March 7 | Issue

News

Tourism Week 2023 

Get set for this year’s weeklong celebration of tourism in Canada! Tourism Week is an annual invitation for all tourism partners to come together to champion and promote Canada’s destinations, tourism businesses, and employees – from coast to coast to coast.

This year’s event will take place April 24-30, 2023. After three challenging years for tourism, the upcoming spring/summer travel season will be the first without pandemic-related border restrictions.

There’s no better time to celebrate the industry than this year - that’s why this year’s theme is CANADA: Powered by Tourism!

Get Involved

TIAC President & CEO Wins Prestigious Award

The Ted Rogers School of Hospitality and Tourism Management at Toronto Metropolitan University has awarded Beth Potter, President & CEO of TIAC, its prestigious Industry Award 2022. The award is presented in recognition of her significant work promoting the recovery of the sector, as well as her role connecting the industry to all levels of government. In addition, the award recognizes her past contributions to the School as a member of its Advisory Council.

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TIAC Tourism Town Halls Continue

Team TIAC continues to meet with tourism businesses and stakeholders across Canada as part of its 2023 series of Tourism Town Halls, launched earlier this year. The team is headed up north to Nunavut and the Yukon then out east to P.E.I. this month, with more locations across Canada through May. Open to all, the Town Halls are a forum for the industry to meet with TIAC representatives and partners to discuss, debate and have dialogue on the most pressing issues facing the industry. Registration is FREE and includes best-practice sessions and a complimentary lunch!

Explore The Great Taste of Canada!

Supported by TIAC, The Great Taste of Canada is a nationwide cooperative marketing program by the Culinary Tourism Alliance. Join the campaign to put your destination's brand front-and-centre to amplify the “tastes of place” stories unique to your destination. Early-bird tickets are also now live for the first ever Taste of Place Summit - a can’t-miss global event on culinary and agritourism! Enjoy a unique taste of place experience and learn why food tourism should be integrated into everything destination managers and marketers do.

Get Involved

SDG Decade of Action Planning

Delivered by: Synergy

A program for tourism businesses and organizations to develop their own sustainability plan based on the UN SDGs. The program includes an introduction to the UN SDGs and tourism, and a deep dive into what types of action businesses can take to support each of the 17 goals. A Decade of Action Plan template is provided to each organization followed by a series of one-on-one coaching calls to support the businesses in aligning their values to the SDGs, engaging staff, identifying key actions, setting meaningful goals and pulling it all together in a 10-year action plan.

Cohort #2 (French) – starting Thursday, April 6 – click here to register

Cohort #3 (English) – starting Tuesday, April 11– click here to register

Cohort #4 (English) – starting Thursday, April 13 – click here to register

Cohort #5 (English) – starting Tuesday, April 25 – click here to register

Cohort #6 (English) – starting Thursday, April 27 – click here to register

Cohort #7 (English) – starting Wednesday, May 3 – click here to register

Fast Track to Sustainable Tourism

Delivered by: GreenStep Sustainable Tourism

The FastTrack to Sustainable Tourism is based upon GreenStep’s Sustainable Tourism framework and GSTC-recognized criteria for businesses and destinations. GreenStep will guide participants through the process of creating their sustainability action plan, helping to build capacity and foundational skills in addressing key sustainability challenges facing tourism operators and destinations. The process includes four workshops which start on April 19, click here to register. (Deadline to register is April 12)

Regenerative Event Management

Delivered by: Connect Seven Group, Global Destination Sustainability Movement and Meet4Impact

This course is a Masterclass for event professionals who want to rethink, reimagine, and redefine how their events are designed and delivered, and how their businesses are run. During this dynamic and fun course, we will explore case studies and learn new approaches on how to organise events that have a smaller environmental footprint and greater societal handprint regenerating communities, nature and the local economies of Canada. We will review key concepts of sustainability, and go beyond to explore regenerative development principles, and how these can help you make your events, organisations and communities thrive and flourish. This program includes five modules. Select from three different sets of programs.

To register for the programming starting March 20, click here. (Deadline to register - March 15)

To register for the programming starting March 31, click here. (Deadline to register - March 20)

A third program will be delivered to in French only starting April 4, click here to register. (Deadline to register -March 28 23)

Pathway to Net Zero Carbon

Delivered by: GreenStep Sustainable Tourism

The Pathway to Net Zero Carbon training MasterClass will provide participants with the key steps to measuring the carbon footprint of their organization based on the internationally accepted Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol, and how to uncover the opportunities to both reduce emissions and save money. This program includes three workshops and starts March 15, click here to register. (Deadline to register is March 10)

Members' Corner

TIAC Member Spotlight:

Jennifer Taylor, Vice President, Business Development & Member Services

This month, we’re turning the spotlight over to a member we all know and love – our very own Jennifer Taylor, Vice President, Business Development & Member Relations, who celebrates 15 years at TIAC this month!

TIAC: Congratulations on 15 years with TIAC! Tell our readers about your current role here.

JT: When I joined the Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC) many years ago, my role was Events Manager working on the Canadian Sustainable Tourism Advisory Council (CSTAC) as well as Canada E-Connect (CEC). Over the years, my focus shifted to Marketing, Membership and Business Development. Today, as Vice President of Business Development and Member Relations, I have the pleasure of working with a great team and meeting and collaborating with members and industry stakeholders across this great country.

