The Canadian Tourism Commission, those folks charged with the task of attracting international travellers to our fair nation (how’s that working out?) can’t hide its disdain for retail travel professionals.
The most recent chirpy missive from the government-funded organization discusses the booming market for Canadian OUTBOUND travel. Spending beyond our borders has nearly doubled since 2005, and Canada ranks 7th in the world for international tourism spend.
But the CTC, whose job is to stimulate INBOUND travel, feels compelled to note: “Travel agents are bit part players in the Canadian marketplace, with only 1/4 of trips booked this way.”
Can you say ‘deflection’ Pumpkins? Let’s look at the facts: 10 years ago, Canada was among the world’s top 10 destinations. Today, we’re looking up at the top 20.
Now that’s not all the CTC’s fault, of course. We’re sure that sending bilingual, social media-savvy bloggers off to Whitehorse will attract visitors in their hordes, but what’s with the cheap shot from the public sector? And what right does the CTC have to be talking about my bit parts anyway? What do they know about my bit parts that they’re not telling me? (Honestly, that wasn’t me that tweeted my bit parts.)
In the Internet age there are all kinds of travel products that don’t require professional advice, but 25% of a whole lot is still a lot, and when a trip really matters, Canadians are increasingly turning to the experts.
