Canadian tourism business leaders are frustrated that their calls for urgent dialogue and action with the federal government have gone “unanswered” – action needed to ensure that the industry survives and emerges from the calamitous effects of the coronavirus pandemic.
The plea was made late last week by the Canadian Travel and Tourism Roundtable (CTTR), which represents the country’s largest cross-section of travel and tourism employers and stakeholders, including airports, airlines, hotels, travel agencies, boards of trade, and chambers of commerce.
The mandate of the group, which brings together fierce industry competitors, is to establish constructive sector-wide public safety measures, and to rebuild public trust in the safety of travel.
The CTTR points out that the travel and tourism sector employs over 1.8 million Canadians and has been one of the hardest hit industries by the pandemic, adding, “It is imperative that governments and the sector convene about how to ensure that the many COVID-related job losses and business shutdowns do not become permanent” – a fear that was highlighted last week when Transat reported the likelihood of 2,000 permanent layoffs after reporting a 99 percent drop in quarterly revenue.
Calling COVID both a health and economic emergency that governments need to address, the group’s message was delivered during a week when tourism ministers across the country were convening at the Canadian Council of Tourism Ministers (CCTM).
“The only way to sustain the sector is for industry leaders to be at the table with government, and collectively put a plan together that aims at sector relief and measured reopening,” stated Steve Sammut, president and CEO of Vancouver-based Rocky Mountaineer. “The CTTR has repeatedly reached out to government to start a dialogue on how we can approach a reopening of our sector in a safe and measured fashion.”
“We are asking this government to act on measures taken around the world, such as testing and opening safe travel corridors to get our businesses, employees and customers moving again,” added National Airlines Council of Canada president and CEO Mike McNaney.
“We hope the ministers will consider our ask for a coordinated summit with industry and government leaders to prevent long-term structural changes to our sector,” he added. “Nearly two million Canadians depend on it.”
CCTM
While tourism leaders were calling for more progressive action, Canada’s ministers at last week’s virtual summit highlighted federal and provincial supports currently in place to provide immediate relief to the sector, including the Regional Relief and Recovery Fund (RRRF), the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS), the Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA) and the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB).
The co-chairs of the CCTM reported a “successful” meeting, including being briefed by the Tourism Industry Association of Canada, the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada, and Destination Canada, and said they recognized the heavy impact of the pandemic on travel and tourism, at the same time acknowledging “the pandemic will continue to dampen structural demand for the tourism sector for some time.”
In the meantime, they encouraged Canadians to “discover their own backyard.”