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Federal, provincial and territorial ministers responsible for tourism met this week to discuss the competitiveness of the tourism sector in Canada and other topics related to the industry.

This meeting of the Canadian Council of Tourism Ministers was co-chaired by the Honourable Maxime Bernier, Minister of State (Small Business and Tourism) (Agriculture), and the Honourable Robert Henderson, Prince Edward Island Minister of Tourism and Culture.

The ministers were given a presentation by the Tourism Industry Association of Canada on the importance of the American market for our country. The exchanges that followed the presentation helped to foster collaboration among the various levels of government to encourage U.S. travellers to come to Canada.

In addition, the ministers heard from the Aboriginal Tourism Marketing Circle, a national association dedicated to promoting Aboriginal tourism, on preliminary results of the National Aboriginal Tourism Research Project on this expanding segment of the market and unveiled a brand new national Aboriginal Tourism Web Portal.

The ministers also discussed the importance of advancing a strong and competitive air sector that meets the travel needs of Canadian and international travellers, for Canada’s economic prosperity.

The ministers reiterated their commitment to growing the tourism sector because of its importance to the Canadian economy.

The meeting of the Canadian Council of Tourism Ministers is to be followed by the first ever joint meeting with ministers responsible for culture and heritage, co-chaired by the Honourable Shelly Glover, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages, and Minister Henderson from Prince Edward Island. The joint tourism, culture and heritage meeting will give ministers a unique opportunity to discuss making Canada’s 150th anniversary celebrations a success.

Quick facts / Meeting outcomes

• Tourism is a vital sector of the economy and creates jobs in all regions of Canada. In 2013, tourism revenues in Canada grew by over 3 percent to $84.5 billion and the number of tourism jobs reached 618,900.

• The ministers discussed the importance of collaboration across jurisdictions to develop effective ways to contribute to the success and strength of the tourism sector.

• The ministers responsible for tourism agree that the U.S. remains an important market and have committed their support for a Federal-Provincial-Territorial Working Group to look at developing a collaborative approach to encourage U.S. travellers to come to Canada.

• At the next Canadian Council of Tourism Ministers’ meeting, provinces and territories will have the opportunity to report on Aboriginal tourism initiatives under way across the country.

Quotes

“The tourism industry is a vital part of Canada’s economy. Together, we are continuing our work to position Canada’s tourism industry to seize opportunities at home and abroad while reaffirming our commitment to supporting growth and job creation in Canada.”

– The Honourable Maxime Bernier, Minister of State (Small Business and Tourism) (Agriculture)

“It is a pleasure to host my tourism colleagues from across the country in Charlottetown. We had productive discussions that will have an impact on Canada’s economy from coast to coast to coast. Tourism is an important industry in Prince Edward Island, and I am happy to showcase what our province has to offer leading up to Canada’s 150th birthday.”

– The Honourable Robert Henderson, Prince Edward Island Minister of Tourism and Culture