Minister of State Rob Moore Leads National Tourism Delegation to China

Vancouver, British Columbia, October 15, 2010 — The Honourable Rob Moore, Minister of State (Small Business and Tourism), today issued the following statement:

“From October 17 to 21, I will be leading a tourism mission to China that will bring together provincial tourism ministers and tourism industry members. Our goal is to promote Canada as a premier tourism destination.

“We will be meeting with key tourism industry leaders, Chinese officials and travel media, as well as participating in Showcase Canada–Asia 2010, a Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC) event, and Expo 2010 Shanghai China.

“As we celebrate 40 years of diplomatic relationship-building with China, our government is looking at ways to increase travel to Canada. With Approved Destination Status (ADS) from China, we can now market directly to Chinese consumers. According to a Conference Board of Canada survey, ADS is expected to boost travel to Canada from China by up to 50 percent by 2015.

“ADS became fully operational in August when the first Chinese leisure tour groups visited Canada. This designation will ultimately help strengthen the Canadian visitor economy and create new jobs for Canadians in all regions.

“Interest in our country is growing, and 2010 is Canada’s year. The spotlight was on Canada as we hosted the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. The 2010 Winter Games were a huge success, and it is estimated that half of the world’s population tuned in to watch some of the coverage.

“The tourism mission builds on the week-long Showcase Canada–Asia event that is being hosted by the CTC in Beijing from October 13 to 22. This annual event promotes our country as a top travel destination and matches Canadian sellers to buyers from China, India, Japan and South Korea.

“Throughout this inaugural tourism mission to China, I will be keeping a travel journal and taking photographs to record and later share my experiences.”

For more information and updates on the progress of Minister of State Moore’s tourism mission to China, please visit the Industry Canada website.

For further information (media only), please contact:

Catherine Godbout
Office of the Honourable Rob Moore
Minister of State (Small Business and Tourism)
Catherine.Godbout@ic.gc.ca

Media Relations
Industry Canada
613-943-2502

---

Backgrounder

China Mission

From October 17 to 21, the Honourable Rob Moore, Minister of State (Small Business and Tourism), will lead a mission to China to highlight the increasingly positive relationship between the two countries. Minister of State Moore, along with provincial counterparts and industry stakeholders, will learn more about how to improve our tourism offerings to Chinese travellers and will have the opportunity to raise awareness of Canada's value as a tourism destination with Chinese industry, government and media.

The Canadian delegation will visit some of China's most historic landmarks and will attend key tourism events such as World Expo 2010 in Shanghai. The delegation will participate in the Canadian Tourism Commission's (CTC's) Showcase Canada–Asia 2010 event in Beijing, which allows Canadian tourism operators to network, to promote Canada in emerging international markets and to close deals with tourism businesses. The delegation will also devote time to more broadly supporting Canadian businesses in China and help ensure that Canadian stakeholders are aware of the benefit of creating new business opportunities with Chinese counterparts.

The mission will highlight the significance of Approved Destination Status (ADS) to business opportunities for tourism operators, ultimately resulting in more people travelling from China to Canada — further strengthening the Canadian economy and inspiring the world to explore our great nation.

The Government of Canada is committed to making Canada a worldwide tourism destination that attracts international travellers and business opportunities. Initial investments have recently proven successful in our enhanced relationship with China and the Chinese tourism market.

Evidence of this success includes China's granting of ADS to Canada in 2009. This designation marks a milestone in the history of Canada's relations with China. It highlights a mutual commitment to strengthening diplomatic and commercial partnerships and will make it easier for Chinese tourists to visit Canada. Since the signing of the ADS Memorandum of Understanding in June 2010, as witnessed by President Hu Jintao and Prime Minister Stephen Harper, ADS has opened doors to Canadian travel businesses. It has also enabled the CTC to begin promoting Canada's many tourism assets directly to travellers in China. This promotion will boost the yearly rate of travel from China to Canada by up to 50 percent by 2015, according to figures from a survey by the Conference Board of Canada.

The arrival of over 350 Chinese travellers in August 2010 officially launched Canada as a leisure tour group destination. With help from the China National Tourism Administration and the CTC, this group of Chinese travellers explored British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario and Quebec and were treated to some of Canada's most iconic tourism experiences.

The CTC is a multi-faceted, national tourism marketing organization that has built strong relationships with Chinese government tourism authorities, tour operators and media over the last five years. In addition to providing $26 million to the CTC to promote the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, the Government of Canada invested $40 million in the CTC for domestic and international marketing to promote Canada as a desirable tourism destination during the global economic downturn.

Investments in the CTC's marketing efforts were further enhanced through an additional $8 million in funding under Canada's Economic Action Plan. This funding will allow the CTC to supplement investments in international programs and increase its role in emerging markets such as China where the Canada brand is most effective at promoting travel to our country.