TIAC working hard to help industry rebuild

The Tourism Industry Association of Canada’s (TIAC) president and CEO Beth Potter opened the association’s Tourism Congress in Ottawa last week with a look at TIAC’s commitment to help its industry rebuild, outlining the association’s actions and programs that are designed to help the industry regain lost ground – and continue to flourish.

“TIAC exists to bolster our collective competitiveness – it’s in our DNA, it’s the value add,” she told the over 500 delegates attending day one of the Tourism Congress.

Listening to members and to the industry at Town Halls and other forums that informed the association’s priorities and plans, Potter said she heard a number of common themes.

“I saw a strong desire to collaborate and share challenges.  Building a firm foundation to prepare for those unpredictable headwinds.  Looking for opportunities to bolster tourism, welcome even more travellers,” TIAC’s president and CEO told the audience.

Canadian travel numbers are not yet up to 2019 levels, and even with COVID behind us, challenges remain, Potter said, citing diplomatic issues with China and India, severe weather and capacity shortages as some of the problems still plaguing recovery and growth.

Among TIAC’s many actions to push the tourism recovery is the launch of its new READI program, a fully developed platform designed to guide the industry to maximum profitability in the post-pandemic period, with programming in training and resources, elevating products and experiences, networking and business development and more.

Other priorities for the association include sustainability and regeneration, improvements to priority visa processing for international business travellers, CBSA coverage at cruise ports and smaller communities.

TIAC continues to act on behalf of the Canadian tourism businesses and promotes positive measures that help the industry grow and prosper.

Story by Debra Ward

Photo by Greg Ohman