Canadian Council of Tourism Ministers, Fall 2010 Meeting

VANCOUVER – Building on the theme of increasing visitors to Canada, Canada’s federal, provincial and territorial ministers responsible for tourism met this week to discuss ways to move forward on key tourism opportunities.  The meeting was co-chaired by the Honourable Rob Moore, federal Minister of State for Small Business and Tourism, and the Honourable Kevin Krueger, British Columbia Minister of Tourism, Culture and the Arts.

The success of the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games was recognized as a milestone in raising Canada’s international profile as a destination of choice.  Ministers vowed to build on the spirit of collaboration established during the Games.

Ministers heard from key industry leaders to gain a shared understanding of the latest prospects for global growth and emerging market dynamics, consumer trends and strategies being developed by tourism businesses in Canada.

Minister Moore stated, “Tourism Ministers from across Canada met in Vancouver and renewed our partnership and commitment to work together to achieve greater success for this sector, a key driver of the economy.”  He also added that he was pleased that his home province of New Brunswick has offered to co-chair the next meeting.

“There was a clear willingness to discuss solutions to challenging issues including uptake of the Foreign Convention and Tour Incentive Program (FCTIP), urgency in allowing more airlines access to Canadian airports, and increasing visitor numbers from countries such as Mexico,” said Minister Krueger.  “Making Canada more competitive as a tourism destination will further strengthen our economy.”

Ministers talked about the need to collaborate to enhance the tourism sector’s cost competitiveness and to focus on significant opportunities presented by emerging global markets.  They also discussed challenges that need to be overcome for Canada to be as successful as possible in attracting more visitors from those markets. 

The Ministers paid particular attention to the tremendous opportunity for tourism growth as a result of the granting of Approved Destination Status by China.  ADS opens the door to Chinese tour groups to visit Canada and to direct marketing to Chinese travellers.  Ministers recognized the importance of working together and taking concrete steps to take maximum economic advantage of China’s tourism potential.  Having recently welcomed the inaugural Chinese tour groups to Canada, Minister Moore is leading a delegation with Ministers and other representatives of provinces and industry to Shanghai and Beijing next week to continue to strengthen bilateral relations.  

Ministers discussed the current situation related to Mexican tourism to Canada and agreed on the importance of facilitating the entry of Mexican tourists to Canada and developing coordinated strategies to promote Canada’s destinations in Mexico.

Ministers also discussed and recognized that the Canadian tourism industry is interested in changing the FCTIP and asked officials to explore potential solutions to increase participation in the program. 

Recognizing the importance of international air transportation for Canada’s tourism sector, provincial and territorial tourism ministers collaborated to engage the federal government on their priorities for potential new or expanded air service agreements. 

Ministers took the opportunity to recognize the Bay of Fundy as Canada’s entry in the New7Wonders of Nature contest.  They agreed to encourage Canadians to vote for this national treasure at www.votemyfundy.com to help make this icon an internationally recognized attraction. They also heard a presentation from Alberta on its plans to host Expo 2017 in Edmonton.

At the conclusion of this second meeting of Canada’s tourism ministers in as many years, they agreed to work together to grow international tourism to Canada.  Ministers also re-committed to help strengthen the tourism economy that provides revenues of nearly $70 billion and jobs for over 600,000 Canadians in communities in every region of the country.

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For further information, please contact:

Catherine Godbout
Office of the Honourable Rob Moore
Tel.: 613-668-5406
Email: catherine.godbout@ic.gc.ca

Gordon Keast
B.C. Ministry of Tourism, Culture and the Arts
Tel.: 250-356-8177
Email: gordon.keast@gov.bc.ca