People walk past flowering cherry trees in Centennial Park, in Toronto on Monday, April 22, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn
“We would love to retain our workforce longer into the season. And normally the product doesn't need to be hugely adapted to take in a new season like fall and approaching into winter,” Walden said in an interview.Drawn-out vacations would also amount to millions more in the coffers of hospitality companies, federal Tourism Minister Soraya Martinez Ferrada said.
The federal strategy also looks to promote a broader range of destinations, from Indigenous-owned projects to ecotourism spots off the beaten path. Tourism has come roaring back from pandemic lows, but operators say the sector has yet to reach pre-COVID levels and debt remains a hefty burden for thousands of small businesses across the country.