Discover the Canadian Signature Experiences (CSE) Collection

Travellers around the world are telling us they want to explore and live a life that’s less ordinary.

That’s why the Canadian Tourism Commission has created the Canadian Signature Experiences (CSE) collection – once-in-a-lifetime travel experiences found in Canada. They show the world what Canada’s tourism brand is all about.

The Canadian Signature Experiences collection helps eligible tourism businesses promote their product internationally. It also makes it easier for the travel trade to sell more Canada, and make more money doing so. Media can utilize the Collection to find a rich array of story ideas, media collateral and other resources.

General Info & Program update

Key changes to 2013 program

Application criteria

FAQ

Program backgrounder

Discover our list of Canadian Signature Experiences  current members

Get inspired. Watch our video.

Media Read more > Close >

News Release – April 30, 2012 : 48 more tourism businesses support Canadian Tourism Commission’s Canadian Signature Experiences to promote travel to Canada

News Release – Oct. 18, 2011: Canadian Tourism Commission announces addition of new members to the Canadian Signature Experiences

News Release – July 11, 2011: Canadian Tourism Commission launches Canadian Signature Experiences to increase travellers and tourism revenues from abroad

 

Travel Trade Read more >Read more >

Case Studies Read more > Close >

Member perspectives on CSE ProgramRead more >Close >

Volume 2

Royal Canadian Mounted Police Heritage Centre.

Frontiers North Adventures

Shediac Bay Cruises

Halifax Citadel

EdgeWalk at the CN Tower.

Hôtel de Glace.

Adventure Canada.

Rockwood Adventures.

Beck’s Kennels.

Canadian River Expeditions / Nahanni River Adventures.

Icefield Helicopter Tours and Kananaskis Heli Tours.

Experience PEI.

Iceberg Quest.

 

Volume 1:

The Hermetic Code Tour in Winnipeg, MB

Heartland International Travel & Tours

Ecotours-BC

L’Hôtel-Musée Premières Nations

Yamnuska Mountain Adventures

Celtic Colours International Festival

Northern Edge Algonquin

Tranquility Cove Adventures

Northern Tales Travel Services Inc.

Arctic Kingdom Polar Expeditions

Gatherall’s Puffin & Whale Watch

Historic Reesor Ranch

Yellow Dog Lodge

Kings Landing Historical Settlement.

Member perspectives on Experiential Tourism Read more >Close >

Arctic Range Adventure

Barkerville

Edible Canada

Inniskillin

Heritage Park Historical Village

Great Spirit Circle Trail

Great Divide Nature Interpretation

Cape Race

Harvest Jazz and Blues Festival

Heartland Tours

Application Read more > Close >

Thank you for your interest in the Canadian Tourism Commission’s Canadian Signature Experiences collection. The annual application in-take period for 2013 is closed. The next in-take period will be January 20 to February 28, 2014.

In the meantime, please feel free to read the FAQ and program backgrounder or if you have any questions about the program, contact the experiences [at] ctc-cct [dot] ca (CTC’s Brand Experiences Team).

Key changes to 2013 program

The CTC has implemented several areas of change to improve the CSE program:

 

• The program cycle has been revised to accept applications from March 20 – April 30; followed by evaluations in May – June, leading toward new member announcements in November.
• The application now includes a pre-qualifier quiz to assist prospective applicants to determine if they have the basic elements required to qualify. All interested parties are directed to complete the pre-qualifier quiz to help determine whether a full application is appropriate at this time.
• New criteria have been introduced to determine suitability for the program based on business readiness. 
• The 2013 intake will be limited to 25 new Canadian experiences.  Because the vast majority of sales to Canada are done through the travel trade, the CTC will be targeting a high proportion of trade-ready experiences for acceptance. In addition, the CTC will be giving priority to urban, culinary & cultural/heritage experiences to fill current product gaps.
• The CTC has introduced a conditional acceptance period, during which time conditionally accepted members will prepare necessary content, imagery, video & web pages to ensure successful activation with the trade upon releasing the expanded Collection.
• An annual member renewal process will be introduced. All current members will take part in this renewal process. Details will be forthcoming.

Helpful Resources:

You need to sell an “experience” to qualify for the CSE program.
Not sure what an experience is? Check out “Experiences: A toolkit for partners of the CTC (2^nd edition)”for an in-depth look at how to go from product to experience and what the benefits are for you.

The chances of being accepted into the CSE program and deriving benefit from it increase when you understand and can provide what we’re looking for. We suggest you review the CTC’s support materials on how to build and market experiences that will appeal to your best customers. For more information, see the Tools section of this website.

For information on selling to international markets and the benefits of selling through trade, visit our video training library.

Pre-qualifier quiz: (available March 20 – April 30)
Canadian businesses that sell a tourism experience and are interested in being part of the Collection are asked to take this short pre-qualifier quiz. This will help determine whether the CSE program is right for you. After completing the quiz, applicants who wish to proceed with a formal application may begin the process.

Application guide:
Review the application guide to learn more about the CSE program, application process and conditions of acceptance.

Still have questions?  If you can’t find what you’re looking for in the Application guide , criteria, FAQ, backgrounder, or other CTC Tools, contact the CTC’s Brand Experiences Team at experiences [at] ctc-cct [dot] ca.

 

Disclaimer Read more > Close >

The Canadian Signature Experiences collection is neither an accreditation, nor a quality-assurance program. The CTC does not provide travel or tourism services of any kind and is not responsible for any loss or damage you may incur in relation to those services, whether you relied on the experience’s inclusion in the Canadian Signature Experiences collection or not.