Canadian Council of Tourism Ministers Meeting to Plan Recovery
The annual Canadian Council of Tourism Ministers meeting (CCTM) was held on January 20, 2022 to provide a forum for federal, provincial, and territorial tourism ministers to agree on common objectives to pursue. They also reaffirmed the need for continued collaboration and support for the sector through the pandemic and towards recovery.
Throughout the meeting, the ministers discussed the current context and the main challenges affecting the recovery of the tourism sector, both in the short and long term, including uncertainty surrounding the trajectory of the pandemic, the level of tourism demand, workforce challenges, and destination development.
Ministers also agreed to establish a collaborative work plan consisting of three key elements in short order:
collaborating to address the challenges posed by workforce shortages;
addressing access to destinations; and
promoting economic growth for the entire tourism sector, specifically sustainable tourism, events, and Indigenous experiences.
Ministers will review progress on this work plan throughout 2022.
Congratulations to the Hon. Melanie Mark on being appointed as co-chair of the committee, along with federal Tourism Minister Randy Boissonnault.
“Tourism is vital to our country, communities, economy, and the people whose livelihoods depend on its continued success. We recognize the ongoing challenges faced by the tourism sector and are committed to our collective recovery and future growth by working and paddling together. I am honoured to serve in my new role as co-chair of the Canadian Council of Tourism Ministers, so we can champion tourism recovery in every postal code in our country.”
-Melanie Mark, British Columbia Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport