Last week, we launched a national campaign to call on the federal government to plan for reopening the Canada-U.S. border. The time is now, the tourism industry is at a critical point of no return.

 

As your National Voice for the Tourism Industry, we have increased the pressure and working with our partners of the Canadian Travel & Tourism Roundtable to elevate the message that a plan, based on science and facts needs to be announced so all businesses, including travel and tourism operators, can rehire, retrain, market and tool-up to be ready to welcome visitors. As we know, it is not just a simple process of flicking a switch.

 

We have met with leaders on both sides of the border who support this initiative and have been holding press conferences and media interviews across the country reinforcing the ask.

 

Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have been addressing the ever-changing hurdles placed in front of our industry. We have been working behind the scenes monitoring the situation and advocating recommendations that will help our industry survive and navigate the conditions. Our approach has always been based on science and evidence and the recent report from the Expert Advisory Panel gave us a foot in the door and the ammunition needed to launch a full-court press.

 

While the health and safety of Canadians continue to be of the utmost importance, with the increase in vaccination rollout and the findings from the Federal Governments' own Expert Panel; we are asking for a plan with a concrete date to reopen the border.

 

Numerous organizations are supporting our efforts and I hope we can count on every tourism operator in Canada to join forces. Please share this message.

 

If you haven't already done so, visit the visit www.openuscanborder.ca site, take action and encourage your peers to do the same.

 

Beth Potter

President & CEO

Tourism Industry Association of Canada

Dear Tourism Stakeholders,

 

The TIAC Team is pleased to provide you with this update on the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, including the steps government is taking to address the situation, as well as highlights of our recent advocacy efforts. We are working hard to make sure the industry’s voice is heard by government, and that you have the information you need to keep your business going in these uncertain times.

 

Please find the latest updates on official announcements and a recap of TIAC’s advocacy work on behalf of Canada’s Visitor Economy:

Last week, TIAC announced the launch of the #OpentheBorder campaign, calling on the federal government to commit to a plan for reopening the Canada-U.S. border. The campaign focuses on getting Canadian decision-makers to acknowledge the urgent need and to commit to a date to open the border, before the summer tourism season is lost.

 

As a part of this campaign, TIAC will also be hosting a number of Parliamentary and Congressional panels in the coming weeks to discuss border reopening. The first took place on June 10th, and included Beth Potter, MP Wayne Easter, Congressman Brian Higgins, and political reporter Althia Raj.

 

Our next panel will take place this Thursday, June 17th at 11am, broadcast live on our Facebook page.

Complementing this campaign, TIAC President and CEO, Beth Potter, took part in a press conference earlier this week with the Canadian Travel and Tourism Roundtable, further calling on the federal government to release a comprehensive national reopening plan to lift border restrictions, announcing criteria for opening the Canada U.S. border, and to implement a vaccination certification program to allow entry to international travels.#TimeToTravel

 

We continue our pressure in advance of June 21, the current expiration date of the Canada U.S. border closure.

 

Please join us and send a letter of support for this campaign here: www.openuscanborder.ca

Send an email to Madison Simmons, Director of Government Affairs at TIAC at msimmons@tiac-aitc.ca if you would like your organization’s logo to be featured on the microsite in support of this campaign.

 

Our members are our priority. Please reach out with any comments or questions on advocacy initiatives to beth@tiac-aitc.ca

 

Over the past week, we have garnered over 300 distinct media mentions across Canada and the U.S. with the launch of the #OpentheBorder campaign. TIAC was covered in numerous publications from CBC, Global News, and CTV in cities across the country, as well as on BNN Bloomberg and the Toronto Star.

 

 

 

 

Tourism Town Halls allow tourism operators to provide first-hand input on issues affecting their business and the tourism industry in this time of COVID and provide feedback on government policy for the recovery and rebuilding of our sector. They also provide a front-line forum exposure for governments, TIAC, Destination Canada and event sponsors to collaborate with small and medium-sized tourism business operators.

 

 

Register to attend a Tourism Town Hall by clicking here.