Canadian Tourism -Sightseeing to Soul Seeking

04/22/25 • 4 min

Have you ever stood in a place that felt like more than just a location? Where the air carried stories, the land echoed memory, and you walked away with more than a photo, or even a memory that will last a lifetime, you walked away different?

Two weeks ago on Chatter that Matters I interviewed Ben Cowan-Dewar who built Cabot Links and Cabot Cliffs on Cape Breton Island. Two golf courses that have captured the attention of golfers all over the world and brought energy and vitallity to one of the most beautiful places in the world.

Last week, my guest was Zita Cobb, who was a force of human nature who created Fogo Island Inn, as a model for creating an economic renaissance, a true circular economy that can be replicated across Canada.

In today’s special three-minute episode of Chatter that Matters: Mini Matters, I’m breaking format to talk about tourism, and its power to transform Canada’s economy and identity.

Tourism isn’t just travel. It’s a passport to enlightenment. A conversation with nature, and with our nature. And Canada? Canada is a sleeping superpower.

Three coastlines. Ancient forests. Cities pulsing with culture. Indigenous wisdom, world-class cuisine, and experiences that can reset your soul.

Tourism can be the spark that rekindles our economy, from the land up. But only if we rethink it. Only if we stop seeing it as sightseeing and start building it as life-changing.

Take a few minutes. Lend me your ears—and maybe, your imagination. Let’s talk about what it means to bring the world to Canada.

Afterwards, I encourage you to listen to both of these shows if you are in the expeience, hospitality or tourism space, or love those who dream and do.

If you want to hear my interview with Ben Cowan-Dewar - Build it and they Will Come, click here: https://chatterthatmatters.libsyn.com/ben-cowan-dewar-build-it-and-the-world-will-come

If you want to hear Zita Cobb's amazing story - https://chatterthatmatters.libsyn.com/zita-cobb-the-miracle-of-fogo-island

In today’s special three-minute episode of Chatter that Matters: Mini Matters, I’m breaking format to talk about tourism, and its power to transform Canada’s economy and identity.

Tourism isn’t just travel. It’s a passport to enlightenment. A conversation with nature, and with our nature. And Canada? Canada is a sleeping superpower.

Three coastlines. Ancient forests. Cities pulsing with culture. Indigenous wisdom, world-class cuisine, and experiences that can reset your soul.

Tourism can be the spark that rekindles our economy, from the land up. But only if we rethink it. Only if we stop seeing it as sightseeing and start building it as life-changing.

Take a few minutes. Lend me your ears—and maybe, your imagination. Let’s talk about what it means to bring the world to Canada.

Afterwards, I encourage you to listen to both of these shows if you are in the expeience, hospitality or tourism space, or love those who dream and do.

If you want to hear my interview with Ben Cowan-Dewar - Build it and they Will Come, click here: https://chatterthatmatters.libsyn.com/ben-cowan-dewar-build-it-and-the-world-will-come

If you want to hear Zita Cobb's amazing story - https://chatterthatmatters.libsyn.com/zita-cobb-the-miracle-of-fogo-island

Previous Episode

Zita Cobb - The Miracle of Fogo Island

Zita Cobb’s story isn’t just worth hearing—it’s worth hugging. In this episode of Chatter That Matters, you’ll meet a woman who helped to transform Fogo Island, one of the most remote and rugged places in Canada, into a beacon that attracts the world. Zita's perspective on hospitality, community, and the miracles of reimagining a place will change how you view tourism, shifting from merely visiting to truly experiencing Mother Nature and Human Nature.

Zita speaks with wisdom carved from the rocks of a small fishing village in Newfoundland and Labrador, where everything her family knew was taken away, forcing them to leave. Many years later, Zita returns to collaborate with the community to create Fogo Island Inn and within it a vibrant circular economy.

I then close the show by sharing my thoughts on why the world needs more Canada and how Canada must build a stronger tourism sector.

Thank you to RBC for making Chatter That Matters, and our weekly show about positivity and possibility, possible.

Next Episode

Curt Vossen and Kristjan Hebert - Food Means the World To All of Us

What if Canada could become a global food superpower—from farm to fork, from field to plate? In this live-recorded episode taped at Farm Credit Canada's Future of Food Conference, I sat down with two titens transforming Canada's agricultural landscape: Curt Vossen, the visionary CEO of Richardson International, and Kristjan Hebert, a farmer who manages his tens of thousands of acress of land with intelligence, passion, and pursuit.

Together, they tackle the future of food—from battling inefficiencies in our supply chains to seizing untapped global markets. They speak with brutal honesty about what’s holding Canada back: our mindset, our infrastructure, and our humility. Their solution? A call to action that blends bold vision with incremental, achievable steps.

In the final segment, Lisa Ashton of RBC Thought Leadership shares powerful insights into Canada’s strengths, risks, and unrealized potential in agriculture, backed by data, policy, and her personal story, which began on a farm.

My take: Canada does not need to be reliant on one trading partner, we have what it takes to create an economy powered by purposeful jobs and those who both dream and do. Let's all work together to make Canada a Food Superpower.

To find out more about Farm Credit Canada: https://www.fcc-fac.ca

Chatter that Matters - Canadian Tourism -Sightseeing to Soul Seeking

Transcript

00:00:03.520

I've been thinking a lot about Canada lately. Not the political headlines or who's on first or even the latest inflation numbers. Thinking more about our soul, our heart, and what we need to do to build a new economy. One that beats strong, that roars with productivity and innovation, creates purposeful jobs, a resilient tax base, and one that can support our social services, defend our sovereignty, and service the mountain of debt we're quietly stacking like fire log