The Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC) recently announced the appointment of Beth Potter as the new President and CEO starting this March 15 and we at Destinations International join many others in our industry to say congratulations – and great selection. Until now, Beth has been serving as the head of the Tourism Industry Association of Ontario. She has more than 30 years of experience in the not-for-profit and tourism industries and since 2011has been serving as the head of the Tourism Industry Association of Ontario (TIAO).

To the best of my memory, I have not met Beth, though I look forward to the day that I do. Like most countries, Canada’s tourism sector is a vital part of the Canadian economy. At its height in 2019 it was a $105 billion industry providing work for 1.9 people. Beth’s knowledge and experience will position TIAC well at this strategic inflection point in our industry. But that is not why I look forward to meeting her.

Effective advocacy will be required to position the sector to welcome back visitors from all over the world. TIAC have achieved much and Beth seems like the perfect choice to build on that foundation. Every destination needs a tourism envoy and Beth seems poised to take the helm for her organization. We say that not only because of her impressive resume, but because of a couple things I read that she said this past September.

The Ontario Tourism Industry delivered its “blueprint for recovery” to Government Ministers and members of the Provincial Parliament at a TIAO lobbying event at Queen’s Park on September 16th. If you know me even a little you know I am a sucker for framing things as a “blueprint.”  The work of an advocate, in my head, is similar to the concept of an architect.

At the virtual event TIAO laid out a very sound set of proposals that included the following.

• An economic stimulus package that helps to keep tourism businesses solvent over a twelve to eighteen-month period through a program of forgivable grants and loans.
• A capital expenditure program or tax credit to help cover costs of PPE and implementing health and safety protocols including physical distancing.
• Reducing or eliminating permits and licensing costs and red tape to help alleviate unnecessary financial and regulatory burdens on businesses.
• Creation of a tax-based incentive for Ontarians to rediscover their own province and support the local economy.
• Targeted financial support for attractions that have been unable to open based on the staged reopening.

Beth referred to the Tourism and Hospitality industry as a catalyst for economic growth.  That is a good way to position it – as a means, vehicle, or method. You can talk about the past track record and the superior financial return on any investment into it but positioning the industry first puts a perspective to it that makes the argument easier to see.

But what really caught my attention was when she said, “We’re not asking the government to pick winners and losers; we’re just asking that they give us the tools to help be the catalyst to lead our province's economic recovery.” It is so important that we all repeat that concept over and over.  We are not asking the government to pick winners or losers – we are asking that they invest in making our destination a winner, not a loser. We are not asking for something that is unreasonable or unfair – we are asking that the government invest in the community and its future by giving us the tools to help be the catalyst to lead our destination’s economic recovery.

So, until we meet Beth, congratulations and Destinations International stands ready to assist you and your team’s efforts.