Canada has much to offer visitors: breathtaking landscapes and wide-open spaces, diverse and inclusive experiences, and welcoming people from coast to coast to coast who provide outstanding service. Combined with a strong focus on health and safety and high vaccination against COVID-19, Canada is among the most alluring and smartest destination choices.

“As we recover from the pandemic, we are focused on being there for the tourism sector. With the support announced today, tourism businesses and organizations in Eastern Nova Scotia will be able to prepare for the future. This is an important step in the recovery effort as visitors rediscover the world-class tourism experiences Atlantic Canada has to offer.”
- The Honourable Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Minister of Official Languages and Minister responsible for ACOA

“The Canadian tourism sector continues to be one of the most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. We are fully committed to supporting businesses and organizations through these challenging times, keeping safety as the top priority while ensuring they get support to quickly recover, innovate their products and services, and thrive. The Tourism Relief Fund will help businesses adapt, make improvements and be ready to welcome back guests. It also feeds into a broader strategy to help the sector survive the pandemic, recover and grow. The Canadian economy will not fully recover until our tourism sector recovers.”
- The Honourable Randy Boissonnault, Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance

“Eastern Nova Scotia’s tourism experiences and accommodations reflect the diversity and wonder of our region. From tours of land, sea and sky—to stays at golf resorts, cottages and geodomes—there is truly something for everyone here. Creating and maintaining these assets contributes to a strong regional economy as we draw in visitors from near and far.”
- Mike Kelloway, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard and Member of Parliament for Cape Breton–Canso

• The Tourism Relief Fund is a $500-million national program to support the tourism sector in Canada, including $485 million for regional priorities administered by Canada’s regional development agencies and $15 million for national priorities administered by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada.

• A minimum of $50 million of the fund’s budget has been earmarked for Indigenous tourism projects. Indigenous communities that rely heavily on tourism have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic. 

• $48.5 million from the Tourism Relief Fund has been allocated to the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency to administer in the Atlantic region.

Associated links

• Tourism Relief Fund

Marianne Blondin
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Official Languages and of the
Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
Marianne.Blondin@acoa-apeca.gc.ca

Lauren Sinclair
Director of Communications
Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
782-641-6365
Lauren.Sinclair@acoa-apeca.gc.ca

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