Tourism ministers at federal, provincial, and territorial levels met in person in Vancouver, British Columbia (Canada), for the annual Canadian Council of Tourism Ministers (CCTM) meeting.
According to a release, Honourable Randy Boissonnault, Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance, and the Honourable Lisa Beare, British Columbia Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport, co-chaired the meeting and addressed the traditional territory of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations.
As the Canadian tourism industry recovers, finding ways to support the sector collaboratively is crucial.
Prior to the meeting, the federal government, provinces, and territories studied through working groups key issues facing the tourism sector as it recovers from the pandemic. The work includes the tourism workforce, destination access, and economic growth.
The working groups’ conclusions were presented to the ministers to address the current situation within the tourism industry and exchange data and best practices.
Ministers identified a few priority areas in the collaborative workplan 2023. In the area of workforce, they expressed they would like to monitor the effects of the labor shortage on tourism sub-sectors and consider ways to increase the visibility of tourism as a sector.
On destination access, more extensive discussions are planned to address concerns with key transportation players.
In terms of economic growth, the main focus is to sustainably increase tourist offerings, take care of geographic and seasonal dispersion, and attract the most important audience segments.
In a separate gathering prior to the CCTM agenda, British Columbia Indigenous tourism groups shared their strategies and goals with ministers, focusing on sustainability, growth, and experience development.
Ministers expressed their intention to strengthen collaboration and engagement with Indigenous tourism organizations and communities moving forward.
The working groups will also commit to ensuring an Indigenous lens is applied to all levels of their work. The working groups will continue to engage with the federal, provincial, and territorial orders of government, stakeholders, Indigenous partners, and tourism organizations to share information and pursue initiatives. Ministers will review progress on this workplan throughout 2023.