What I Know Series: Travelling Matters
For years, I worked in tourism and destination development, helping communities, operators, and organizations attract visitors.
Recently, I had the opportunity to experience destinations from a different perspective—not as a tourism professional, but as a traveller.
With a backpack in tow, I set off to Portugal as a Solo-Traveller looking for a chance to reset, recharge, and experience a different part of the world.
What I found was much more than beautiful scenery, incredible food, and historic cities.
Lisbon, Portugal 2026
Lisbon and the Tagus River
Westernmost Point of Continental Europe - Cabo da Roca, Portugal
I was reminded why some places leave a lasting impression long after you've returned home.
While it's very difficult for me to say this, it has very little to do with marketing.
It's not about hotels.
It's not about attractions.
It's not even about visitors.
Tourism is about people.
It's about creating places where people want to gather, connect, explore, celebrate, learn, and make memories.
Sunset views at the Jardim do Morro in Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal
Rua Augusta Arch at the Praco do Comercio in Lisbon, Portugal
Parque das Virtudes - Porto, Portugal
Cais da Ribeira - Porto, Portugal
The best destinations understand this.
They create experiences that residents love and visitors naturally gravitate toward.
Marketing and storytelling then become amplifiers, not solutions.
They tell the story of a place, but they can't create the story.
Over the coming weeks, I'll be sharing a series of reflections on what travel has reminded me about destination development, visitor experiences, storytelling, authenticity, waterfronts, walkability, food, culture, and the small details that often leave the biggest impressions.
Walking Food Tour - Oh My Cod Tours
Duoro Valley Wine & Boat Tour - DailyTours Portugal - Porto
Performers from Clube de Fado in Lisbon
Made some new friends from Halifax while in Lisbon - on the Water Ferry
New friends from Vancouver at Oriente Train Station in Lisbon on the way to Porto
Not as someone with all the answers.
But as someone who continues to learn from the places I visit and the people I meet.
Because sometimes the best way to understand tourism is to become the traveller again.
While I have you here, I have a question. Where is one place that you have travelled that has left an impression on you and why?