How has it evolved since you began?

My first official job was as a visitor counsellor, selling this country. It was a fantastic experience; I didn’t realize it would be the start of an incredible career in tourism. My passion is to work with the industry to develop and deliver solutions to help them grow. Not everyone would see working for a non-profit as the best career choice, but it has allowed me to learn and do more than I ever thought possible. Before joining TIAC, I was the Executive Director of the Evangeline Trail Tourism Industry Association, a regional tourism industry association in Nova Scotia representing 400 plus operators and (…).

New Faces at TIAC

As the industry continues to ramp up, TIAC continues to expand its team. Recently, the association welcomed the addition of its newest team members:

· Nina Newman - Event Manager, Logistics: Nina (far right above) is an Event Management graduate from Algonquin College (Ottawa, Ont.) and has spent the last three years at the Public Policy Forum as their Senior Event Specialist and Operations Coordinator.

· Alex Baillie-David - Event Manager, Marketing: With her Masters degree in Media, Journalism and Communications, Alex (middle, above) has spent the past seven years managing multiple events and communications for a variety of organizations, including the Brandon Chamber of Commerce and Parks Canada.

· Tiffany Hnatiw - Event Manager, Registration: Tiffany comes to TIAC with a bachelor’s degree in Education in Music and English, as well as four years of experience that includes the Federation for Humanities and Social Sciences and the University of Ottawa.

Learn More

You’re Invited to the Next TIAC Ask an Expert Webinar!

Exclusively for Members and Associate Members of TIAC, the next session will take place on March 29, 2-3 p.m. ET, on the topic of LGBTQ+ travellers as a demographic.

Discover new ways your business can tap into the power of the LGBTQ+ market by addressing the needs of both your internal team and potential customers.

Loren Christie, Director of Business Development and Strategy for the CGLCC (Canada's 2SLGBTQI+ Chamber of Commerce) will speak about the segment’s estimated contribution of $12 billion annually to the global travel market.

Gulf Island Seaplanes

Hotel PUR, A Tribute Portfolio Hotel

National Motor Coach Systems Ltd.

Tourism Industry Association of Manitoba (TIAMB)

Hello to New and Renewed TIAC Members

The Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC) is delighted to welcome our newest members who joined us in March:

Aright International Travel Inc.

Black Lab Tours

Britannia Shipyards National Historic Site

EAK Sentier des cimes inc.

Rural Islands Economic Partnership

Sanctuaire Notre-Dame de Rocam dour

Tourism Industry Association of Manitoba (TIAMB)

R u r al I s l a n d s E co no m i c Part n e r s hi p

S anctuaire N otre-D ame de R ocam dour

Thank you to the TIAC Members who have renewed and continue to support our advocacy efforts. Our success depends on you! TIAC is the Champion of Canada’s Tourism Industry with a 90-year track record of creating positive change and growth opportunities and driving success for our members.

To learn more about what TIAC does and the benefits of membership, contact Jennifer Taylor, VP Business Development & Member Relations at jtaylor@tiac-aitc.ca or Julie Gauvreau, Manager, Member Services at jgauvreau@tiac-aitc.ca.

Not a member? Become one!

Join TIAC

National Members’ Events

· March 8-10: International Indigenous Tourism Conference

· March 30: Global Meetings Industry Day

TIAC’s Events At-a-Glance

· Tourism Town Halls:

- Mar. 15: Yukon

- Mar. 17: Nunavut

- Mar. 21: Newfoundland & Labrador

- Mar. 30: Prince Edward Island

- Apr. 4: Northwest Territories

- April 17: Nova Scotia

- April 19: New Brunswick

- May 2: Alberta

- TBD: Quebec

· April 24 – 30: Tourism Week in Canada

· May 30-June 2: Rendez-vous Canada 2023, Quebec City

· Nov. 21-22: Tourism Congress, Ottawa

· Nov. 22: Canadian Tourism Awards, Ottawa

Events

RVC2023 Registration Closing Soon

Attention RVC Sellers – registration to Canada’s premier international tourism marketplace, Rendez-vous Canada (RVC), is closing on March 10.

Taking place this year from May 30-June 2 at the Québec City Convention Centre, appointments between Buyers and Sellers will be returning to a Seller-seated format to ensure maximum impact and give delegates the opportunity to build strong connections and engage in meaningful business-to-business meetings. Don’t miss out on tourism’s signature event of the year!

Branding Opportunities at RVC2023

Only one travel and tourism event in Canada allows you to connect your brand to the most extensive international audience: RVC!

A world-class conference that connects international buyers with Canadian sellers of tourism products, this year’s Quebec City event will bring together approximately 1700 tourism business leaders for more than 30,000 one-on-one appointments, experienced-based luncheons, exclusive breakfasts, and engaging networking opportunities. Get your brand in front of an audience with influence!

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Sustainability

Food Waste Diversion for Tourism Operators with Food & Beverage Service

Contributed by GreenStep Solutions

In March 2023, GreenStep is celebrating the world’s very first anniversary of International Zero Waste Day on Thursday, March 30 - therefore this month it will point its sustainability lens toward waste reduction and diversion strategies for streams of all shapes (…).

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