State of Tourism Industry in Canada

Before diving into this assignment I culled a list of my current assumptions about the Canadian tourism industry.

Assumptions:
- A large contributor to our tourism industry is from foreign travel. Due to the economic uncertaintly in the States, it can be assumed that tourism has been lower recently than in previous years.

- Travel within Canada is very expensive and therefore it could be assumed that most Canadians neglect to explore our beautiful country!

- Some of the world's recent events (e.g. 9/11) may deter people from traveling, as well as increased security at airports and tighter restrictions on travel.

The following article, http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/dsib-tour.nsf/eng/qq00132.html, details the turbulations that the industry has gone through within the last few years and where the future is headed.

One of the biggest issues that is currently being explored by the tourism industry is how to cater and gear marketing campaigns to the rapidly aging population.

Source: International Travel 2003, Statistics Canada

"The Government of Ontario's report ”Impacts of Aging the Canadian Market on Tourism in Ontario,“ states that ”if the new generation of [mature] Ontario residents displays similar tourism activity preferences to their 2000 counterparts, the impact of an aging population will result in a shift away from outdoor activity such as canoeing and fishing, towards non-strenuous warm weather activities and indoor cultural events and attractions.“ This reinforces the importance of conducting research on travel patterns to be able to tailor tourism products, and be more responsive to present and future preferences."

Based on the above excerpt, it can be assumed that warm weather activities and indoor cultural events and attractions are an inelastic demand for the aging population. Prices tend to be lower for seniors, and you'll often find "seniors discounts" due to their lower incomes, as well, there are no substitutions for a great vacation!

The condition of the tourism industry is not suffering in Canada, however, the need for flexibility and adaptability in order to cater to the fluctuating economy and demands of individual groups is imperative.