Tourism Leaders Applaud Ontario Budget and Local Travel Subsidy Plan

Tourism Leaders Applaud Ontario Budget and Local Travel Subsidy Plan

November 6, 2020 Jim Byers

The Tourism Industry Association of Ontario said they’re pleased to see the Ontario government address the tourism industry so significantly in yesterday’s 2020 Provincial Budget announcement.

“TIAO’s budget proposals to the government supported the economic recovery of the tourism and hospitality industry and preserve Ontario as a leading tourism destination and many of them were addressed in today’s budget announcement,” officials said.

In an interview with Canadian Travel News, TIAO President and CEO Beth Potter said Ford and his government “recognized that, without a recovery from the tourism sector, it’s going to be hard for the rest of the economy in Ontario to recover.”

“Fewer small business owners have been harder hit than our tourism operators,” Finance Minister Rod Phillips said during his budget speech. “We expect that travelling within Ontario will be safe sooner than travelling beyond our borders.”

One interesting initiative in the budget is a plan to provide Ontario residents with a 20% subsidy for eligible tourism expenses in the province. Details still have to be hammered out, but Potter said it’s a great concept.

“I think it will help. You know we have a travel deficit every year in Ontario. With international visitation down and the U.S. border still closed and consumer confidence about travelling far from home pretty low, maybe we can reduce some of that deficit” by having provincial residents vacation close to home.

Minto Schneider, CEO of the Waterloo Region Tourism Marketing Corporation, agreed.

“I think it’ll make a big difference, and really give people that little push to get out the door.”

Schneider said she understands the tax credit for local travel will be in place through 2021.

Both Schneider and Potter said they give Ford and his government full marks for understand the role tourism plays in the Ontario economy.

“We have a real champion in Minister (Lisa) MacLeod (Minister of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries),” Potter said. “The Premier has listened to us. Minister Phillips has listened to us.”

Ontario governments haven’t always had senior politicians handling the tourism portfolio, but Schneider said MacLeod has fiercely defended the industry.

“Lisa MacLeod is one of our biggest cheerleaders,” she said.

Schneider also pointed to a number of items in the budget that help the tourism industry, including measures to boost business liquidity, the approval of take-out alcohol from restaurants being made permanent, a film tax credit and increased funding to help businesses create a digital presence.