Supporting the Tourism and Hospitality Sectors
New Ontario Tourism Recovery Program and Tourism & Hospitality Small Business Support Grant will help stabilize the tourism industry and protect jobs
Ontario’s tourism sector, like so many of the province’s heritage, sport and culture industries, was among the first and hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic and will take the longest to recover.
Tourism plays a critical role in the Ontario economy. Prior to the pandemic, tourism generated more than $36 billion in economic activity and supported approximately 400,000 jobs in Ontario. As a direct result of the pandemic, the tourism sector has lost more than $18 billion in revenue alone and more than 200,000 jobs.
That’s why our PC government is providing $200 million through the new Ontario Tourism Recovery Program and Tourism & Hospitality Small Business Support Grant to help stabilize the tourism industry as it recovers from the impacts of COVID-19, while protecting jobs in communities across the province that rely on tourism investment.
“This has been the most challenging year the tourism industry has ever faced. Previously an economic powerhouse for the province, tourism has been hit by the triple threat that COVID-19 represents – a health, economic and social crisis,” said Lisa MacLeod, MPP for Nepean and Minister of Heritage, Sport, Tourism. “This critical funding will sustain regionally significant businesses, while protecting jobs in communities that rely on tourism investment.”
The Ontario Tourism Recovery Program is a new $100-million program aimed to help stabilize the tourism industry as it recovers from the impacts of COVID-19 in the short, medium and long term. The program, which will launch later this year, will protect critical jobs in tourism-reliant communities and sustain tourism businesses, which have had to fully or partially shut down due to mandated COVID-19 restrictions.
Our PC government’s new Tourism and Hospitality Small Business Support Grant will provide an estimated $100 million in one-time payments of $10,000 to $20,000 to eligible small businesses including hotels, motels, travel agencies, amusement and water parks, hunting and fishing camps, and recreational and vacation camps including children’s overnight summer camps.
With these additional measures, we will ensure that Ontario remains a terrific place to discover.