Restaurants Canada welcomes the federal government’s new national tourism strategy

TORONTO, May 21, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Restaurants Canada welcomes the national tourism strategy unveiled today in Montreal by the Honourable Mélanie Joly, Canada’s Minister of Tourism, Official Languages and La Francophonie. Building on commitments made in the 2019-20 federal budget, the strategy emphasizes the critical role of culinary tourism for promoting the Canadian brand at home and abroad and supporting the advancement of Canada’s tourism industry.

“Foodservice is not only the number one source of tourism jobs, we’re an integral part of every Canadian hospitality experience,” said Shanna Munro, President and CEO of Restaurants Canada. “As the voice of the Canadian foodservice community, Restaurants Canada is thrilled to now have a national tourism strategy that recognizes the significance of our role at the table.”

Creating Middle Class Jobs: A Federal Tourism Growth Strategy aims to empower communities of all sizes through short- and long-term measures by:

• providing $58.5 million through the Canadian Experiences Fund to enhance Canada’s tourism products and experiences in five categories, including culinary and farm-to-table experiences;
• developing tourism investment groups where all levels of government will collaborate to invest more efficiently while meeting local priorities and identifying ways to raise private investment; and
• creating a new Tourism Industry Economic Strategy Table to provide a platform for government and industry leaders to collaborate on overcoming sector challenges.

The strategy, which represents a culmination of effort at many levels, will take a whole-of-government approach to addressing barriers to growth in the tourism and hospitality sector, such as lack of investment coordination and labour shortages.

“Restaurateurs are key contributors to the diversity and well-being of communities across the country — when they thrive, so do the communities they serve,” said David Lefebvre, Restaurants Canada Vice President, Federal and Quebec. “We appreciate all of Minister Joly’s efforts to help us champion their unique challenges and look forward to doing so through the framework of this new strategy.”

For further information: Marlee Wasser, Communications & Policy Specialist, Restaurants Canada, 1-800-387-5649 ext. 4254, media@restaurantscanada.org.

About Restaurants Canada

Restaurants Canada represents a growing community of more than 30,000 businesses, advancing their potential through services, research and advocacy. Canada’s foodservice sector is an $89 billion industry, directly employs 1.2 million Canadians, is the number one source of first jobs and serves 22 million customers every day.