Raymond Bachand, president of the new Conférence économique de l'industrie touristique québécoise Français
QUÉBEC CITY, Oct. 23, 2020 /CNW Telbec/ - As it deals with the biggest downturn in its history, which made the tourism industry the hardest hit economic sector in Québec, Canada and elsewhere in the world, tourism stakeholders are coming together and acting proactively, once again, by creating the Conférence économique de l'industrie touristique québécoise.
Mr Raymond Bachand will be the president of the Conférence, which includes 12 men and women, owners and heads of businesses in the tourism sector who have a vast experience of operations within the industry, as well as a combination of complementary expertise. Their knowledge of regional, national and international issues, of the various aspects of the sector's activities, as well as the realities of businesses of all sizes that make up the tourism industry, will allow them to effectively support the Conférence's mission. In recent days, several meetings with various government authorities have already taken place in order to make concrete proposals and to avoid even deeper disruptions within this essential part of the economic vitality of Québec and its regions.
A relevant presence in a difficult context
In the spring of 2020, tourism was one of the first and hardest hit industries, with the emergence of the current pandemic. While some areas of Québec's 22 tourism regions were able to benefit from a short period of increased activity over the summer, urban centers and regional poles were emptied of their usual crowds. Moreover, businesses in the tourism sector had to enact major changes to adapt to the realities of operating in the time of COVID-19. Additionally, the fall season, usually characterized by a significant influx of international visitors and a high number of business events, as well as sports or school-related events everywhere in Québec, has basically been shut down by the pandemic's second wave. Forecasts also remain sombre for the immediate future: many experts consider that it will take several years for the tourism sector to recover from this unprecedented crisis.
Before the pandemic, tourism contributed some 16 billion dollars to Québec's economy, annually, and represented over 400,000 jobs. Also, in terms of the amount of foreign currency injected into the Québec economy, tourism was the equivalent of the fifth most important export sector for Québec, since the more than 9.3 million tourists coming from outside Québec generated some 5.8 billion dollars in travel expenses in Québec's various regions.
The current crisis has had major impacts on the tourism sector and on the Québec economy as a whole. According to a September 2020 study by RCGT Horwarth HTL, revenue losses of some 3.4 billion dollars are to be expected for the 2020-2021 yearly period, which represents a loss of 61% in revenue for tourism accommodations, attractions and travel services alone––a prospect that does not include revenue losses for tourism sector restaurants or the transportation sub-sector.
A global vision, a strong and united voice
Within the Conférence, members do not represent their individual business, region or specific sector, but rather Québec as a whole, as well as a whole range of activities and types of businesses.
In addition to President Raymond Bachand, who is also acting as Strategic Advisor, Conférence members are, in alphabetical order:
- Alain April - Le Bonne Entente Hotel and Entourage sur-le-Lac
- Pascale Coutu - La Courgerie
- Janine Durette - La Ronde Six Flags
- Christiane Germain - Germain Hotels
- Yan Hamel – AML Cruises
- Caroline Lepage - AGORA OPUS3
- Patrice Malo - Mont Tremblant Resort
- Jacques Primeau - Équipe Spectra
- Luzana Rada - Global Tourisme
- David Rheault - Air Canada
- Claudine Roy - Auberge sous les Arbres
Quotes
"Two months of summer activity were not enough to compensate for the lack of business and leisure clienteles from outside Quebec markets. Despite rigorous management, profitability is impossible, the coffers are empty, but the financial obligations remain. The coming weeks are critical for the sustainability of many companies, whether they are in red zones or not. Squarely, we are talking about survival : how can we expect to pay employees over the next year, taxes, bills, with only 20 % of the usual income ?»
Yan Hamel, Conférence Member
AML Cruises
« Our greatest concern is for the employees that the tourism sector could lose forever, which would cause it to lose fundamental expertise in a context of overall labour shortage. Without the last few months' wage subsidy program, a number of businesses once considered solid would have already closed down. The limited scope of that subsidy is insufficient, within the current context, and it just won't provide hope for any significant recovery."
Caroline Lepage, Conférence Member
AGORA OPUS3
« I deeply believe in the socioeconomic impact of this sector and its significant contribution to the vitality of Québec and its regions. As a former member of the board of Tourisme Montréal and as a former minister of Tourism and Finance minister, I chose to get involved, along with other Conférence members, so that we can do everything within our power to avoid seeing a whole sector of our economy fall apart."
Raymond Bachand, O.C., Ad. E., President of the Conférence
Strategic Advisor
About the Conférence économique de l'industrie touristique Québécoise
The Conférence is a committee of business leaders with a deep understanding of regional and industry challenges, and of the realities that large and small businesses face within the sector. Together, they bring a substantial experience of the Québec tourism sector and complementary skills from their own individual areas of expertise. Based on data, industry insight and economic analysis, its role is to generate dialogue about the main issues identified by Québec tourism associations and businesses, notably the state of the business environment and the impact of public policy on the industry; to analyse success factors that will help improve it and; to recommend the best strategies that can maximize windfall for Québec in its entirety.
SOURCE Conférence économique de l’industrie touristique québécoise
Anne-Hélène Couturier, Media Relations Manager, [email protected], (581) 994-2663
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