Advertise your business, or become a Canada Adventure Seeker Influencer and access 130+ lessons.

289% growth. Read that again.

While nearly one-third of destinations are watching their website traffic slide by 20–30%, our Canadian platform is surging—way up, and still climbing. As DMOs everywhere scramble to stay visible in a rapidly changing search landscape, we’re already there.

Why? Because our 15+ Canadian content creators have been doing AI-discovery-ready storytelling long before it had acronyms. Authentic, real-time content built with GEO, AEO, and SEO baked in from day one—not bolted on later. No shortcuts. No panic pivots. Just smart, human-led strategy that search (and AI) actually rewards.

Lucky? Absolutely. Prepared? Even more so.

Digital Think Tank Article:
 https://www.linkedin.com/posts/digital-tourism-think-tank_ai-dmo-seo-activity-7424423548531867649-y8bO
***
#tourism #tourismwebsite #OTA #readytoscale #travelplanning #traveltips

Cold north, big stories, zero filters.

Our special guest Jeff Santos sits down with our host, Canada Adventure Seeker Jesseca Perry, to swap tales from their epic trip to Yellowknife, NWT—where the landscapes are massive and the adventures don’t disappoint. If you like your travel stories a little rugged and very Canadian, this one’s for you.

New episodes of the Canada Adventure Seeker Podcast drop every Tuesday on Spotify.

Listen here:
 https://open.spotify.com/episode/3tcle5b8y3vwoLD8lqQ6a8

#canadaadventureseeker #pocast #spotify #travelpodcast #canadapodcast #adventurepodcast #nwt #yellowknife #canadiantravel #backcountry #explorecanada #northerncanada #travelstories