Tourism Ministers Meet in Nova Scotia

Ministers responsible for tourism from every province and territory in Canada will come together Monday, May 20, to discuss key challenges and opportunities facing Canada's tourism industry. The agenda includes air issues, federal/provincial/territorial funding agreements and the federal government's role in tourism policy and development.

"Tourism plays a significant role in this country's economy, contributing an estimated $54 billion in revenues annually," said Rodney MacDonald, Minister of Tourism and Culture for Nova Scotia, and chair of this year's meeting. "Given the importance of this industry to all provinces and territories, we are committed to working together on common goals."

The provincial and territorial tourism ministers have met every year since 1998. At last year's meeting in Toronto, they agreed that the federal government needs to take a more active role in ensuring the continued growth of Canada's tourism industry. The group identified federal participation as essential in addressing such issues as airline restructuring, federal-provincial- territorial funding agreements and national parks policy.

While in Halifax, tourism ministers will also be attending Rendez-vous Canada, an event that brings 250 tourism buyers from around the world together with more than 800 suppliers from Canada. This year the event is hosted by the Atlantic Canada Tourism Partnership.