Canada has a new tourism strategy aimed at cementing the country as a top global destination. The new strategy, announced today in Niagara Falls, “will unleash the full potential of Canadian tourism and cement Canada as a top global destination” through the following five priorities: Investing in Canada’s tourism assets Embracing recreation and the great outdoors Partnering to grow Indigenous tourism Attracting more international events Improving coordination through a federal ministerial council Attracting more international events would presumably help Canada’s biggest cities. Given the interest in indigenous tourism around the world, that also seems like a good strategy (as well Read more
Canadian tourism
A new report from the World Travel & Tourism Council predicts the Canadian tourism and travel industry is poised for a major rebound and is close to recovering to 2019 levels. The council’s 2023 Economic Impact Research (EIR) reveals the Canadian Travel & Tourism sector continues to show strong signs of post-pandemic recovery. According to the latest report, the sector is set to contribute $162.6 billion to the Canadian economy this year, up 17.2% from last year and within touching distance of the previous peak of $173.9 billion in 2019. WTTC is also forecasting that Travel & Tourism will create Read more
It’s a move that will certainly spark renewed interest in Chinese visits to Canada, and Canadian visits to Asia. The Canadian government today (March 17) ended travel restrictions on passengers flying in from the People’s Republic of China, Hong Kong and Macao. That should provide a considerable boost for tourism in Western Canadian provinces, who rely on wealthy Chinese and Hong Kong residents for steady business, especially in the busy summer season. This means that there are no longer any federal COVID-19 border measures in place for Canada. And that’s quite something. “We welcome the removal of pre-departure test requirements Read more
The Toronto Star is reporting that the Justin Trudeau government may end Canada’s border vaccine mandate, and could scrap the heavily criticized ArriveCAN app. Star columnist Althia Raj reports that Ottawa is “considering turning the page on pandemic-era restrictions by ending the COVID-19 vaccination mandate at the border and scrapping random testing requirements.” Raj said the Trudeau cabinet hasn’t made a final decision, “but several sources confirmed ministers will soon weigh in on a move that could also spell the end of the unpopular ArriveCAN app.” Ending the vaccine mandate would allow visitors to flow freely into Canada, something that Read more
Canadian hotels are pretty much back to 2019 occupancy levels, and Google searches for Canada are higher than they were prior to the pandemic. Destination Canada’s quarterly report, issued today, finds that travel has strongly rebounded in the country. “Buoyed by hotel occupancy in regions exceeding their 2019 levels and lifts in urban areas closing in on their pre-pandemic performance, average hotel occupancy in June 2022 for Canada stood 1% below its 2019 level,” the report said. “Travel to Canada is in demand, with Google search from international markets exceeding 2019 levels.” Destination Canada said domestic air connectivity has improved Read more
