CTC’s Rendez-vous Canada, the industry’s biggest annual marketplace yields estimated $340 million in new business deals

The results are in: The 2010 edition of Rendez-vous Canada, held in Winnipeg, Manitoba this past May 8 to 12, proved to be wildly successful for Canada's tourism industry, generating an estimated $340 million in business transactions.

Over the course of the five-day event, 1,200 tourism buyers and sellers came together for a series of pre-scheduled appointments, presentations, meal functions, and social events at Canada's premier tourism marketplace.

“We hosted 18,000-plus appointments, connecting partners and clients to create relationships that will differentiate Canada in a competitive marketplace,” says Michele McKenzie, CTC president and CEO. “The outcomes from this year’s Rendez-vous Canada are exceptional, and we look forward to seeing these newly forged alliances in action.”

For more information, please view the complete article from the CTC News by clicking here.

Nominations now being accepted for National Awards for Tourism Excellence: Newly-established National Cultural Tourism Award among the 14 categories for 2010

Nominations are now being accepted for the 2010 National Awards for Tourism Excellence presented by the Globe and Mail. Online nominations may be submitted in 14 categories until Friday, August 6th.

The awards allow Canada’s tourism industry to recognize those people, places, organizations and events that have gone above and beyond to offer a superior tourism experience to travelers in Canada. The awards are presented annually at an awards dinner during Canada's Tourism Leadership Summit.

TIAC is pleased to announce the establishment of the National Cultural Tourism Award.  The National Cultural Tourism Award will recognize a cultural organization that has demonstrated a commitment to the development and promotion of authentic, innovative and enriched cultural tourism visitor experiences, or a tourism organization that has demonstrated a commitment to culture as a key aspect of encouraging and promoting tourism growth in their region.

TIAC has also refined the remaining award criteria and nomination questionnaires ahead of the 2010 nomination period. The new questionnaires make it easier than ever to nominate tourism champions in your community.

It’s simple to nominate an individual, a business or an organization, and it can be a rewarding process for both the nominee and the nominator.  Organizations may be self-nominated or nominated by another party, and you do not have to be a TIAC member to submit a nomination.

Please take the time to nominate those who should be recognized and celebrated.  Further information can be found by clicking here or by contacting David Lauer, TIAC’s Manager, Communications at 613-238-9400.

Frequently Asked Questions about the Canada-China Inbound Tour Operators Accreditation Program

A list of FAQs about the Canada-China Inbound Tour Operators Accreditation Program has been prepared to address some of the questions that tour operators may have about the Approved Destination Status accreditation program.

ADS allows approved Canadian tour operators to receive Chinese nationals into Canada in a leisure group tour format through ADS approved travel agents in China including those that have been authorised by the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA).

Accreditation through the program, which is managed by the Canada-China Inbound Tour Operator Accreditation Office, is mandatory for any in-bound tour operator who wishes to begin receiving Chinese travelers once the Memorandum of Understanding is officially signed in the coming days.

For more information the Canada-China Inbound Tour Operators Accreditation Program, please visit the ITOAP website at www.tiac.travel/china, or contact Nikki Janecka, ADS Administrator (613-688-1467, njanecka@tiac.travel)

TIAC President and CEO David Goldstein addresses New Brunswick’s tourism industry

As part of a panel discussion at the Tourism Industry Association of New Brunswick’s annual convention in Edmundston last week, TIAC President and CEO David Goldstein spoke of his initial observations through his cross-country consultations, as well as the need for all stakeholders in the tourism sector – public and private, national, provincial and local, and across all business segments – to work collaboratively to address our issues with competitiveness.

He also recognized the recently announced Tourism Strategy, a joint effort between the Government of New Brunswick, TIANB and other provincial stakeholders, and noted that it provides excellent example of how these collaborations can be undertaken.

Click here to view David Goldstein’s speaking notes from the TIANB conference.

June 7-13, 2010 is Tourism Week in Canada

Tourism Week in Canada is the national celebration that highlights the economic impact and social benefits of Canada’s tourism sector among the media, general public and governments at all levels. It provides a focal point for activities organized by the provincial and territorial tourism industry associations, provincial and territorial marketing organizations, destination marketing organizations, individual businesses and other partners. Tourism Week is organized collectively by a number of public and private tourism stakeholders, led by the Tourism Industry Association of Canada, and presented by Deloitte and Air Canada.

Throughout tourism week, provincial and territorial tourism industry associations, destination marketing organizations, individual businesses and other partners organize and engage in a wide variety of local and regional activities and events demonstrating how tourism contributes to Canada’s economy, its standard of living, and the quality of life of all Canadians. Many of these activities also provide tourism marketing organizations and attractions with a heightened opportunity to promote their tourism products within their own communities and beyond.

Download the Tourism Week Information Kit!

Tourism Week is a great time to encourage the public to experience local tourism offerings and engage government officials on tourism issues. TIAC encourages members to communicate with the public, contact government officials, and generate media stories focusing on the state of tourism locally, provincially/territorially or nationally, examining specific tourism sectors such as transportation, profiling individual tourism operators, or looking at how the industry has transformed the economies of some communities.

To assist its members in getting the message out, TIAC has prepared an information kit with some relevant materials, including:

• A tourism industry fact sheet;
• Key messages about the Canadian tourism industry;
• A sample media release that you can tailor to your community and distribute to local media;
• Guidance on how to write and submit a Tourism Week Op-Ed for your community newspaper;
• A Tourism Week proclamation that you can bring to your municipal politicians to have Tourism Week officially proclaimed in your community.

Download your copy of the Tourism Week Information Kit by clicking here.

Download the Tourism Week in Canada Logo

The tourism week logo can be downloaded in a variety of file formats. Please visit www.tiac.travel to download the tourism week logos.

Tell TIAC What You Are Doing For Tourism Week

TIAC wants to bring to light the Tourism Week activities of its members across the country in the weeks leading up to this event. If your organization would like to have your activities highlighted nationally, or if you wish to receive more information on Tourism Week in Canada, please contact: David Lauer, TIAC's Manager, Communications at 613-238-9400 or by e-mail at dlauer@tiac.travel

Canada Revenue Agency encourages businesses in Ontario and British Columbia to be HST-ready

The Governments of Ontario and British Columbia will each implement a harmonized sales tax (HST) that will come into effect on July 1, 2010 and will be administered by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA).

The CRA is taking steps to ensure that businesses get the information they need to transition to the federal administration of the HST. If you are registered for GST, you may have received an insert in your last GST/HST return. It provided general information related to harmonization and highlighted the CRA’s “Are you HST Ready?” page found at www.cra.gc.ca/harmonization. This is the place to visit for detailed information about the transition to HST and how it will affect your business.

From the page above, you can access links to a number of other helpful resources that are all designed to help you seamlessly transition to the HST.

Some of these resources are:

• in-person information seminars—sign up to attend a CRA “Transition to HST” seminar (new dates and locations posted regularly);
• webinars (online seminars)—reserve your spot now, then log in from home or work to hear and watch the presentation;
• video series—topics include an overview on the HST, more detailed information on the transitional rules for goods and services;
• information sheets and technical notices—a library of information is located on the “HST Publications” page.

For more information, sign up for the HST electronic mailing list (www.cra.gc.ca/lists) or RSS feed (www.cra.gc.ca/rssfeeds) and let the CRA keep you informed. You can also reach the CRA by telephone at 1-800-959-5525 (TTY 1-800-665-0354).