May 21, 2021 (Ottawa) – Today, the Tourism Industry Association of Canada, Destination Canada, and representatives from Canada’s Provincial and Territorial Tourism Industry Associations held a press conference to kick start industry momentum in advance of next week’s Tourism Week.  

 

Tourism Week is lead by the Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC) and is held on an annual basis to elevate Canada’s tourism industry. It also highlights the value of the tourism sector to Canada’s economy -- an especially vital message in the era of COVID-19. A key part of the mission for this year’s Tourism Week will be to emphasize the role that tourism plays in Canada’s economic growth.

 

In 2019, the tourism economy in Canada generated $105 billion in economic activity, accounting for 2% of the country’s GDP. The travel and tourism sector was also responsible for employing over 1.8 million workers.

 

That was then. Now, industry, including accommodation, recreation and entertainment, food and beverage operators, retail, tour operators and travel service providers, attractions, transportation, meeting and conventions, cruise, Indigenous operators, emerging sectors, and more face relentless challenges – and have done so through 2020 and into 2021.

 

For example, Canadian passenger air transport revenues fell 91% and accommodation revenues dropped by 71%, from April to November 2020. And even as recovery from the pandemic gathers momentum, the fallout from COVID-19 continues to batter the industry.

 

As such, Tourism Week is inviting tourism stakeholders across the nation to rally around a call for Canadians to spend their leisure travel budgets on domestic holidays.

 

To help energize those plans, TIAC has penned a pledge encouraging Canadian consumers to plan and take a vacation in Canada, when restrictions allow, and to spread the word about that experience to friends and neighbours.

 

“This year, we aim to recognize the resilience of the industry through this unprecedented time,” says Beth Potter, President and CEO of TIAC.

 

“We are calling on Canadians to take the 2021 Tourism Pledge to travel in Canada first, when restrictions are lifted. This is an invitation to come together as a country and support our local tourism destinations, businesses, and employees,” she said.

 

To download the 2021 Tourism Pledge and read how Tourism Counts across Canada, visit TourismCounts.ca, the social media gateway for Tourism Week in Canada.

 

It carries the tagline “It’s What Makes Canada Glow,” and that statement will be brought to life throughout the week, as tourism operators from coast-to-coast-coast are encouraged to light up their businesses with the “glowing green” that represents Tourism Week.

 

Through Tourism Week, industry stakeholders are encouraged to share the message, embrace the campaign and use resources available at TourismCounts.ca, as well as host media events and distribute press releases highlighting their region, destination and their industry members’ contribution to Canada’s Tourism ecosystem.

 

 

Media Inquiries

Madison Simmons
Director of Government Affairs, TIAC
msimmons@tiac-aitc.ca
613-864-3079