TIABC Voice of Tourism Newsletter – October 17, 2025

Diehard Seinfeld fans will recall an episode where Jerry tells an immigrant named Babu to change the generic menu at his struggling Dream Café restaurant to be more authentic in hopes of attracting new patrons. Babu heeds Jerry’s advice by borrowing money, closing the cafe for renovations, then re-opening it as an exclusive Pakistani diner. Not surprisingly the venture fails, in part because Babu listened to a young, naïve, budding comedian who meant well but had no experience in food services or understanding of the customer base.

Although it was an enormously popular, funny and entertaining sitcom, Seinfeld also delivered valuable life lessons from time-to-time. The Café episode reminds me why one should listen to experts in their field before taking big risks or making important decisions that can have serious repercussions.

Case in point…the Canada Strong Pass (CSP), introduced by the federal government earlier this year. At face value, it seemed like a good idea that not only encouraged Canadians to explore nature and reconnect with the outdoors, but provided domestic and international visitors with free access and reduced camping fees to all national parks, along with discounts on tickets to national museums and transportation on VIA Rail. After all, who wouldn’t welcome a price cut on a tourism experience or service?

However, the CSP was not needed to begin with and has trigged some unintended consequences for Canada’s visitor economy and for government. For example, the feds were obliged to refund partial fees for public campsites that were already booked at full price. Revenues from the national parks system were also reduced, ironically during a season when occupancy and bookings are typically high.

The program even affected private campgrounds, that in spite of rising operating costs, were hard-pressed to raise their nightly rates given the uneven competitive playing field they suddenly found themselves in. In fact, there were many instances where campers demanded the same discount from private operators, which if applied, would have eroded their profit margin and curtailed reinvestment in new infrastructure, services and staffing.

Curiously, travel patterns also changed. Rather than driving their RVs to multiple communities as typically occurs, visitors ended up staying longer in the most popular destinations to take full advantage of the exceptional public amenities and discounted fees. Consequently overcrowding also became an issue.

In spite of its solid usage, there are no data to show that the CSP generated more demand for travel to Canada. And even though it’s a national program, most of the intended benefits accrued to Ontario and Quebec with their numerous national museums and heritage sites, along with extensive VIA Rail service.

Last week, in a pre-budget announcement, the Federal Government heralded the continuation of CSP for a month over the Christmas season and again next summer. It’s good news for tourists who intend to travel to and within Canada later this year and next. However, to the best of my knowledge, no tourism sector association lobbied for its continuation, nor was the tourism industry consulted on whether the CSP was required to boost the visitor economy, especially during peak season.

A few months ago, the Canadian Camping and RV Coalition (CCRVC) called for an end to the camping fee discount in national parks, as well as a study on the impacts of the CSP, and the establishment of a stakeholder working group to explore strategies that benefit both private and public campgrounds. So far the feds have not responded.

In the coming weeks, TIABC’s Policy Committee will determine if or how to support the CCRVC’s recommendations. We’ll also be consulting with our provincial and national counterparts on how to engage government in conversations on what incentives are actually needed to generate demand for Canada’s tourism products and services, particularly during non-peak times of the year.

By the way, given the ballooning federal deficit and economic challenges across the country, don’t expect much else in the way of tourism specific initiatives in the forthcoming federal budget other than perhaps additional support for business events, which would be welcome.

I had the pleasure of seeing Jerry Seinfeld perform his comedy routine live in Vancouver last February. At age 71, Seinfeld is still dispensing advice on a variety of subjects but at least comes from a place of wisdom and experience, notwithstanding expectations by audiences to take everything he says in jest, even if there is an element of truth to it. For the record, Jerry is no culinary connoisseur and deems cereal to be his favourite food and coffee his preferred beverage.

Walt Judas

CEO, TIABC