This week Travel Monitor caught up with Adventure Canada CEO, Cedar Swan, to talk all things Canada and the travel industry. This is what she had to say.
What does your job involve?
My daily work involves collaborating with an incredible group of people to plan, market and sell our expeditions. I have the usual responsibilities of a CEO, but over the past year I have really enjoyed the development of our regenerative tourism plan. We’ll be rolling that out soon. The most exciting part of my work is the great privilege of being able to host a number of our expeditions each year to the Canadian Arctic, Atlantic Canada, and parts of northern Europe.
What do you enjoy most about your profession?
I most enjoy the opportunity to connect our guests to the places that are so near and dear to me. When I have the opportunity to facilitate the expedition directly, it is even more enjoyable as I am able to witness the joy that people have when discovering incredible parts of our world.
What are the biggest challenges for you in your profession?
One of the biggest challenges is staying connected to our on-board expedition team when I am in the office, and vice versa: staying connected to our office when I am in the field. I love all aspects of the business and like to be kept in the loop!
What do you think are the biggest challenges the industry faces?
There is a new wave of expedition ships being built, which is excellent. It will be interesting to see how expedition cruising evolves as mainstream tour operators enter and put their stamp on the industry. Expedition cruising is characterised by learning immersive experiences to remote regions of the world, and we need to be cautious when facing rapid development in these remote areas, many of which are ecologically and culturally sensitive.
What do you think will be the biggest game changer in the travel industry in the next 12 months’?
I’d like to think the biggest game changer in the travel industry in the next 12 months will be advances in technology to allow for travel with less impact. However, I think we are still years away from those implementations on a large scale. For expedition cruising, we are on the precipitous of a notable change in our client base. We’re anticipating new travel motivators and client expectation, and we are planning for those shifts now.
Who inspires you most and why?
One of the great joys of offering meaningful travel experiences is the opportunity to build and share knowledge, and create ambassadors along the way. Knowing we help people step outside of their life to experience nature’s grand theatre gives me great hope for the future.
Who would you invite on your next holiday if you could choose anyone and where would you go?
It has been a long time since I have gone on a canoe trip in the wilderness — running an Arctic expedition company leaves me little leisure time during the summer months! For my next holiday, I would love to reunite with old family friends that I have camped and travelled with in the past, and explore some of Canada’s beautiful lakes and forests.
Website – Adventurecanada.com
Email – cedar@adventurecanada.com
