Government of Canada’s new Federal Tourism Growth Strategy empowers communities across Canada to create jobs for the middle class
News release
Minister Mélanie Joly launches innovative plan to grow tourism sector revenue by 25% by 2025
May 21, 2019 – Montréal, Quebec
Canada’s tourism sector is booming, bringing in record numbers of international visitors in 2017 and 2018. It’s our number one service export and accounts for one in ten jobs. The Government of Canada is committed to building on this momentum and investing in tourism to create middle class jobs, grow Canada’s economy, and bring new opportunities and pride to communities looking for a chance to show the world what they have.
That’s why the Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Tourism, Official Languages and La Francophonie, today unveiled Creating Middle Class Jobs: A Federal Tourism Growth Strategy, which will bolster growth and diversify the sector by enhancing and developing the unique experiences that attract tourists year-round to all regions of our country.
This strategy will empower communities of all sizes through short- and long-term measures by:
- providing $58.5 million in funding through the Canadian Experiences Fund to enhance Canada’s tourism products and experiences;
- changing the way we invest in tourism by developing Tourism Investment Groups where all levels of government will collaborate to invest more efficiently while meeting local priorities and identifying ways to raise private investment; and
- creating the new Tourism Industry Economic Strategy Table to provide a platform for government and industry leaders to collaborate on overcoming sector challenges.
These three pillars will take a whole-of-government approach to addressing barriers to growth such as lack of investment coordination and labour shortages.
These measures will position the sector to meet the strategy’s ambitious targets by 2025 by increasing:
- tourism revenues by 25% to $128 billion;
- jobs directly related to tourism by 7.3%, creating 54,000 new jobs in the process;
- growth in the visitor economy to outpace the growth in the national economy;
- international arrivals during the winter and shoulder seasons by over 1 million; and
- the proportion of tourism revenue generated beyond Montréal, Toronto and Vancouver, the three big cities where tourism activity is currently concentrated.
Following the launch of the Federal Tourism Growth Strategy, Minister Joly will deliver an address and participate in a fireside chat at the Montreal Council on Foreign Relations.
Quotes
“Our government knows that tourism helps every part of the country by creating good jobs for middle class families. We’ve seen many examples of communities transforming and diversifying their economies through tourism. That’s why we’ve developed this strategy that will stimulate growth in the tourism sector through new and ongoing investments. We are committed to diversifying and expanding our country’s tourism products and experiences to maximize the sector’s potential year-round from coast to coast to coast.”
– The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Tourism, Official Languages and La Francophonie
“The Federal Tourism Growth Strategy will unlock the tourism sector’s potential, stimulating economic growth and creating more middle class jobs. In addition, with support from our regional development agencies, local tourism businesses will increasingly contribute to the success and vitality of communities across the country.”
– The Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development
“Our government is working hard to reduce red tape and make it easier for Canadian small business owners to start up, scale up and access new markets. With 99% of tourism businesses being small or medium-sized enterprises, the impact of the Federal Tourism Growth Strategy will be felt by Canadians across the country, including members of under-represented groups in our economy, such as women, Indigenous people, LGBTQ2+, and youth.”
– The Honourable Mary Ng, Minister of Small Business and Export Promotion
Quick facts
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Tourism represents more than 2% of Canada’s gross domestic product.
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Tourism supports more than 1.8 million jobs in Canada, with 56% of those being in rural areas.
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Total tourism revenues in 2018 from domestic and international travellers were $102.1 billion, an increase of 5.2% over 2017.
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In 2018, Canada welcomed a record 21.1 million international tourists, surpassing the previous year’s record of 20.9 million by 1.2%.
Associated links
Contacts
Jeremy Ghio
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Tourism, Official Languages and La Francophonie
Jeremy.Ghio@canada.ca
Media Relations
Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada
343-291-1777
ic.mediarelations-mediasrelations.ic@canada.ca
Stay connected
Follow @cdntourism on social media for tourism-related news and join the conversation using #cdntourismjobs: Twitter, Instagram.
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