TIAC Hill Days 2022

October 19-21, 2022

The Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC) is once again leading a series of advocacy meetings with Parliamentarians and federal departmental officials during its Hill Days event, taking place Oct. 19-21, 2022. These meetings aim to raise awareness of the issues faced by the tourism industry and to champion policies the Government can introduce to help rebuild the visitor economy.

Despite some improvement over the last few months, tourism businesses continue to struggle financially, face barriers to attracting investment and have considerable challenges attracting and retaining the necessary workforce to run their operations.

We now face new challenges – disruptions in supply chains, a worsening labour shortage, inflation at a 40-year high, and rising interest rates. This will hamper recovery.

Special message from Beth Potter, President & CEO

 

Federal Tourism Growth Strategy

In a recent submission to the Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance, Randy Boissonnault, TIAC outlined key priorities to help tourism rebuild from the pandemic and position it for growth.

We recommended several key targets to be achieved by 2030, related to tourism spending, dispersion, workforce, international overnight visitors, and our global competitive position.

To be meaningful and effective, to help focus both decision-making and actions, as well as to measure performance and outcomes, it is necessary for the new federal Tourism Growth Strategy to establish objectives within a set time period.

KEY GOALS TIAC proposed the following: A new bold and achievable target for total tourism spending in Canada be set at $134 billion by the end of 2030. A specific target for total spending in the Indigenous tourism sector be set at $2.5 billion by the end of 2030. The dispersion-related targets be maintained, as was done in the 2019 strategy. A total labour target be set at 2.5 million workers by the end of 2030. The target for the total annual international overnight visitors coming to Canada be set at 30 million by the end of 2030. A goal be set for Canada’s tourism industry to place in the top 5 in the WEF Index by 2030. We identified four key pillars that would best ensure we achieve our goals. These are: Attract and Retain a Sustainable Tourism Workforce, Improve Access for Visitors to and Within Canada, Develop and Promote Tourism Assets, and Build a Regenerative and Inclusive Tourism Industry.

 

Taking our message to the Hill

TIAC’s messaging during these Hill Days meetings will be focused on the specific recommendations laid out in its submission for the Federal Tourism Growth Strategy, and its pre-budget submission.

Please reach out to the advocacy team with any comments or questions, and follow TIAC’s efforts on its social media channels:

 

Madison Simmons, Director of Government Affairs

Here's how you can help!

Help us ensure the most robust recovery possible for tourism. Each day of Hill Days we’ll be sharing a message to raise awareness of the importance of our sector and the challenges it faces. Please amplify these on your channels, either directly from our pages or by downloading the images beside it.

We thank you for all of your support – don't forget to tag us in the post!

Tourism by the Numbers

Tourism is massive, globally. Prior to the pandemic, it was:

One of the world’s largest sectors, accounting for 1 in 4 of all new jobs created in the world, 10.3% of all jobs (333 million), and 10.3% of global GDP (USD $9.6 trillion). International visitor spending amounted to USD $1.8 trillion in 2019 (6.8% of total exports).

At the end of 2019, tourism spending hit an all time high of $105 billion. By the end of 2020, this dropped to $53 billion, with domestic spending decreasing by 40%, and international spending dropping by 87%.

Tourism accounted for 748,000 direct jobs and just over 2 million in total prior to COVID 19. One out of every ten workers in Canada had a job related to tourism. In 2020, direct jobs decreased by 30%, and all related jobs dropped by 23%,

The growth rate of global tourism before COVID outpaced that of the global economy for nine consecutive years. And despite the pandemic, tourism demonstrates a very high potential for strong growth into the future. After a 50.4% decline in the sector’s contribution to the global economy, tourism recovered by 21.7% in 2021. The global economy, by comparison, increased by 6.7%.

By the end of December 2022, total spending levels from both domestic and international sources is expected to reach $80 billion. We have come a long way, but we are not fully back yet.

Tourism matters.

It is the best way to demonstrate to the world our ideals as a nation – resilience, tolerance, sustainability, and inclusivity. Tourism is crucial to fostering a sense of national pride and civic engagement, as well as in in sharing Canada’s values and principles with the world.

Our collective beliefs are needed in the world now more than ever.

Investing in tourism also leads to economic growth, job creation, and environmental protection, and supports the flourishing of local culture, including Indigenous heritage.; It also promotes peace, prosperity, and a respect for human rights.

It also generates considerable revenue in Canada for all levels of government, which ultimately benefits all people across the country.

Check out the latest photos of Hill Days 2022 presented by TIAC!