Tourism Needs Support For Survival Against Covid-19

DMM DEPARTMENT

MB Enterprises

The Ontario Tourism industry has been on a high receiving end due to the pandemic COVID-19 as compared to the Tourism industry in rest of the Canadian provinces. The industry challenges in Ontario are on a high side as the main city and tourism spot of Ontario is Toronto. The largest city of Canada and also the biggest financial hub has suffered heavily due to the pandemic COVID-19 and its drastic financial impacts. Apart from Toronto, the other city that has suffered heavily is the Capital of Canada, i.e. Ottawa. The federal and state capital has seen many lows due to ban on international travel and strict measurements on nation-wide travelling.

According to a survey from business owners in Ontario, a huge two-third of the business owners told the organization Reps from TIAO, that Wage Subsidy and Rent Relief program have helped them in form of Govt. support. They emphasized

that more businesses could have ended up on a closing note or bankruptcy if Govt. programs i.e. Wage Subsidy Program and Rent Relief Program had not been active.

REVENUE GENERATION & JOBS IN THE SECTOR:

According to TIAO, the Ontario Tourism and Hospitality sector is a huge advantage and a big boost for The Canadian economy. It not only acts as a catalyst in the economic support of the Ontario province, but the worth is also huge. The estimated worth of Ontario Tourism and Hospitality industry is $36 billion, i.e. huge in terms of revenue generation for the specific sector. Furthermore, TIAO also claimed that it is the largest employer of youth in the province. A huge workforce, i.e. 23% is aged between the ages of 15 to 24. Hence, the ‘age-range’ determines the huge interest of the Canadian youth in making career in the Tourism & Hospitality sector.

TOURISM INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION OF ONTARIO-‘TIAO’:

TIAO or Tourism Industry Association of Ontario is an organization that is the monitoring body and Voice of Tourism for Province Ontario. It is a body that realizes the key importance of why tourism should take place smoothly in Ontario. It is also an association that realizes the importance of Toronto and Ottawa as being the two main cities of Canada in terms of hospitality industry as well as the Tourism sector. The

organization is also a voice as well as a watch dog for the importance of Tourism as an economic driver in creating jobs. Diversified and distinguished jobs in the Tourism sector in Ontario will help in bringing stability and also bringing the economy of Ontario like it was earlier, i.e. Pre-COVID-19.

The organization has 200,000 businesses and 400,000 employees that are working collectively to take on pressing policy issues that affect the Ontario Tourism Industry. They have been actively sharing and passing the concerns of businesses regards to the issues in Tourism Ontario. The body has also been actively participating in combating regional issues and concerns that have risen due to the pandemic COVID-19.