In 2023, we set out to create a co-branded content series for our tourism partners that could:

Scale to any destination

Solve key destination priorities

Be a vehicle for authentic, brand-led stories

Power bookings to destinations

Travel content had become the opposite of inspiring, descending into a sea of sameness—cliche themes, repetitive must-visit lists, tropey celebrity hosts. The New York Times has even denounced this last point, proclaiming that celebrity travel shows “steal the spotlight from the locale itself.”

Our mission: to turn the spotlight back onto destinations, showing travelers a better, realer way to experience a place.

When Destination Canada came to us with the goal of getting Americans to see, understand, and experience Canada more deeply than they ever have before, we knew this in-development series would be the perfect fit.

Everything we do as a brand is designed to remove as many barriers to travel as possible. That commitment includes going beyond soulless search results and guiding people into deeper travel experiences.

So we created “Where To”, an episodic content series that flips the classic search term on its head. Each episode goes beyond typical search results, using Canada as our playground. We leaned into unique prompts—“Where to order the special,” “Where to stop and take it in,” “Where to find your footing”—to cue up the delightfully unexpected and human experiences travelers desire.

The first thing travelers typically search when they’re planning out a trip is “Where to…?”

“Where to eat.” “Where to sleep.” “Where to get a drink.”

Type that into a search bar, and the web will serve up a barrage of auto-filled travel "inspiration." The same results are delivered again and again, leading to cookie-cutter experiences.

This was our strategic way in. Because as experts in travel, we know that a destination is so much more than the homogenised search results that pepper the internet. It’s those unexpected, off-the-beaten-path deep cuts and details that inspire us to visit someplace new. The local, authentic trips that get to the real heart of a place. The immersive experiences that travelers crave.

Casting started with over 1000 possible people and experiences to highlight. After several weeks of interviewing and vetting, we landed on a warring bagel shop owners, a poutine shop propietor, the inventor of the california roll, fine dining chefs creating

Casted Inuit throat singers, the first female to land a double backflip on skis, a backcountry world record holder, the sushi chef that invented the California roll, warring bagel shop owners, a northern lights guide that calls himself “The Aurora hunter” and many others. Together they showed our audience a true slice of what makes Canada such an incredible destination.

While it’s still early days for the campaign, we’re excited to see some strong initial traction for our travelers and our business. In just under the first month of the campaign we’ve seen an 18% growth in gross bookings year over year, as well as a 16% increase in the number of room nights and a 12% increase in average spend per booking. We’re optimistic that this trend will maintain and will be reflected in our brand lift study once the campaign wraps.