Visit California, Canadian travel pros rock out with Bruce Springsteen at TIFF

Bold-faced names from Canada’s travel industry hung out with The Boss in Toronto on Sunday night (Sept. 8).

Singer Bruce Springsteen was in town for the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), making an appearance at Roy Thomson Hall for the world premiere of “Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band,” a documentary that looks at the 74-year-old rock legend, his long-time group of collaborators, and his latest world tour.

How the travel industry factored into the night was through Visit California, the Golden State’s tourism board, which is a premier partner at this year’s festival.

READ MORE: Lights, camera, action! Fort Myers brings palm tree paradise to TIFF 2024

Welcoming its top travel and media VIPs to last night’s screening – a guest list that included reps from Air Canada, WestJet, Porter, Travel Leaders Network, G Adventures and TravelBrands – Visit California kicked the night off with a pre-movie party in its exclusive “Red Carpet Suite,” where guests got to wave at Springsteen (through a glass window) as the singer made his way to the theatre.

Attendees also got the Hollywood treatment – everyone, including PAX, was invited to walk the red carpet, in front of a pit full of cheering fans and flashing cameras, before heading to the “Campari Red Carpet Lounge” for drinks.

Visit California in the spotlight 

 Visit California is promoting itself during TIFF with destination-rich campaigns, including a photo-taking activation on King Street West, where the festival’s street event is happening.

California’s latest “Let’s Play” ad spot – a commercial featuring a beach ball (which was invented in California) taking a journey through the state in a game of “keep it up,” leaning into the message that California inspires people to pursue playfulness – has also been playing during film pre-rolls.

All about “set-jetting”

It’s a fitting partnership, giving that Los Angeles, California, is home to the Hollywood entertainment industry, which also drives tourism.

“So many people go to California to have their main character moment,” said Julie Georgas, president of Zeno Group, which represents Visit California in Canada, in an on-site interview with PAX.

“Set-jetting” – when travellers flock to locations popularized by movies and television series – continues to be powerful travel trend, Georgas said.

“People want to go and experience the places behind their favourite movies and TV shows,” she said.

Danielle Noël, vice-president of Zeno Group (and Visit California lead), said the U.S. state is perfectly positioned as “the ultimate playground.”

“It’s whatever your play style is,” she said. “There’s something fun for families, couples…We’re encouraging people to find different play styles within California’s environments.”

Travel to California  

California, a western U.S. state on the Pacific coast, is known for its striking scenery, from its cliff-lined beaches to redwood forest to the Sierra Nevada Mountains to Central Valley farmland to the Mojave Desert.

In addition to Los Angeles, other notable cities in California include San Francisco and San Diego. The Napa and Sonoma Valleys, too, are renowned for their wineries and postcard-perfect vineyards.

It’s also a well-known fact that California enjoys a comfortable climate, making it a year-round destination (and an attractive place to visit for Canadians looking to escape the cold).

Canadian arrivals, in particular, are expected to increase this year as airlines add new routes to California – Porter Airlines being one carrier.

Porter, this December, will launch non-stop flights to San Diego (SAN) and Palm Springs (PSP) airports from Toronto Pearson (YYZ), adding to its already-active Los Angeles and San Francisco offering.

“Home of the road trip”

One approach the tourism board is taking is to promote multi-city itineraries – because California is “home of the road trip,” Noël explained. 

“It’s one of the best ways to experience the destination,” she said. That’s worth noting, especially as the centennial of the historic Route 66 will take place in 2026.

“We’re encouraging travel advisors to check out different itineraries in California, whether it culinary, adventure or cinema,” Noël said. 

 Brand USA has plans for travel advisors 

Supporting Visit California spotlight at TIFF this year is Brand USA, a marketing organization (and corporate TIFF partner) that represents all 50 U.S. states, five territories and the District of Columbia.   

Spotted last night was Casey Canevari, Brand USA’s senior manager, global trade development, who was inspired to partner with TIFF after seeing last year’s festival in action.  

VIDEO: Brand USA’s first Canadian MegaFam – interview with Casey Canevari & Jackie Ennis

“I was walking down the street and saw tons of people on King. Everything was shut down, and I wondered what was going on. It happened to be the film festival,” said Canevari (who lives in Boston, but visits Canada frequently). “It was at that point that I determined that this was something I wanted us to be involved with.”

Canevari, who will be appearing at this Thursday’s (Sept. 12) ACTA Summit in Toronto, said the travel trade community can look forward to big updates from Brand USA, which held its first-ever MegaFam for Canadian travel advisors earlier this year.

“We’re introducing different ways to see and explore and, in travel trade communities, how you can sell more of the U.S.,” Canevari said.

Canevari said Brand USA is activating a three-year strategy, all the way to 2027, for attracting Canadian visitors to the United States. 

Canadian arrival numbers, currently, are “phenomenal,” Canevari said. The U.S., last year, saw 20.5 million Canadian visitors, and the numbers are expected to grow by five per cent year-on-year, he said.

“We’re doing very well,” he said.

The travel industry loves TIFF

Visit California is one of many travel entities making a splash at TIFF this year.

Last week, Fort Myers, Florida brought a palm tree paradise to the festival’s Hollywood North party at the University Club of Toronto. 

Air France is also on the scene, beautifying the TIFF Founders Lounge while also promoting its new business class menu. Intrepid Travel, meanwhile, is the main sponsor TIFF’s Midnight Madness program.

As for Bruce Springsteen, the iconic rock star doesn’t plan on unplugging his guitar any time soon.

Addressing last night’s audience on stage at a post-film Q&A, Springsteen said he wants to keep rocking on until “the wheels come off.”

If I went tomorrow, it’s OK,” Springsteen told the pumped-up crowd. “What a fucking ride!”

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