Our group of trailblazers in the Tourism’nomics panel will talk about new approaches and perspectives in sustainability, labour, culinary and the Indigenous economy illustrated by the Tourism economics. But why did we choose these four pillars? Here are why these pillars are important to TIAC:

1. Sustainability
One of the main attractions of Canada is our pristine natural beauty and diverse wildlife – this is product that we cannot ever get back is it is not carefully preserved. Tourism and conservation efforts are symbiotic. At TIAC, we try hard through advocacy and partnerships with groups like Parks Canada to make sure this message is heard. There’s much more we can do to aide sustainability efforts, and we hope you’ll enjoy innovative concepts in this session!

2. Labour
It’s not a secret that our tourism sector faces a chronic labour shortage, and this is frequently our top issue at meetings with government stakeholders. According to our friends at Tourism HR Canada, even with the recent changes to Canada’s immigration targets, we will be short nearly 60,000 thousand jobs and miss out on a lot of potential revenue if we do not resolve shortages by 2035. Let's move from complaints to action and make sure we aren’t missing out!

3. Culinary
Culinary tourism is one of the fastest growing and most popular segments of the global tourism economy. In Canada, this doesn’t just mean poutine and canola oil. We have so many culinary delights waiting to be discovered by tourists from around the world. Is your regions culinary strategy ready to show your might?

4. Indigenous
This sector is one of the fastest growing and most important in Canada. The government is investing heavily in this area now. In the last budget, $8.6 million dedicated to Aboriginal Tourism development through Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada. It’s our turn to do more to integrate these products into the tourism experience.