Mr. Speaker, I am happy to respond to the comments made earlier by the hon. member regarding tourism marketing.

Tourism is an important sector for all regions across Canada. The Government of Canada supports the competitiveness of our national tourism sector and works closely with industry to ensure that Canada remains a top tourist destination. This is exactly what we committed to in last year's Speech from the Throne.

There is plenty of good news on this front. I am pleased to note that the industry continues to grow. In 2013, tourism revenues in Canada increased by 3% to over $84 billion, and the tourism sector provided more than 618,000 jobs.

To sustain the growth and positive momentum of our tourism sector, the Government of Canada launched the federal tourism strategy in 2011. The strategy positions Canada's tourism sector to take advantage of international growth opportunities. So far it has yielded tangible results to reduce barriers that were hampering the performance of the sector. For example, we have signed 80 air transport agreements with top priority markets such as China, India, and Japan. There are also a growing number of visa application centres worldwide.

We have a very talented marketing agency that does a great job of attracting international tourists to Canada. The Canadian Tourism Commission promotes Canada as a premier tourist destination in priority markets around the world, some of which have shown impressive growth. For example, the number of visitors from China grew by over 22% last year. India is another market that is showing great growth potential. That is why the Minister of State for Tourism led a tourism stakeholder mission to India in February 2013.

The Canadian Tourism Commission has also been successful in attracting meetings, conventions, and business travellers to Canada, which together generated $120 million in revenue last year. In fact, the CTC played a central role in convincing the internationally renowned TED Conference to relocate to Vancouver from its home in California this year and in 2015. This was a huge win for Canada.

Furthermore, the Canadian Tourism Commission's business model allows it to adapt quickly to changing market conditions and to leverage new opportunities as they arise. In fact, the CTC leveraged 80¢ in contributions from industry partners for every dollar of appropriations in 2013, allowing for a greater marketing and advertising reach for Canadian tourism.

Last year the Canadian Tourism Commission's partners contributed $47.7 million to its marketing activities and events.

Tourism in Canada is growing. At the same time, our industry is facing increased competition worldwide. To be successful, Canada's tourism industry must innovate and adapt to offer the memorable experiences travellers are seeking. Governments can help by creating an environment for our tourism businesses to compete and thrive.

Deepak Obhrai

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Adjournment Proceedings

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