The Tourism Industry Association of Ontario (TIAO), along with participating member organizations from across the province, convened with 15 Ministers, Parliamentary Assistants, and party leaders, including Minister Lumsden, at the Rural Ontario Municipal Association (ROMA) conference this week. The nature and timing of this event provided a robust platform for us to advocate key economic, labor, and infrastructure priorities necessary to mitigate risks and stimulate growth in the tourism industry for 2024.
In these meetings, TIAO approached the discussions by presenting focused solutions, showcasing our members' innovative problem-solving approaches, and seeking collaboration across multiple ministries to develop a new strategy for growing Ontario's tourism economy. We extend our gratitude to Minister Lumsden and his incredible team for their support and recommendations.
For more details on our key recommendations, please visit: https://silkstart.s3.amazonaws.com/db3cbfdc-a0ac-42f9-a44b-89f2008d8c9c.pdf
We express our appreciation to Camping in Ontario, Culinary Tourism Alliance, Destination Northern Ontario, Indigenous Tourism Ontario, Kingston Accommodation Partners, Northern Ontario Tourist Outfitters Association, and OTEC for their support to the TIAO team and their efforts on behalf of all members. (Insert a nice photo from our meetings with Minister Lumsden).
The federal government has recently imposed a two-year cap on international student permit applications, anticipating around 360,000 approved study permits, reflecting a 35% decrease from 2023. Individual provincial and territorial caps, weighted by population, have been established, leading to more significant decreases in provinces like Ontario, which have historically welcomed a larger share of international students.
This decision, accompanied by several additional changes, will have substantial impacts on students, post-secondary schools, the labor market, and employers. We are actively engaging with member businesses and post-secondary schools across Ontario to assess the impact of these policy changes and to formulate meaningful and focused recommendations.
Please inform us of how your business will be affected by the international student permit cap by:
- Taking the following rapid survey: https://forms.office.com/r/A1ZLQkma0S
- Emailing Alexander Miceli, Manager of Policy and Government Affairs, at amiceli@tiaontario.ca
If you wish to learn more about the federal cap, please click here.
Lastly, thank you to the TIAO team and membership for the warm welcome as I assume this exciting new role. I eagerly anticipate connecting with members in the weeks and months to come, and I look forward to a strong 2024!
Sincerely,
Andrew Siegwart