The Honourable Randy Boissonnault, Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance, made the following statement marking Tourism Week 2022:
"Today, we join Canada's tourism industry in celebrating the 2022 edition of Tourism Week.
"After more than two very difficult years for Canadian tourism, I would like to recognize the dedication of tens of thousands of tourism businesses, destination marketing organizations and community tourism associations across Canada that dug deep when things were rocky.
"It is because of you, your hard work and your resilience that we can now say: Canada is ready to safely welcome back domestic and international visitors.
"With breathtaking outdoor adventures-whether it's whale watching or polar bear tours in our national parks, fishing in the north or houseboating on the Okanagan-Canada has mild and wild rural and remote adventures waiting for you.
"Visitors will likely arrive in one of our amazing cities, by air or by sea. And these, too, will mesmerize them. With sights and activities like English Bay in Vancouver; the Calgary Stampede; the Art Gallery of Saskatoon; the Forks of Winnipeg; the Old Port of Montréal; Halifax and its remarkable hospitality; the endless beaches of Prince Edward Island or Prince Edward County; the culinary scene in Toronto; the Edmonton Folk Music Festival; and even kissing a cod in St John's, Canada will give its visitors tales tall and small to last a lifetime. And each of these cities, and so many other communities, are ready to host their conferences and business events.
"As we walk the path of reconciliation with Indigenous peoples, we see tourism as reconciliation in action. With experiences like visiting Wendake lodge in Quebec or Métis Crossing in Alberta, or meeting Indigenous guides in Yukon, the Northwest Territories or Nunavut, we will connect visitors to the land and to the experience of peoples here whose collective memory stretches back more than 10,000 years.
"We know that tourism is a major economic driver and one of our country's most diverse and inclusive employers. Our tourism industry's recovery is critical to larger economic and job growth, and the Government of Canada continues to support tourism businesses as they move from recovery to sustainable growth.
"To do so, we're going to build on the foundation first laid in 2019, but with a distinctly forward-looking lens: workforce challenges, destination development and long-term growth will be among the hot topics. And we will not let pre-pandemic thinking shape our future.
"This is a new era. One that calls on us to be bold. To be ambitious. To dance with audacity. And that is why we are refreshing the federal tourism growth strategy so that we can meet our challenges head on.
"Earlier this month, I launched consultations for Canada's new post-pandemic Federal Tourism Growth Strategy. Together, Canadian tourism businesses and all orders of the government will work together to design the blueprint for growth, investment and stability. You can send your comments to the contact listed on the New Federal Tourism Growth Strategy page.
"By designing the plan for the future of Canadian tourism, I know, without a doubt, that we can attract the type of visitors who will want to keep coming back to Canada. We will convince families, as well as corporate and business travellers, to stay a little longer, rekindling our corporate and incentive travel economy. We will work with private sector partners to invest in both our iconic and our undiscovered tourist attraction gems.
"This Tourism Week, let's commit to rebuild, recover and reclaim our visitor economy, from coast to coast to coast."
