Despite Destination Canada research that predicts a full recovery of Canada’s travel economy by as early as 2024, the Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC) says its own ambitious goals of a full recovery will still take considerable work – and adequate funding – to achieve.

Speaking at the organization’s annual Tourism Congress this week, a two-day event (Nov. 22-23) that took place this year at The Westin Ottawa, TIAC’s VP of Policy and Government Affairs Marc Seguin emphasized to an audience of over 400 delegates that the sector was still a very long way from a full recovery.

In its recent submission to the minister of tourism, TIAC set sector goals to be achieved by 2030 that include total tourism spending in Canada at $134 billion, a total tourism labour workforce of 2.5 million workers, and 30 million total annual international overnight visitors, among other key goals.

“We know that there are four key areas where a host of policy actions are needed,” he said, during his Leadership Report, which kicked off the first day of the Congress. “TIAC and the member-businesses and organizations we represent are confident our proposed goals are achievable by 2030 if adequate financial resources are earmarked in support of the new (federal tourism growth) strategy… but to get us there, a number of other things need to happen.”

Specifically, Seguin emphasized that the government of Canada should focus redevelopment of the strategy to include policy changes in four key areas:

i) Attracting and retaining a sustainable tourism workforce
ii) Improving access for visitors to and within Canada
iii) Developing and promoting tourism assets, and
iv) Building a regenerative and inclusive tourism industry.

These “pillars of action” undergird the Association’s submission to the government to guide its redeveloped strategy; and in drafting it, Seguin said TIAC consulted extensively with its members, other industry leaders and organizations across Canada. “Our submission is a well-thought-out plan for how best to help us get to our sector goals by 2030,” he added.

Among other bold ideas proposed to recover the sector, Seguin recommended the creation of a Tourism Policy Council of Ministers, led by the Minister of Tourism himself. “The strategy’s success rests in all tourism partners rowing in the same direction and never losing sight of our destination,” said Seguin. “But all of the 24 federal departments and agencies now playing a role in tourism must place (these) tourism goals as a top priority. We all need to embrace and reimagine Canada’s tourism industry.”