Key Messages

This Tourism Week, TIAC is calling on decision-makers to address some of the barriers to our tourism growth. While the Federal budgets the past several years included important strategic investments in a number of key areas, such as international marketing, transportation, national parks, attractions and infrastructure, more needs to be done to bring the industry to it’s full potential. TIAC believes that fixing the challenges in four key areas will facilitate a greater increase in travel to Canada:

		Labour We need permanent immigration solutions that meet the skills needs of the sector. This includes temporary labour solutions that meet the skills needs of regional labour markets, and skills and capacity building programs available for tourism occupations.
		Access – Visa Processing/Barriers to Entry Canada needs a streamlined visa process and should be bringing low-risk countries under the eTA program which has proven an effective way to quickly vet travellers to the country. Supporting pre-clearance measures that facilitate the movement of people across the border with the US, our largest tourism market, is also important for growth.
		Cost Competitiveness There should be no additional federal fees and taxes on tourism products. To reduce these costs, the government should reduce fees, levies and taxes on air travel.
		Marketing Funding to Support Tourism There should be no cuts to Destination Canada funding in future budgets. An incremental funding model and permanent funding structure are important for industry success.