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Advocacy ensures 100 more for HAC

It was a festive time for the Hotel Association of Canada (HAC) as it held its annual conference in Toronto this week. Along with a special 100th anniversary dinner to kick things off, HAC’s chairman, Hank Stackhouse told hoteliers attending the opening session of the event that in the past year, HAC has ramped up its advocacy activities in response to the demands of its members, making that role a strategic part of the association’s plans as it moves forward. Stackhouse observed that as the industry looks ahead to another “lacklustre” year of growth of around one per cent, and has become increasingly dependent on the domestic market, concerns are growing that the domestic market is at risk as Brand USA ramps up its tourism promotion efforts. Particularly so, Stackhouse noted, when Canada’s response to this challenge is to reduce its marketing budget. And he made it clear that Canada has to act to fix this situation. More on the Hotel Association of Canada’s annual conference in future issues of Canadian Travel Press. Seen in the photo, from l to r, are the World Travel & Tourism Council’s Helen Marano and the Hotel Association of Canada’s Hank Stackhouse.