In an effort to encourage domestic travel and offer much-needed support to Canada’s tourism sector, the Canadian government recently announced that it would be committing a total of over $70 million for Canadian tourism. The funding includes $30 million towards domestic marketing through Destination Canada, and a little over $40 million towards destination marketing organizations (local tourism groups like Tourism Toronto) and select tourism-related projects in Southern Ontario, Northern Ontario and the West. There are also discussions to distribute funds to other regional development agencies for Atlantic Canada, Quebec and the North.
In a press release, Destination Canada stated that, “The return to travel will look different across the country – community by community including Canada’s unique and culturally vibrant Indigenous and rural communities. Each province, at their own time, will assess the best distribution of funds, taking into account local and regional COVID-19 circumstances, infrastructure in place to safely host visitors, and the willingness of communities to welcome travelers back, among other factors…”
The Government of Canada is investing $30 million to support tourism marketing organizations across the region of southern Ontario, one of Canada’s most touristed areas.
The federal government will be investing more than $7.6 million to support tourism across Northern Ontario. The funding will support 36 tourism initiatives led by regional communities, businesses and organizations. The investment includes over $1 million to specifically support seven projects designed to promote the region as an attractive travel destination.
The government has allotted $3.45 million to bolster recovery efforts for Western Canada’s tourism regions. Western Economic Diversification Canada and tourism organizations and businesses across Western Canada will work together to support key tourism assets.
