Wrapping up Rendez-vous Canada 2025

From May 26 to 30, Manitoba proudly hosted Rendez-vous Canada (RVC) 2025 in Winnipeg, welcoming over 1,500 tourism professionals from across Canada and around the world. Among them were more than 400 international travel buyers representing 22 global markets, each experiencing firsthand the depth and diversity of Manitoba’s visitor offerings.

Rendez-vous Canada is Canada’s premier travel trade show, held each year by Destination Canada and the Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC), which brings together international travel buyers with Canadian tourism businesses in a marketplace-style event.

Pictured: An Indigenous ceremony welcomed 1,500 delegates to Winnipeg, Manitoba at the start of Rendez-vous Canada on May 28, 2025. Photo by Maddy Reico / Tourism Winnipeg.

Pictured: Manitoba's tourism mascots and RVC volunteers helped welcome delegates to the nation's premier travel trade show on May 28, 2025. Photo by Maddy Reico / Tourism Winnipeg.

More than 30 customized tours brought over 1,000 delegates beyond the meeting rooms and into the heart of Manitoba. From paddling on the Assiniboine and La Salle rivers and tasting homegrown flavours in Riding Mountain National Park to witnessing the northern lights in Churchill, delegates were immersed in the authentic experiences that define our province.

In addition to showcasing Manitoba’s vibrant tourism sector, RVC generated an estimated $4.6 million in direct and indirect business activity on the marketplace floor. Over the course of three days, 30 Manitoba-based tourism operators, including 10 first-time participants, took one-on-one appointments with travel buyers from around the world, building valuable relationships that will support future bookings and long-term growth for Manitoba’s tourism economy. Another eight sellers represented Indigenous Tourism Manitoba as part of the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada’s marketplace presence.

Pictured: Photos by Maddy Reico / Tourism Winnipeg

As proud co-hosts alongside Destination Canada and the Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC), Travel Manitoba and Tourism Winnipeg helped spotlight Manitoba on a global stage.

"As Destination Canada’s signature event, co-produced with the Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC), RVC showcased Winnipeg on a global stage, giving international travel buyers a close-up look at our vibrant tourism industry. The last time Winnipeg hosted was in 2010, and this was our opportunity to show the world all the exciting new attractions and transformations that have reshaped our city since then."

Natalie Thiesen, Vice President of Tourism at Tourism Winnipeg and RVC 2025 host committee co-chair

Nearly 200 international buyers and travel media also took part in pre- and post-event familiarization tours across Manitoba and other provinces. These tours highlighted the richness of our communities—from untamed wilderness to vibrant urban centres—and reinforced Manitoba’s appeal as a must-visit Canadian destination.

“Rendez-vous Canada 2025 is an incredible opportunity to bring the world to Manitoba. As proud hosts, we were thrilled to showcase the heart of Canada—where nature inspires, culture runs deep and tourism plays a powerful role in driving growth across our province. We welcomed the world and left a lasting impression."

Cody Chomiak, Vice-President of Marketing at Travel Manitoba and RVC 2025 host committee co-chair

While the week was one of celebration, it unfolded alongside growing challenges as wildfires impacted parts of the province. Many members of the national and international tourism community in attendance at RVC rose to the occasion with donations and financial contributions to the Canadian Red Cross to aid their Manitoba wildfire response efforts.

The spirit of connection and collaboration was woven throughout the week—from Pride Winnipeg celebrations on the tradeshow floor to the striking visual identity created by Anishinaabe artist Jordan Stranger, whose artwork captured themes of growth, movement and unity—to the way our tourism community showed up during a challenging time for Manitoba.

Rendez-vous Canada 2025 was more than a tradeshow, it was a chance to show the world why Canada’s Heart is Calling.