Deneen Allen is the founder and president of Pure North Canada Ltd., a Canadian tourism and hospitality development company with a focus on specialty urban, rural and remote hospitality and tourism projects across Canada.

Following an early career with her own commercial design and interior construction company in Vancouver, Deneen followed her dream into the world of travel and hospitality in the development, ownership and operation of two gourmet food shops, a catering company, a cooking school and a corporate retreat in Southern Georgian Bay, Ontario. In 2008, Deneen launched Pure North Canada and moved into tourism and hospitality consulting. Deneen has since had the privilege of working with Indigenous communities, Parks Canada, provincial park agencies, private lodging companies and travel companies across the country.

Deneen’s passion is lending her 25 years of experience in market positioning, brand story development, operational design, cultural, culinary, recreational and wellness programming, facilities programming, financial modelling, human resource coordination, sales, marketing and distribution to the complex components of her clients’ hospitality and tourism projects to deliver a profound sense of place and to ensure long-term sustainability.

Some of Deneen’s favourite projects over the years include several lodge turn-around projects across the country, developing the concept and the brand story for Solstice Destinations, providing the vision, market study, operating model and development coordination for Skywatch, the first of several intended luxury properties by Solstice. In addition, Deneen has been honoured to lead and contribute to several ground-breaking community tourism developments such as the new Saliqmiut: Centre for Arts and Culture in Tuktuuyaqtuuq in NWT, the Arviat Community Ecotourism Initiative in Nunavut, the Blackfoot Crossing Heritage Park Repatriation and Renewal Plan in Alberta, the Thaidene Nene Sustainable Tourism Strategy in the Northwest Territories and the Redevelopment Plan for Black River Wilderness Park in Orillia, Ontario.

Through Pure North, Deneen is expressing her belief in the need for more conscious travel – for more community and connectivity.

Deneen is also the founder of Firecircle, Canada’s only tourism entrepreneur accelerator, an online, fully mentored platform for entrepreneurs at any stage of their business, featuring the award-winning Firecircle 5×5 Method™.

In all projects and partnerships, Deneen aims to deliver deeply transformational and transcultural travel opportunities, honouring the land and all peoples of this place in the world called Canada. Deneen believes in the power of sustainable tourism as a catalyst for cultural education, socio-cultural pride and economic vitality.

Exploring Canada’s vast beauty and meeting the people of these places is an on-going adventure and Deneen feels privileged to contribute to Canada’s tourism economy. During the spaces in between, Deneen is enjoying being back home in Vancouver, being with family and friends, learning classical guitar, trying to predict the next disruptions to the travel and wellness industries, learning all about AI, and being outside as much as possible in any weather.