Canada’s tourism sector relies on timely, meaningful insights into employment data to help to secure the skilled, diverse workforce needed to strengthen Canada’s place as a top-tier global destination.
Two of the country’s leading providers of tourism intelligence, Destination Canada and Tourism HR Canada, have announced a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that builds on their years of collaboration in providing key statistics trusted by governments, businesses, educators, researchers, and more to make smart, data-driven decisions.
The partnership is part of the Canadian Tourism Data Collective, an innovative platform for sharing and accessing robust tourism data, research, and insights in one location.
The MOU between Destination Canada and Tourism HR Canada seeks to:
- Grow the sector and improve Canada’s competitiveness
- Strengthen both organizations’ longstanding collaboration on data collection and sharing
- Expand the depth and breadth of workforce insights to showcase tourism’s multitude of viable, long-term career pathways
- Enhance public access to workforce data via the Data Collective, to deepen understanding of tourism employment as critical to vibrant local communities and economies
- Facilitate evidence-driven policy and planning, by empowering decision makers to implement policies and practices to build and support a thriving, future-ready tourism workforce
This sharing of data will help to provide a comprehensive understanding of tourism’s socio-economic impacts and contributions to the Canadian economy. The organizations will explore the interplay between visitor demographics and behaviour trends and those of the workplace.
“A vibrant, competitive tourism sector is powered by the talented, welcoming professionals who provide memorable experiences for visitors,” stated Philip Mondor, President and CEO of Tourism HR Canada. “To continue to provide trusted guidance and valuable resources to all those who play a part in growing this workforce, we need accurate, timely data on a multitude of influencing factors. This partnership with Destination Canada reinforces our shared commitment to deepening workforce insights, enhancing data accessibility, and supporting evidence-based decisions. By strengthening our collaboration, we are not only advancing the long-term sustainability of tourism, but also showcasing its significant economic impact and its rewarding employment opportunities. Together, we are securing a more resilient, future-ready tourism sector in Canada.”
“People are at the heart of the tourism industry and a skilled workforce is integral to the success of the sector. Tourism accounts for one in 10 jobs in Canada, supporting two million households from coast to coast to coast,” said Marsha Walden, President & CEO of Destination Canada. “Our recently launched Tourism’s Wealth & Wellbeing Index redefines how we measure tourism’s success, and employment is one of the key indicators. To grow our sector and remain resilient, we need deep workforce data to understand the labour force, the quantity and quality of our jobs and any changing dynamics. This enhanced partnership will provide the industry with the reliable and timely workforce and economic insights needed to drive informed decision-making.”
The Data Collective facilitates the collecting and sharing of critical tourism data from a range of key industry sources including Statistics Canada, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada, Hotel Association of Canada, Tourism Industry Association of Canada, and Tourism HR Canada.
Keep informed on ongoing findings from the new partnership via the Canadian Tourism Data Collective platform, or subscribe to newsletters from Destination Canada and Tourism HR Canada.