The Hotel Association of Canada (HAC) applauds G20 leaders for recognizing the vital role tourism plays in economies throughout the world.

For the first time, travel was included in The Leaders Declaration, a document issued at the conclusion of the G20 summit. The Leaders Declaration specifically states in Item 25 under Employment and Social Protection that, “We recognize the role of travel and tourism as a vehicle for job creation, economic growth and development, and, while recognizing the sovereign right of States to control the entry of foreign nationals, we will work towards developing travel facilitation initiatives in support of job creation, quality work, poverty reduction and global growth.”

“This comes at a pivotal time in Canada with the Canadian Tourism Commission facing critical cuts in their budget”, said Tony Pollard HAC President. “The Canadian tourism industry supports 1.6 million jobs and has an economic impact of $74 billion. Policies that support travel in Canada support even further economic growth.”

The G20 announcement builds on the Government’s Federal Tourism Strategy released in October 2011. The national strategy was created to help position Canada’s tourism sector for long-term growth and global competitiveness and sets out some 30 initial measures in four priority areas; increasing awareness of Canada as a premier tourist destination, facilitating access and travel to Canada, encouraging development of tourism experiences and fostering an adequate supply of skills and labour.