In Episode 13 of You Came to the Right Place, Natasha Lair and Jen Mallia sit down with Intrepid Travel CEO James Thornton to talk about the company’s 2027 Not Hot List — encouraging travellers to venture beyond the world’s overcrowded hotspots.

For the first time, a Canadian destination has made the list: Whitehorse, Yukon. Thornton explains why it made the cut, why Intrepid believes “Not Hot” is really about better tourism rather than less tourism, and how destinations are evaluated to ensure they’re actually ready for more visitors.

The conversation also tackles one of tourism’s biggest contradictions: Once you shine a spotlight on an under-the-radar destination, how do you stop it from becoming the next overcrowded hotspot?

In this episode:

• Why Whitehorse became the first Canadian destination on Intrepid’s Not Hot List
• How Intrepid decides whether a destination is ready for more tourism
• Whether redirecting travellers can actually help combat overtourism
• The role social media plays in where — and how — people travel
• Why Canadian travellers are increasingly looking beyond the traditional bucket list
• How travel advisors can sell destinations clients may never have considered
• Why responsible growth matters more than simply growing visitor numbers

And in The Pulse Check, James reveals his biggest travel pet peeve, the “hot” destination he can’t resist and the travel behaviour he’d permanently ban.

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ABOUT THE HOSTS

Between them, Natasha Lair and Jen Mallia bring more than four decades of media and travel editorial experience to the mic. Ontario-based Natasha, Managing Editor of TravelPulse Canada, is warm, funny, and deeply curious, known for finding the human angle and cutting through industry spin with factual, unbiased reporting. Edmonton-based Jen, Senior Editor and travel media expert, pairs two decades of travel editorial experience with charm, quick wit, and sharp industry insight. From Central Canada to the West, they’ve got their ears to the ground, delivering real talk, smart analysis, and just enough sarcasm to keep it interesting.

ABOUT THE SHOW

You Came to the Right Place is a Canadian travel industry podcast from TravelPulse Canada. Expect smart conversation, insider context, and the kind of straight talk that doesn’t always make it into a press release. Each episode blends candid conversations between two editors, interviews with industry leaders, advisors, destination execs, and the people behind the stories we publish. If you work in travel, you came to the right place.