TIABC Voice of Tourism Newsletter – November 21, 2025

It was only a few short years ago that healthcare professionals, media, politicians, and human behavioural scientists intimated that our long-standing social practices would be forever changed as a consequence of the pandemic. Formal protocols like handshakes, faire la bise, and hugs would be replaced by knocking elbows, faux high fives, or bowing as is custom in many Asian countries.

I also recall so-called experts suggesting that most white collar employees wouldn’t return to the office in favour of working from home and that business events such as conferences and tradeshows would become a thing of the past with virtual meetings the cheaper, more convenient, and safer option.

News Flash! Handshakes, cheek kisses and hugs are more common now than prior to COVID; most workers have returned to the office for at least part of each week; and business events are on the rise all over the world.

On the latter point, studies show that communing in meeting settings is vital for fostering social, emotional, and physical well-being by promoting a sense of belonging, purpose, and trust. These connections improve mental health by reducing anxiety and stress while also encouraging cooperation, facilitating the sharing of information, and building stronger social networks.

Which brings me to the point of today’s message on the need for continued support for Canada’s business events sector. By way of background, in 2023 Destination Canada (DC) secured federal government funding to establish the International Convention Attraction Fund (ICAF), a three-year budget commitment of $50 million to help destination marketing/management organizations (DMOs) win bids for international business events. DC topped it up with an additional $10 million last year.

Fast forward to today, ICAF funding was not renewed as part of the new federal budget, evoking a strong backlash by Canada’s business events sector including DMOs, venues, and meeting professionals in BC.

At TIAC’s Hill Day Forum in Ottawa on Tuesday, senior politicians, including the Secretary of State for Tourism (Hon. Rechie Valdez), the chair of the National Liberal Party Caucus (James Maloney), and the co-chairs of the Parliamentary Tourism Caucus (MP Patrick Weiler, Senator Karen Sorenson) heard from several sector associations and business leaders that omitting ICAF was not only short-sighted, but counter-productive to Canada’s Tourism Growth Strategy. After all, from an investment perspective, it makes little sense to jettison an initiative that generated an ROI of 17:1.

According to Meetings Mean Business Canada (MMBC), the sector accounts for 40% of tourism GDP, more than 242,000 jobs, and upwards of $27.4 billion in direct GDP. Moreover, the blended traveller segment…representing those that combine business and leisure trips…has grown by 500%.

Closer to home, Destination Vancouver released a report this week that showed for every $1 invested in business events, the return in direct visitor spending is $54.00. Last year, the Vancouver meetings sector supported over 4,000 full-time equivalent jobs and generated $544 million in total economic output.

CDMO leaders like Destination Greater Victoria CEO Paul Nursey told delegates at the TIAC Congress in Gatineau this week that business events are really the only segment of tourism that consistently drives seasonal dispersion, which benefits not only the visitor economy but the broader tourism eco-system year-round within meeting destinations and beyond.

MMBC is launching a new study early next year to establish a baseline to further quantify the impact of business events on the Canadian economy. Insights from the study will be used to equip policymakers and industry stakeholders with key data to better understand, advocate for and support sector growth and investment.

In the meantime, advocacy organizations like TIAC and its provincial/territorial partners (e.g. TIABC), the Hotel Association of Canada and others are lobbying the feds to renew ICAF for another three years for the benefit of communities across the country now and in future. Given that the specifics of proposed budget cuts have yet to be determined, it’s not too late to add your voice to lobbying efforts.

Aside from predicting the demise of the business events sector, experts also prophesied that large gatherings would cease and events like concerts and movie theatres would permanently close post-COVID, contributing to a significant decline in leisure travel. News Flash! Theatres are full on cheap Tuesdays, the majority of fans that attended the Taylor Swift concerts in Vancouver were from out-of-town, and soccer fans from 212 nations have purchased tickets for next year’s World Cup. So much for the experts.

Walt Judas

CEO, TIABC