The Canadian Travel & Tourism Roundtable issued the following statement in response to the federal government’s Fall Economic Statement on November 30, 2020:
The Roundtable appreciates the federal government’s efforts to support Canadians during the global pandemic. Keeping Canadians safe and healthy is everyone’s top priority.
Though there were measures in today’s Economic Statement that will help some of our members, it lacks meaningful support that would have a significant impact on the sector’s largest employers and most significant travel infrastructure across our country.
The travel and tourism sector is an interdependent ecosystem. Support needs to be present for all members of our sector for us to survive and rebuild. When Canadians travel they need hotels, restaurants, and attractions at destinations and they need travel agencies, airlines and airports to get them where they are going.
Comprehensive, sector-wide support is needed to protect the hundreds of thousands of Canadian jobs that rely on our sector.
Our industry has been among the most devastatingly impacted. Nine months into the pandemic, it is time material support be put in place.
We look forward to working with the government to urgently address these needs.