Colin Ferguson Announces His Retirement

After an incredible 15 years at Travel Manitoba, I will be retiring June 30, 2026. I’ve seen so many changes in our industry over the years, but what has remained constant is your exceptional commitment to working together to strengthen and grow Manitoba’s tourism industry.

I’ve been so fortunate to experience some incredible highs during my time at Travel Manitoba, and I’m so proud of the work the Travel Manitoba team has done to support the sector, including:

  • Co-hosting the wildly successful Rendez-vous Canada 2025,
  • Launching two award winning brands that put Manitoba on the global map, beginning with Canada’s Heart... Beats
    in 2014 and the refreshed Canada’s Heart is Calling in 2023,
  • Establishing our unique Plan 95/5 funding model,
  • Developing, investing in and growing the Hunt Fish MB brand, and most recently,
  • Creating the Wildfire Resilience Assistance Program.

During this time we’ve also navigated some significant challenges together, including the pandemic, last year’s record wildfires and political and economic uncertainty.


Through it all, our industry has risen to the challenge, over and over again, proving what it means to be resilient and innovative. That focus helped to build and grow Indigenous Tourism Manitoba, working directly with Indigenous entrepreneurs and organizations, recognizing the incredible potential to welcome visitors from across Canada and around the world looking for authentic Indigenous experiences.

We also worked with communities in all four corners of the province to build Manitoba’s tourism sector into an industry that generates $1.89 billion in visitor spending a year, contributing $385 million in provincial tax revenue. As I move into my next chapter, I leave knowing there is a strong and dedicated team at Travel Manitoba that is well-positioned to continue building and innovating, attracting visitors, growing visitor spending and showcasing the beauty of Manitoba in all seasons.

None of these things would have been possible without your support and partnership, along with the dedication of our small but mighty Travel Manitoba team, our board members past and present and our many champions across Manitoba. These past 15 years have been the honour of my career and I am confident that Travel Manitoba’s future success and prosperity is well in hand. I leave knowing that the best is still to come.

Colin Ferguson
President and CEO