Canada's tourism industry is crying out for help

Charlotte Bell, head of the Tourism industry association of Canada (TIAC), called on the country's authorities to develop a plan to provide targeted assistance to the tourism sector in the period after the end of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bell welcomed the support measures already announced by the federal government, but called them insufficient to save an industry hit by a downturn in tourism.

TIAC, in particular, asked the authorities to replace the corporate lending program with 100-percent loans secured by the government, as well as to extend the allocation of wage subsidies until winter.

The tourism and travel industry in Canada employs more than 1.8 million people. According to the AITC, more than 800,000 jobs have been closed since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, some of which have been permanently lost.