TICO implementing targeted inflationary fee increase for some registrants

The Travel Industry Council of Ontario (TICO) is introducing a targeted, inflationary adjustment to renewal fees for registrants with sales exceeding $10 million.

For payments due on or after April 1, 2026, TICO will implement a 2.4% inflationary increase on renewal fees, which only applies to registrants with Ontario gross sales greater than $10 million. This adjustment affects about 10% of TICO’s registrant base.

There are no other fee changes being introduced, including for the Compensation Fund. For 90% of registrants, fee rates will be maintained at the levels set in April 2024.

TICO CEO Richard Smart said: “We recognize that businesses continue to face challenging economic conditions, and we have kept this adjustment as modest as practicable. TICO remains focused on protecting travel consumers, while being mindful of the financial realities faced by Ontario’s travel businesses.”

The inflationary adjustment is being implemented to ensure continued sustainability, quality, and reliability of services provided to Ontario’s travel consumers and registrants, in the context of rising operational costs driven by inflation.

For many years, from 2011 to 2024, TICO’s funding levels remained unchanged. While this helped limit short-term increases, it also meant that funding did not keep pace with inflation or the evolving environment of delivering consumer protection and regulatory oversight. As a result, a more significant review and funding realignment took place in 2024.

Coming out of that process, TICO committed to a more proactive funding approach that includes regular reviews and more modest inflation-based adjustments, only when necessary.