The Post COVID Future of Tourism

Tourism is an important economic driver across the entire country. In 2019, the visitor economy contributed $104.9 billion in expenditures and $43.5 billion in Gross Domestic Product. That year was also an all-time high for the number of overnight international tourist arrivals to Canada. While 2019 capped several years of tourism growth, 2020 was an unprecedented challenge. As we look towards the summer of 2021, we must recognize that while extreme difficulties are ongoing, it is time to start planning for a recovery that will not be without its own challenges. In February 2021, Tourism HR Canada brought together tourism employers and employees to identify the most likely scenario the sector will face when the pandemic recedes.  This session presents the outcomes of those meetings plus all relevant research conducted by Tourism HR Canada. We will reflect on the industry's systemic challenges and assess how COVID-19 has mitigated or enhanced these issues. As we reflect on the devastating and lasting effect that COVID-19 has had on our industry, it's now time to look forward and prepare our workforce's future resiliency.   COVID idled tourism's economic engine, and there will be challenges reviving the industry as restrictions lift. Though this will be an ongoing process, we will recover.