Ottawa continues to look at ways to reboot Canada’s tourism industry

Saturday, November 12, 2022

Having poured $23 billion into Canada’s tourism/hospitality sector over the past two years to keep it afloat during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, federal Minister of Tourism Randy Boissonnault said the plan now is to switch the focus from survival to revival.

Boissonnault said tourism activity is back to about 85 per cent of 2019 pre-pandemic levels.

The first hurdle that needs clearing is finding enough workers to begin the rebuild of Canada’s tourism industries.

There’ll be 465,000 in 2023, 485,000 in ’24 and half a million in ’25. That should help with the labour issues they’re facing.

While the two-year COVID support programs are winding down, Boissonnault acknowledged the sector isn’t ready to stand on its own yet.

Direct supports and programs designed to grow the tourism economy are definitely part of the federal tourism growth strategy, Boissonnault said.

He wants them to focus on access, attractions and really making sure we embrace authentic Indigenous tourism.

Boissonnault sketched out a more aggressive vision of the future for tourism.

It focuses on attracting a more diverse customer base, guests willing to pay more for experiences, increase the number of gateway cities and update the branding of Canada.

Boissonnault said the focus for border communities like Windsor is more on increasing the numbers arriving by car and speeding up the process at land crossings.

Americans made two million trips to Canada in August 2022, which was four times the total of August 2021. About 1.2 million of those trips were by car.

During a visit to the Windsor area Wednesday, Boissonnault met with Windsor-Essex Regional Chamber of Commerce officials to get an update on local concerns.

Another concern local businesses have is the payment schedules for COVID support loans.

Boissonnault said there are ongoing “open discussions” about finding ways to ease the pain of having to repay COVID loans by extending payment periods. He’s also working with financial institutions about being less risk-averse to tourism businesses.

The growing local microbrewers’ scene might also get some relief from the full impact of the tax escalator on brewery products being tied to the rate of inflation.

Boissonnault didn’t hold out the same hope for large commercial brewers, who will face a tax increase on their products of 6.3 per cent in January.

« Back to Page

• Hospitality Sector Thrives: Nairobi Emerges as Hub for Growth at 11th EAPI Summit

• Singapore Airlines Group soars to new heights with dual wins at 2024 Air Transport World Awards

• Zhangjiajie expects rebound in tourists from South Korea this year

• Faith-based travelers key to Israel’s post-crisis comeback

• Thailand and China to waive visa requirements for each other’s nationals