Dear Tourism Partner,
As the impact of the global pandemic COVID-19 destabilizes the world economy, the Tourism Industry is reporting immediate and long term impacts.
TIANS will continue to provide the latest relevant information and attempt to discern the most practical advice we can provide to you. We are posting the latest updates on the TIANS website and will endeavor to keep abreast of business supports as they are announced from both the Provincial and Federal Governments. We understand you are concerned about your business viability and we are informing governments of the need to support tourism businesses. Hopefully, the extraordinary measures being taken to limit the movement of people will help mitigate the spread of COVID-19.
Thank you to those that completed the TIANS business survey to gage immediate impact in Nova Scotia. Over 200 businesses have responded to date and as the days go on we are seeing more reported business cancellations and decline in booking patterns. We expect that this will continue and encourage those of you that have not completed the survey to do so here.
For the survey results to date click here.
TIANS is in the process of forming a Tourism Industry Contingency (TIC) Group comprised of key stakeholders including transportation providers, ports of entry, relevant government partners, and marketing organizations to look at what can be done now to leverage regional opportunities and ensure we are well prepared to ramp up once the immediate crisis abates. We are also hoping to coordinate communication efforts on a regional basis so that you receive the most relevant tourism data and global trends.
The Nova Scotia Tourism Human Resource Council (NSTHRC) and TIANS are working closely with Tourism HR Canada to ensure the policies and programs to support the tourism workforce reflect regional needs and are communicated effectively. We have already seen changes to Employment Insurance and anticipate further policy and program adjustments in the days to come. For the latest from Tourism HR Canada click here.
WHAT CAN WE DO
From a business perspective we will continue to provide updates to help you make informed decisions. From a personal perspective what we need to do now is rally together. How can we help mitigate the impacts in our own communities and ensure we are helping those most vulnerable. We are hearing heartwarming stories from tourism businesses offering their services to support needs within their community.
What can you do? Follow health protocols to stay as safe as possible. Also, help each other; reach out to an isolated neighbor or older members of your community by helping with food delivery and other services. Let’s control what we can and demonstrate the best qualities of what it means to be a Nova Scotian.
Stay safe and stay in touch. Let us know what is happening in your community or share a best practice we can share with others at tians@tourism.ca. If you need to reach me directly, please email dgf@tourism.ca.
Sincerely,
Darlene Grant Fiander
President, Tourism Industry Association (TIANS)