Pretty is as pretty does

Tourism is a core industrial sector and should be treated as such

Time for the Takeaway, and more than just a pretty place. Tourism can often feel like a nice ‘add-on’ to an economy…icing on the cake, if the cake is the ‘real’ industrial economy.

But as many a tourist-centred town knows, tourism is about bringing your customers to you, and delivering goods and services to them on location. In other words, it’s just as serious a business as any other, even if the pictures are prettier. Getting serious about the sector requires a multi-faceted approach.

There’s the marketing - at home, and importantly, in international markets, where knowledge of Canada may be limited to a few stereotypes about snow and lakes. The breadth and complexity of this country is captivating - both for Canadians and international visitors - and showcasing that depth is always a good idea.

Once we have the travellers in the country, the sector can be seen as one that is interwoven with so many others. Our transportation systems will be under a lens - so making sure they function well and safely is critical. How clean and safe our cities are, is another aspect of how we are perceived, and if that means it takes a visitor to force us to clean our own house - so be it.

The service in our hospitality sectors is the front line of this industry - so protecting the quality of work and the wages of those workers has to be considered a core element of a healthy tourism sector.

And finally, maintaining a warm and welcoming culture to visitors is central to keeping them coming. All of these things will make Canada a better, more attractive place - not just for the occasional traveller but for its citizens too.

That makes the tourism sector one that we can all get behind.

My Takeaway? People should want to come to this big beautiful country of ours. But let’s make the effort to keep Canada as attractive as possible once they’ve arrived.