Tourism Industry Association of Canada - 2010 Tourism Summit

Speaking Points

The Honourable Rob Moore, PC, MP
Minister of State (Small Business and Tourism)

Gatineau, Quebec
November 2, 2010

Check Against Delivery

Thank you, merci, Rose [Arsenault], for that warm introduction.

I strongly encourage all of you, if you haven't done so already, to cast your vote for the Bay of Fundy for the New7Wonders of Nature. Votez pour la Baie de Fundy.

Good afternoon everyone. Bonjour.

I would like to acknowledge David Goldstein, President and CEO of the Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC).

I would like to start by recognizing Stan Cook's outstanding contribution to the tourism industry as Chair of TIAC for the past two years. Let's give him a round of applause.

I would like to congratulate the new Chair, Gopal Rao, and the new vice-chairs, Roger Jamieson and Pat Kelly. I look forward to working with you.

Ladies and gentlemen, it is a pleasure to be here with you today. I am sure that you will agree with me that 2010 is Canada's year. From hosting the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in Vancouver and major international events such as the G8 and G20 to being granted Approved Destination Status, 2010 has been a phenomenal year for our country. And I know that such success is the result of us all working together. By working together, we can accomplish tremendous things.

I want to accomplish three things in the time that I have today. I want to:

• talk about some of the opportunities before us;
• update you on the Federal Tourism Strategy; and
• conclude with how we can continue to work together.

First off, I met last month with my provincial and territorial ministerial colleagues at our annual FPT meeting. We were joined by industry leaders, some of whom are here today. I'm pleased to report that our meetings were very productive and successful. Here are some of the highlights. We talked about the importance of collaborating to enhance competitiveness. We also discussed the significant opportunities presented by emerging global markets, such as China, and the challenges that need to be overcome to attract more visitors from those markets.

Following the FPT meeting, I led a tourism mission to China. I was accompanied by some of my provincial colleagues, government officials and industry leaders. I know that many of you in this room participated. Our goal was to bring Canada front and centre in one of the world's fastest growing travel markets.

This mission came at an opportune time. With Approved Destination Status (or ADS), we can now market travel to Canada to leisure tour groups. ADS became fully operational in August, when the first tour groups visited Canada.

Our government is taking full advantage of this opportunity. In Canada's Economic Action Plan, we invested $20 million in the Canadian Tourism Commission for international marketing in priority markets, and we added an additional $8 million this year. With the Canadian Tourism Commission's new investment in marketing — which will quadruple its 2011 budget for China — Canada is poised to make significant advances in this growing market.

While in China, we met with government, media and industry, and we promoted Canada as a world-class tourism destination. We took every opportunity to learn about what Canada needs to do to attract more Chinese visitors and ensure that they have a quality experience here in Canada.

While in Beijing, we participated in the Canadian Tourism Commission's Showcase Canada–Asia event. This 10-day event was hugely successful. More than 160 Canadian delegates were on site to trumpet our country's greatest attractions and destinations to Asian buyers. I am pleased to say that Showcase Canada–Asia has been the most successful business-to-business event to date.

Together, we must continue to find creative and inventive ideas for encouraging the Chinese to book more tours and do more business in Canada than ever before. I know you will have a great session this afternoon where the expectations of Chinese travellers will be discussed, and I encourage you to think about how to best deliver a quality experience and take advantage of this opportunity for Canadian tourism. Things like offering group check-ins, providing multilingual signage and services, and partnering with other tourism operators to grow your revenues will certainly go a long way.

Now let's talk about another huge opportunity for our country.

Earlier this year, the Vancouver Winter Games provided Canada with the biggest possible advertisement and the biggest possible audience.

During the 2010 Games, our athletes took to the podium and visitors took to our hotels and restaurants, our sightseeing tours and adventures, and our unique experiences. Word spread quickly about our home-grown hospitality. It is estimated that half of the world's population tuned in to coverage of the Games.

Now it's up to you to jump on this springboard and make something of it.

Our country has tremendous tourism assets and a strong brand. But we all need to do more.

Our government is already spending over a billion dollars annually on various programs, projects and activities to support tourism. And as you know, we have been working on a Federal Tourism Strategy to better focus our efforts. We are currently putting the finishing touches on the strategy. Last year, Prime Minister Harper identified four pillars that are guiding us moving forward.

First, we are committed to enhancing tourism experiences. For example, we recently made an investment to the Trans Canada Trail. When completed, it will be the longest recreational trail in the world, and visitors will enjoy closer connections to some of our country's most awe-inspiring places. Further support through Canada's Economic Action Plan provided nearly $300 million in additional investments for VIA Rail service, Parks Canada and National Historic Sites, and festivals and events.

Second, we are committed to improving tourists' access to Canada. Actions speak louder than words — taking advantage of access negotiated by the federal government, Canadian and other airlines have increased daily non-stop service with major centres in China, Japan and Mexico. In fact, later this month, a new airline will be launching direct flights from Beijing to Toronto. Meanwhile, on the ground, our government provided a one-year extension for border services to the second Amtrak train on Canada's west coast carrying passengers from Seattle to Vancouver.

Third, we are committed to fostering a highly skilled tourism workforce. We continue to partner with the Canadian Tourism Human Resource Council and others to build a workforce that can anticipate and accommodate the needs of all of our country's guests.

Our fourth commitment is to branding Canada as a top international travel destination. As I mentioned earlier, our government has increased funding to the Canadian Tourism Commission to promote our great country. I would like to congratulate the Commission for its hard work. Its LOCALS KNOW campaign has been acclaimed by Forbes.com. Also, the Commission has been awarded Marketer of the Year, and it has done a tremendous job at inspiring the world to come to Canada during the 2010 Winter Games.

Our four commitments are solid. They're smart. They're strategic. We are hard at work on the Federal Tourism Strategy, formalizing our commitments and setting out a game plan for the federal government to follow.

I won't go into all of the specifics today, but I will say this: I have valued your insights and involvement in the process. Since my first day as Minister of State for Small Business and Tourism, I have learned from you — all of you. I have learned about your concerns. I have learned about your challenges. I have learned about the kind of strategy we need to support you.

At the heart of the strategy is collaboration. And here is my challenge to you. We must work together as policy-makers, as tourism operators and as marketers. We must sit at the same tables and share the same goals. We must unite under the Canada brand and speak with a clear voice. We must work together. We must be bold, take risks and seize opportunities.

And I'm pleased to see that the tourism sector itself is taking a collaborative approach to advancing issues through the recent whitepaper Looking to 2020: The Future of Travel and Tourism in Canada. I look forward to reading this in depth and to discussing its recommendations with you.

Ladies and gentlemen, let me tell you, we're certainly doing something right. Consider the work of this year's finalists for the National Awards for Tourism Excellence and inductees to the Canadian Tourism Hall of Fame: Don Cudmore, Hubert Mesman and Jim Storie.

Each of these people has applied hard-won knowledge, dedication and perseverance to achieve notable success in their field. Even in these challenging times, Mr. Cudmore, Mr. Mesman and Mr. Storie have found ways to grow.

Our government is up for the challenge. And we look to you, the industry, to grow and innovate with us. Through investing in new products, we can collaborate to create Canadian destinations that present compelling experiences for travellers and will win the world over. Small yet meaningful changes to your everyday business can take our country's tourism offerings to the next level.

Take inspiration from the winners of this year's National Awards for Tourism Excellence. If we all play our part, nothing will stop us from getting to where we want to be.

Thank you. Merci.