June 9, 2021

 

As we pause to take in the reality and the horror of a mass grave of Indigenous children, we must ask how things must change going forward. It is time.

 

The Inuit, Metis and First Nations peoples are the foundation of our country. We need to honour them, their traditions, and their beliefs.

 

In Canada, we honour and respect two languages. We lead a way of life that we and our ancestors brought with us from our countries of origin. But as Canadians, we also need to honour the languages and the cultures that came before us.

 

In everything we do, we need to remember the history of our nation – and the people who lived here first. We need to incorporate their traditions, their lessons, and their point of view in everything we do.

 

In the tourism world, we need to stop thinking of Indigenous tourism as a niche market. We need to honour the people that walked here first, the stories that defined their way of life, and the lessons we can learn from them about caring for Mother Earth.

 

We need to adopt and respectfully align our efforts with the recommendations from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as a reconciliation framework.

 

As we remember the children, as we work to be more inclusive, as we go forward, TIAC is committing to learn more from our Indigenous cousins and will work to include Indigenous traditions and teachings in our work.

 

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.

 

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

 

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

Yesterday, TIAC announced the launch of a new campaign to call on the federal government to plan for reopening the Canada-U.S. border, which has been closed for nearly 15 months. 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.

 

TIAC held an in person press conference in Downtown Toronto joined by Chris Bloore, President and CEO of the Tourism Industry Association of Ontario, Scott Beck, CEO of Destination Toronto, Peter Doyle, General Manager of Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada and Vito Curalli, Executive Director, International Sales and Industry Relations, Hilton.

Following this conference, TIAC hosted a virtual press event via zoom, joined by representatives from Provincial and Territorial Tourism Industry Associations. Watch the press conference remarks and questions from media here.

TIAC is asking the government to take urgent action on this issue, so that Canadian tourism operators and businesses have the ability to plan. The tourism industry has been devastated over the last year and a half, and with COVID cases decreasing and vaccination rates increasing, we need to start moving toward a phased and safe reopening plan based on science.

 

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. 

The Canada-U.S. border has been closed for over a year; right now, government is talking about decreasing CEWS and CERS, key programs that helped keep tourism businesses afloat. Our message is clear - if financial aid is decreasing, then borders must reopen so that businesses can go back to work and support themselves.

 

To complement this launch, TIAC will be hosting a number of Parliamentary and Congressional panels in the coming weeks to discuss border reopening. The first will take place tomorrow, Thursday, June 10th at 9:00am EDT. Tune in via TIAC’s Facebook page.

 

 

 

 

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.

During yesterday's Member TALK, guest speaker Angela Nagy, Chief Executive Officer with GreenStep Solutions, gave TIAC Members an exclusive look at the Sustainable Tourism 2030 Pledge and addressed questions.  

 

Developed in Canada by GreenStep, the Sustainable Tourism 2030 Pledge offers a free online assessment and sustainability score, helping tourism businesses and destinations self-assess on a broad range of sustainability criteria. 

 

To access the Member TALK recording, click here and use your TIAC Member Login.

 

The next Member TALK is scheduled for July 13th from 2:00 - 3:00 pm EDT. TIAC Members can register by clicking here.