The organization that advocates for travel agencies and independent travel advisors in Canada issued a statement today about the Liberal Party’s plan for the ‘hardest hit’ sectors of the economy, including travel and tourism.
The Liberals’ election platform policies include:
- Extending the Canada Recovery Hiring Program to March 31, 2022; and
- Providing Canada’s tourism industry with temporary wage and rent support of up to 75% of their expenses to help them get through the winter;
It goes on to say:
- “A re-elected Liberal government would introduce a temporary wage subsidy and rent subsidy stream for sectors like hotels, tour operators, convention centers and festivals experiencing a minimum of 40% revenue loss. Qualifying businesses in these sectors would be able to access a maximum subsidy rate of up to 75%, commensurate to their revenue loss, in order to help cover fixed costs like wages and rent between September 2021 until May 31, 2022.”
In its statement about the Liberal platform, ACTA “confirms travel agencies are eligible for Liberal’s proposed wage and rent subsidies.”
Not Endorsing, But ‘Pleased With’ Liberals
This is ACTA’s first comment about the platform of a political party heading into the polls.
Open Jaw asked ACTA if that meant the organization
was endorsing the Liberal Party for the upcoming election.
“No,” ACTA president, Wendy Paradis told Open Jaw, “ACTA urges all political parties to adopt platforms that strongly support travel agent business survival.”
But she did say, “ACTA is pleased with the Liberal Party of Canada's platform promise to provide up to 75% rent and wage subsidies to hardest-hit tourism businesses, including travel agencies. We continue to advocate for platform promises that support independent travel agents.”
And ACTA says the Liberal Party’s platform still needs some work, saying the Liberal’s platform announcement for ‘hardest hit’ sectors, “unfortunately does not address the needs of independent travel agents --and we are developing a separate strategic response for these businesses.”
She added: “This is a critical time for travel agent businesses to make financial support and survival an election issue.”
ACTA Response to the Conservative Platform
The Conservative Party of Canada’s federal election platform - released last week - also includes support for ‘hardest hit’ sectors.
Most crucially for travel agencies and advisors, it includes:
- Canada Job Surge Plan - paying up to 50% of the salary of net new hires for six months following the end of CEWS, with the salary maximum the same as for CEWS.
ACTA told Open Jaw that commitment is not good enough. Paradis says, “the Canada Job Surge Plan does not address the urgent and immediate needs of travel agent businesses.”
But ACTA did acknowledge the Conservative Party of Canada “several platform promises that impact travel agent businesses.” Some other initiatives in the sector include:
- a ‘Dine and Discover Program’ providing a 50 per cent rebate for Canadians to support the hospitality sector, worth a billion dollars; and a
- ‘Explore and Support Canada’ initiative with a 15% tax credit for vacation expenses of up to $1,000 per person for Canadians to vacation in Canada in 2022; as well as
- Airline sector support “conditional on airlines agreeing to provide refunds to customers whose flights they cancelled, ending layoffs, restoring regional routes, allowing travel agents to maintain commissions collected for cancelled travel, and banning executive bonuses until the support is repaid,” as well as “strong protection of passengers’ rights” including “full refunds -not vouchers - when an airline cancels a flight and doesn’t offer an alternative.”
“A different strategy needed for independent agents”
ACTA says even the Liberal Party’s platform needs to pay more attention to individual advisors. It’s calling again for all travel advisors and agency owners to get involved in the political process.
“This is a critical time for travel agent businesses to make financial support and survival an election issue. ACTA’s advocacy efforts will continue in full force through the election period, but member grassroots advocacy is key to our success.”
The organization is collaborating with the Hardest Hit Coalition to encourage all political parties to adopt platforms that support travel agent business survival.
“We want decision makers to feel like they are making the right decision supporting the travel and tourism industry, to ensure policies become law in September by whatever party is elected and that it has as high a budget as possible,” said Paradis.
Tweet, Tweet Success
ACTA is encouraging travel agency owners and advisors to leverage the power of Twitter during the campaign to acknowledge positive actions for the industry and to specifically reference local candidates.
It offers some suggested tweet templates that get the message in front of the “right decision makers,” with an apparent focus on the Liberal Party.
Sample current messages:
- My travel agent business is a hardest-hit tourism business. I appreciate @JustinTrudeau announcement for sector-specific aid and call on all parties to adopt similar policies. This lifeline will help us survive for recovery! @melaniejoly @cafreeland @YOUR LOCAL CANDIDATE #Election2021
- @JustinTrudeau announced aid to hardest-hit tourism businesses. This will help my travel agent business survive to see recovery and save jobs. All parties should do something similar! @melaniejoly @cafreeland @YOUR LOCAL CANDIDATE #Election2021
- My travel agent business will only survive with sector-specific support. @JustinTrudeau announced subsidies that will help me survive to see recovery. @erinotoole @theJagmeetSingh should follow suit to protect businesses and jobs! @melaniejoly @cafreeland @YOUR LOCAL CANDIDATE #Election2021
ACTA is also asks everyone in travel to “reach out to your local candidates and request meetings to talk about your business issues, attend a BBQ or other small gatherings, and ask candidates for support for your survival and recovery.”
The Canadian Travel and Tourism industry is hoping for 1,000 meetings per week between now and Election Day, 20SEP.
Read with interest your article on where the Liberals and Conservatives stand on support for our industry. Would like to see where each party stands on mixed vaccines. Millions of CDN’s and their families are now blocked from travel because of mixed vaccine issue – keeping in mind many times folks travel in groups or with family so if one person cannot go because of mixed vaccine then the whole group tends to cancel. I just had a group booked on a cruise with final approaching and of the 68 clients 40 have mixed vaccines. Trudeau promised us mixed vaccines and travel would not be an issue. I reached out to Liberals and their standard response – you should not be travelling right now. Conservative leader wrote to me to say his party would have 3rd shots available for those that need them to travel. NDP ????, Greens ??? This good be a huge issue for any reopening of our industry. Would like to know where each party stands on the issue. Would also be interested to know where they stand on cruise ships travelling in CDN waters – for example Quebec City to PEI, NB, NFLD and finishing in Boston – Americans allowed onboard – CDN’s with mixed vaccines blocked from boarding.
How can they be “pleased” with the government that provided practically NO support throughout the first half of the pandemic for the travel and tourism sector. It sounds like biased news release on the part of ACTA. Somebody got paid off!
Time for a change, if the Canadian tourism industry is to survive, and thrive sooner rather than later, DONT vote in the Liberals!! (doesnt help the thousands who have already lost jobs because of the lack of support).
And Dennis the previous poster had some good points as well!