Welcome to 2023! On behalf of the Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC), I’d like to wish all our TIAC Members, Associate Members, our partners in the public and private sectors, and the industry-at-large a joyous and happy New Year. The last 12 months have been a time of pressing challenges and much change (read our Annual Report here!). As our borders gradually reopened over 2022, it felt like the whole industry was playing catch up - making up for the lost time of the lockdown years. And indeed, we were – ramping up our hiring and pivoting our plans at warp-speed to meet the emerging challenges of the post-pandemic era.  

We are starting the New Year in the strongest position we’ve been in in years; with an expanded team, a solid business plan, and slew of new programs to guide the sector back to the $105 billion-industry it was pre-pandemic. Chief among those programs is the brand-new TIAC READI Program, a platform rich with tools, educational events, and resources to help SMEs in the tourism sector innovate for a sustainable future and long-term economic growth.

The core tenets of this program are to:

• Reach – Reach out to a breadth and diversity of tourism businesses and organizations 
  
  
• Engage – To engage businesses and organizations in interactive and highly participatory capacity development workshops and/or events
  
  
• Activate – To empower businesses and organizations to activate their growth potential 
  
  
• Develop – To support businesses and organizations in developing business models, products, and services
  
  
• Innovate – And to provide a one-stop shop of information and resources needed to drive innovation

Nested within the READI Program is our Sustainable Tourism Symposium, rolling out virtually across Canada this month. These Symposia feature sustainability experts sharing their insights on best practices for business leaders seeking to promote responsible growth; that is, development that maximizes economic impact while minimizing negative effects on our communities and the environment we all share. The Symposia are now underway, so please check out the website for more information on how to register for the one in your province or territory.

I am also hitting the road over the next few months to meet with businesses and stakeholders from coast to coast across Canada as part of TIAC’s Tourism Town Halls (also a part of the READI Program). These Town Halls offer a forum for the industry to meet with TIAC and our partners to discuss, debate and engage in dialogue on the most pressing issues facing our industry. They will be delivered in-person in every province and territory, and I’m very much looking forward to kicking things off on Jan. 19 in Saskatoon – be sure to register here and check out our other dates and locations! I’m looking forward to seeing you.

It feels safe to say that the era of “in-person everything” has begun – and I, for one, am ecstatic about it. Mark your calendars for RVC2023, May 30-June 2 (with Seller registration beginning on Jan. 25) – this year, it is in-person only. It’s been 12 years since Rendez-vous Canada (the international tourism marketplace we co-present annually with Destination Canada) was held in Quebec City, and I am keen on experiencing such a beautiful destination again.

Last, but certainly not least, I’d like to remind TIAC Members that our Annual General Meeting is next week. The Jan. 17 Zoom meeting will be held at 1 p.m. ET and is open for attendance by all full voting TIAC Members, or their proxies, as noted in the proxy form available online here.

Whether in-person or online, I’m looking forward to seeing you in the coming weeks and months!


Sincerely,

Beth Potter

President & CEO
Tourism Industry Association of Canada