Destination Canada — Tourism Sprint Program

Insider Tip

The letters of support are the real constraint, and they are the thing you cannot produce quickly. You need two, and one must come from your provincial or territorial tourism ministry or marketing organization — start that conversation the moment an intake is announced, not after. Second, understand what this money is for: it funds the paperwork that unlocks investment (business cases, investor prospectuses, market demand studies, site suitability and land use assessments, financial modelling) and explicitly will not pay for construction, equipment, marketing, staff salaries or event programming. Third, note the disbursement shape — 90% lands on signing the Partnering Agreement and only 10% is held to the final report, which is unusually front-loaded for a federal program. And the Expression of Interest is a genuine gate: no EOI, no application.

Evaluation Criteria

Applications are reviewed for eligibility, alignment with program priorities, and against weighted evaluation criteria — innovation in tourism products and experiences, investment leverage, seasonality diversification, economic impact, Indigenous tourism support, regenerative practices, partnerships, budget feasibility, alignment with Destination Canada strategies, and organizational capacity. Priority goes to projects that develop innovative purchasable tourism products, increase private sector tourism investment, extend tourism outside the traditional high season, contribute measurable job creation, support the Indigenous tourism sector, use regenerative practices, and encourage travel to lower-traffic regions. Projects led by, or in meaningful partnership with, Indigenous communities are stated to be highly prioritized. The program is discretionary and non-entitlement — funding is competitive and not guaranteed.

Application Steps

Required Documents 8

Eligible Expenses 8

• Consulting fees and project management services (financial, environmental, market research and similar)
• Professional services directly related to the project (architects, designers, sustainability experts and similar)
• Business case and investor prospectus development
• Financial projection modelling and pro forma development
• Market demand studies validating visitor interest in a tourism product
• Site suitability or land use assessments covering zoning, access and servicing capacity
• Sustainability or climate risk assessments
• Other costs deemed reasonable and directly attributable to the project, approved in writing by Destination Canada

Ineligible Expenses 10

• Capital costs, including materials, motorized vehicles, land acquisition and equipment purchase
• Operating costs including administration, salaries for permanent or full-time contract staff, rent, utilities, telephone and communications, maintenance, card processing fees, memberships, printing and subscriptions
• Travel, hospitality or incidental expenses for staff or volunteers
• General legal, audit or interest fees
• Insurance, buyouts, restructuring costs, and refundable GST/HST
• Fees for grant writers procured to prepare government funding applications
• Marketing costs including paid advertising, promotion, branding, websites and mobile applications
• Festival and event costs related to programming, operations and marketing
• Costs related to food, alcohol or cannabis
• Expenses incurred before notification of project approval

Intake Periods

Periodic intakes announced on the program site and through Destination Canada's newsletter; the program is currently between intakes. The last cycle opened Expressions of Interest until 5:00 p.m. PT on September 12, 2025 and full applications until 5:00 p.m. PT on October 1, 2025, and ran two streams distinguished by when the applicant could expend Destination Canada's funds.

Deadline Notes

The program is between intakes. Destination Canada states it is not currently accepting Expressions of Interest and that future intakes will be announced on the program site and through its newsletter. In the last intake, Expressions of Interest closed at 5:00 p.m. PT on September 12, 2025 and full applications at 5:00 p.m. PT on October 1, 2025 — both dates have passed and describe a closed cycle. The EOI is a gate, not a formality: you cannot submit a full application without first consulting Destination Canada through an EOI, so there is no way to start today.

Ineligible Organizations

• Organizations not based in Canada
• Unincorporated organizations that are not legislated entities or band councils
• Organizations in existence less than one year as of the application deadline
• Not-for-profits without a clear tourism mandate
• Businesses whose primary operations do not deliver tourism products or services
• Organizations in default of any grant or loan agreement with a federal, provincial or territorial ministry or agency
• Organizations without a Canadian bank account in their own legal name
• Applicants who have not first consulted Destination Canada through an Expression of Interest

Stacking partner data not yet available.

Clawback Risk

Medium Risk

Repayment is explicitly contemplated: 'If funds are not fully utilized within the stipulated timelines the applicant will be required to repay unused funds.' Because 90% of the contribution is paid up front on signing the Partnering Agreement, a project that stalls or underspends is holding Destination Canada's cash and must return the unused portion. The final 10% is withheld until the final report is accepted.