An Industry of Industries
Capacity
TIAA supports a whole-of-government approach to the development of the province’s tourism industry, beginning with the efforts to quantify the cummulative impact of taxes, fees and regulations on private sector efforts to develop new tourism products, and jobs. Issues to be explored by the association include, but are not limited to: labour supply, access to capital, state of public infrastructure assets, current tourism industry data and metrics, and, predictable and sustainable funding to promote Alberta’s tourism industry.
Access
The UNWTO recently reported international tourism arrivals reached 1.4B in 2018 two-years earlier than forecast. Canada continues to struggle to grow its share of the market and find its way back onto the UNWTO’s top ten list of countries that lead the world in tourism arrivals. To achieve this objective will require a coordinated provincial-federal response on key policy issues such as increased air access, air capacity and air competitiveness, visas (processing times, improved administrative processes), and, access to foreign labour pools that can assist the industry in better responding to market demand.
Product
Alberta has unprecedented potential to grow the number of businesses that deliver unique and memorable visitor experiences, while also significantly contributing to the economic and employment base of their communities. By leveraging Alberta’s tourism industry leadership, world-class assets and investment know-how, the province is well- positioned to construct new, value-added tourism products and experiences within established regional economic corridors to help expand the industry’s contributions to the provincial economy.