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The Devastating Impact of COVID-19 on Canada’s Tourism Sector

The COVID-19 pandemic forced enormous change on the Canadian economy with very little advance warning. New protocols and restrictions were put into place to slow the spread of the deadly virus.

Since COVID-19 closed international borders, Canada’s tourism numbers have reduced drastically. The pandemic has had a massive impact on the tourism sector and its workforce.

Tourism HR Canada sought to measure the effect of COVID-19 on tourism businesses’ operational status and staffing needs, as well as their ability to access government supports, such as the Canadian Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) and the Regional Relief and Recovery Fund. We fielded the COVID-19 Tourism Workforce Impact Survey between June 10 and July 12, 2020. The survey received 605 valid responses from tourism operators across the country, representing a range of geographic locations and business types.

We released the report summarizing the national findings in August.

Today, we are pleased to release a new report detailing the responses by region, industry group, and business location (rural/urban).

Download the COVID-19 Tourism Workforce Impact Report - Summer 2020

Tourism HR Canada will continue to track the pandemic’s impact with further studies to take place in 2021. Subscribe to Tourism HR Insider to be notified when the next survey is launched.

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