In this episode of Let's Talk Northern Ontario Tourism, host Karen Peacock sits down with Justin Lafontaine, co-founder of the Tourism Innovation Lab. This incubator for tourism businesses runs the very successful "Spark" Program, which awards grants and mentorships to early stage tourism businesses through Dragon’s Den style pitch competitions. In this conversation, Justin shares how the program works, what finalists and winners gain from participating, success stories from Northern Ontario, and the emerging trends he’s seeing among the program’s applicants.

• 01:29 Meet Justin Lafontaine
• 03:57 The Birth of the Spark Program and Tourism Innovation Lab
• 07:45 What the Tourism Innovation Lab Does
• 08:44 Previous Spark Programs in Northern Ontario and Beyond
• 13:52 Benefits of Seed Funding
• 17:32 Benefits of Mentorship for Mentees and Mentors
• 24:58 Trends Among Early Stage Tourism Entrepreneurs
• 31:28 Spark Program Success Stories
• 35:33 Challenges Faced By Tourism Innovators, Entrepreneurs, and Mentors
• 41:33 Future of the Tourism Innovation Lab
• 43:07 What Justin Loves About Working in Tourism
• 46:14 Next Episode Preview

About the Tourism Innovation Lab 

• Tourism Innovation Lab website - tourisminnovation.ca
• Facebook - facebook.com/TourismInnovationCanada
• Instagram - instagram.com/tourisminnovationcanada
• X - twitter.com/TourInnovation
• LinkedIn - linkedin.com/company/77690429
• YouTube - youtube.com/@tourisminnovationlab 
• Contact - [email protected]

About the podcast

Let's Talk Northern Ontario Tourism is a podcast for tourism operators and industry stakeholders featuring experts who understand what it means to run a tourism business or organization here in Northern Ontario. Through casual conversations, you’ll learn about cutting edge topics like AI marketing, Cruise Ship Tourism, and trends that are shaking up the industry. Plus, you can tune in  while driving or doing chores.

For even more  insights that’ll help you grow your business, organization, or community, connect with Tourism Excellence North, which is part of Destination Northern Ontario:

• Website - tourismexcellencenorth.ca
• Facebook - facebook.com/DestinationNorthernOntario
• Instagram - instagram.com/destinationnorthernontario
• LinkedIn - linkedin.com/company/destinationnorthernontario

If you like podcasts, DNO has another one called Destination: Northern Ontario. Season 1 is for people thinking about buying a tourism business, and Season 2 has helpful advice for new tourism operators. 

 Let's Talk Northern Ontario Tourism is an initiative of Tourism Excellence North and is recorded on the traditional territories of the Anishinaabek and the Mushkegowuk. It is hosted by Karen Peacock and produced by Storied Places Media with support from Erica Richard, Naza Obasi, and Gillian McCullough.