Blogs

This is the first advocacy report I’ve written since returning from my first family holiday since 2020. This holiday was extra special for my family, as we welcomed my parents from the UK to meet their grandchild for the first time due to the pandemic. With my wife's parents also visiting, I managed to spend several weeks touring Ontario, getting to meet TIAO members face to face in the Niagara region, Blue Mountain, Georgian Bay and many places in between. Apart from a wonderful family holiday, it was also the first time I was able to meet TIAO members enjoying a successful summer period and hear from them about what was still holding them back from being able to maximize their recovery, listen to their concerns for the future and see the challenges of debt and the labour crisis firsthand. It is these conversations that invigorate our team in our advocacy efforts.

Although we have never forgotten how incredible the tourism offer in Ontario is, I couldn’t help feeling incredibly proud of our industry and those that work within it. Despite the enormous personal and professional challenges of the worst parts of the pandemic, you’ve ensured that Ontarians and our international visitors have incredible memories to take home with them. But of course, whilst there is much to be encouraged by from our summer period, it’s critically important that we don’t let up on our efforts to remove those final obstacles to our recovery that could, if left unchecked, seriously undermine it.  

Removing vaccine mandates, tackling debt and the economic legacies of the pandemic and answering our labour crisis remain critical challenges for the future of the tourism industry. At the recent AMO conference, we sat down with 17 provincial government ministries to detail these challenges and how the government can work with the sector to solve them. You can read our briefs for that conference and the issues we were speaking about by clicking here and see our Federal Growth Strategy submission by clicking here .

On September 20th, TIAO is hosting a Forward Motion session entitled ‘Recruiting and Retaining Talent’ with Lisa Kelly, Program Manager on the Discover Ability Network, Ontario Chamber of Commerce. You can sign up for this complimentary session by clicking here.

Finally, it would be remiss of me not to mention that tickets are selling fast for the Ontario Tourism Summit in Deerhurst next month and we’re thrilled at the enthusiasm for the event. As one of the lucky few to have seen the list of confirmed speakers and the content, it won’t surprise you to know that our Vice-President, Carol Greenwood, and events specialist, Landon Logie, have curated another outstanding couple of days. So, if you’ve not got around to buying your tickets, please visit our website to get yours!  

As ever, if you have any questions or would like to raise an issue with the TIAO team, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us.  

Stay safe and I look forward to seeing you all again soon.

Economic recovery across the province’s tourism industry continues to progress but at a slow and uneven pace. As summer winds down, tourism businesses face the added challenge of sustaining visitation during the shoulder season—not to mention the challenges of inflation, high gas prices, debt to pay down, and the labour crisis. At this critical time in our economic recovery, bringing together industry stakeholders and government to discuss the state of tourism and to chart a path forward is crucial.  

Last week, we did just that. We held the first of two roundtable consultations in partnership with the Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC). Focused on the labour crisis and with the Hon. Monte McNaughton (Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development) in attendance, the roundtable brought together DMOs, RTOs, sector associations, tourism operators, industry experts, chambers of commerce, and boards of trade across the province.  

This roundtable was an important opportunity to have the Minister’s ear on what’s driving the labour crisis in the tourism industry and how industry can work with government to ensure that tourism has the workforce it needs to recover and thrive in Ontario. A big thank you to our participants for bringing a high calibre of knowledge, insights, and expertise to the table; to the OCC and our sponsors for their partnership; and to the TIAO team for an exceptionally well-executed event. We were delighted that the roundtable was well-received by Minister McNaughton and his team.  

We’re currently in the midst of planning the second roundtable with the Hon. Neil Lumsden, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport in attendance. This roundtable will explore opportunities for growth, workforce development, the impacts of red tape, and the future of tourism in Ontario.  

The insights gathered during these roundtable consultations will inform a joint report examining the state of Ontario’s tourism industry after two unprecedented years navigating a global pandemic. A ‘ground-level’ look at the industry’s recovery and its path forward, this report will include timely recommendations to the provincial and federal governments. Stay tuned for this report. 

As always, thank you for your continued support. And of course, if you have any questions or comments, please feel free to send me an email at jng@tiaontario.ca 

Jessica Ng

Director, Policy & Government Affairs