The announcement made this Tuesday will provide over $30 million in financial assistance to Quebec’s tourism sector.
Canadian Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages, Mélanie Joly accompanied by Élisabeth Brière, Member of Parliament for Sherbrooke and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec, announced this Tuesday over $30M in financial assistance for the province tourism sector.
The Quebec tourism industry is one of the sectors hit hardest by COVID-19, with impacts to last for several months.
“The tourism sector and the 1.8 million people it employs across Canada have been hit hard by the slowdown caused by COVID-19, and we are here for you. We are working with businesses so they are ready to reopen and to help Canadian tourism to flourish once again. Our message to the sector is clear: we are here for you now with immediate measures, we are here for you as our economy reopens, and we will come through this together,” said Joly in the press release.
Health measures, including restrictions such as the closing of borders and some regions, have led to major consequences and much uncertainty in the tourism industry.
The industry will also have to deploy adaptation measures to comply with new health standards to welcome visitors in complete safety.
Out of this $30M, the Alliance de l’industrie touristique du Québec (Alliance) will be able to count on $13.5M in assistance to provide financial support to Quebec’s tourism small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
Through the project, the Alliance will grant non-repayable contributions to tourism SMEs mainly in the accommodation, attractions and tourism services sectors. This support will enable tourism SMEs to fund leasehold improvements to their infrastructure and the purchase of protective equipment to meet public health rules.
Another $16.5M of the funding will help businesses and attractions to improve their facilities and develop their tourism experience.
Additional information on the projects and financial assistance is provided in the related backgrounder.