Despite the ongoing impact the pandemic has had on Canada’s tourism industry, new research by Twenty31 Consulting for TIAC conducted during the height of the pandemic shows that international travellers from the US and the UK still want to come to Canada. Even better, 40% of these international travellers are interested in visiting Canada during the shoulder seasons.

Growing shoulder season tourism is a key element of our plans for post-COVID-19 recovery as the summer tourism season looks to be increasingly at risk due to border closures. These survey results come as an encouragement to extend Canada’s tourism season into the fall and winter seasons, and provide an opportunity for members – provided the government is on track to reopen borders both domestically and internationally. The data shows that large portions of international visitors see the months on either side of Canada’s peak tourism season as an attractive period to visit/vacation within the country. Two in five (40%) of those who say they intend to travel to or within Canada for their next holiday say they are most likely to travel in the shoulder season. 

TIAC, in partnership with the Government of Canada, recently launched Elevating Canadian Experiences – a workshop series designed to help tourism operators attract travelers to destinations outside of major urban centres. These workshops focus on strategy development and capacity building for tourism operators in the winter/shoulder seasons and in the ever-growing culinary field. 

With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the content of these workshops slightly shifted to reflect the new reality many are facing. Delivered in partnership with provinces, territories, and regional partners, Elevating Canadian Experiences will help tourism operators prepare to welcome visitors again once it is safe to do so. The research conducted by Twenty31 shows how vital it is for Canada and tourism operators to invest in branding and capacity building now, to be ready to welcome visitors again in the future.

To learn more, please visit https://www.elevatingcanadianexperiences.ca/ece-news