Travel and tourism leaders in Canada are urging the federal government to announce a comprehensive re-opening plan before calling an election. With rumours and signs suggesting that announcement of a fall vote may be imminent, the Canadian Travel and Tourism Roundtable says the government should hold off on sending Canadians to the polls until a such a timetable is established and implemented, adding, “We can’t play politics with the livelihoods of Canadians and Canadian businesses.”
“We all know that an election means a pause on all government activity. Canadians and Canadian businesses deserve to know what re-opening looks like long before a federal election is called,” says Perrin Beatty, President and CEO of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, which is a member of The Roundable, along with a host of other prominent travel sector representatives that includes airlines, hotels, travel associations, and affiliated businesses.
The Roundtable was making the rounds this week in Ottawa as part of its strategy to frame and reiterate its re-opening request through the prism of specific members. Recent outreach has included Niagara Falls and Toronto Attractions.
In Ottawa, business leaders echoed the call to re-open tourism and the Canada-US border in time to save the summer travel season, which provides a disproportionate amount of revenue to businesses dependent on tourists.
“At this stage in the pandemic, we expect our federal government to have a clear plan in place. Countless businesses in Ottawa have either already permanently closed or are on the brink of bankruptcy,” said Sueling Ching, President and CEO, Ottawa Board of Trade.
Ross Meredith, Dual General Manager, The Westin Ottawa and Delta Hotels by Marriott added, “Usually at this time of year The Westin Ottawa is buzzing with people from all over the world. This year, it’s eerily quiet. Ottawa is a world-class city. We are home to many of the best festivals, concerts, and sporting events that the country has to offer. However, this year everything’s cancelled… As a result, our hotels are struggling. We need a plan to start getting back to normal, we can’t afford to wait.”
The Roundtable claims that the government’s reluctance to allow fully vaccinated visitors to enter Canada, along with its failure to produce “clear guidance” on re-opening, is “devastating local businesses” in Ottawa and elsewhere.
“With vaccination rates rising every day,” says tour operator founder Joe Kowalski of Wilderness Tours, Ottawa River, “we believe the government should have a clear re-opening plan in place to ensure we don’t lose yet another summer of tourism.”