Wild Rose Member of Parliament Blake Richards, who chairs the Parliamentary Tourism Caucus, participated in the Canadian Council of Tourism Ministers’ meetings, Sept. 8 to 9 in Charlottetown, PEI.
The meetings included federal, provincial, and territorial tourism and culture ministers from across Canada, as well as representatives of the Canadian Tourism Commission and the Tourism Industry Association of Canada.
“Our Canadian tourism industry is strong, and continues to grow in the wake of the global recession,” said Richards.
“This sector now generates $84 billion in revenue across Canada, and directly employs 618,000 people.”
“The tourism sector has identified numerous opportunities for further growth over the next several years, and the meetings provided governments, tourism industry experts, and industry a chance to work together towards shared priorities.”
Ministers discussed emerging opportunities in Aboriginal Tourism, efforts to encourage growth in the U.S. market, as well as planned celebrations for Canada’s 150th anniversary in 2017.
“With a solid economy and a sustainable financial model, Canada’s reputation continues to attract visitors from across the globe,” said Maxime Bernier, minister of State for Tourism, Small Business and Agriculture.
“Tourism is a significant growth driver for our country and the discussions we had show that are well positioned to face the competition in the coming months.”
Overall, tourism remains a sector on the rise, said Richards. Toronto welcomed a record number of foreign visitors in 2013, with hotels setting new sales records. Vancouver earned the Skytrax 2014 World Airport Award for the best North American airport, and according to Yukon’s minister of Tourism and Culture, the number of visitors to Yukon has increased 26 per cent since 2004.
Closer to home, Banff was named the best skiing destination Crystal Ski, the U.K.’s leading ski operator, and Calgary was ranked one of the top five sports cities in the world by SportBusiness International.
“This is a good time for the tourism sector in Canada; tourism revenues increased by a healthy three per cent in 2013,” said Richards.
“We are positioned to seize new opportunities as they arise. For instance, next year we will host both the FIFA Women’s World Cup and the Pan Am Games.
“By working together with our provincial, territorial and industry partners, I know we will be able to make the most of these opportunities.”
