Canada's Tourism Industry Supports Canada-U.S. Cooperation on Border Policies
Ottawa, February 4, 2011 —The Tourism Industry Association of Canada supports the initiative announced today by Prime Minister Stephen Harper and U.S. President Barack Obama which aims to allow for freer mobility of travelers and goods between the two countries.
“Tourism is one of Canada’s key exports industries, and one with incredible upside,” said TIAC President and CEO David Goldstein. “A smarter, more open approach to moving travelers across our shared border would be a significant step towards bringing back millions of American travelers and fuelling Canada’s economic recovery.”
While a great deal of focus has historically been on the movement of goods across the border, the thickening of the border since 9/11 has had the strongest impact on Canada’s $74 billion dollar travel and tourism industry.
While the travel and tourism sector appreciated the necessity of addressing security concerns, the impact of these additional document requirements and congestion at the border has been the biggest contributor to Canada’s tourism declines.
Canada has significant opportunities to attract new visitors from around the world. But the fact remains that 83% of international tourists who come to Canada, visit our country and spend in our communities come from the United States. The creation of a more harmonized and coherent border-crossing system between the countries will create greater opportunities for leisure, business and meetings travel from the U.S., and will result in tens of thousands of new jobs and support thousands of small and medium-sized businesses across the country.
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About the Tourism Industry Association of Canada:
The Tourism Industry Association of Canada is the voice of Canadian tourism. Founded in 1930 to encourage the development of tourism in Canada, TIAC serves today as the national private-sector advocate for this $74 billion industry, promoting positive measures that help the industry grow and prosper.
For more information, please contact:
Kevin Desjardins
Director, Communications
Tourism Industry Association of Canada
Tel.: 613.238.6251
Mobile: 613.240.7225
