NWT Tourism Coronavirus Update #4-Federal Government announces support package

Dear valued members,

The world of COVID-19 continues to change rapidly. It is affecting everyone on a personal level, as well as having a profound effect on business. We hope that you are staying safe and staying well. 

We wanted to share with you Prime Minister Trudeau's announcement late yesterday that the Canada/US border is temporarily closed to non-essential travel. We recognize the impact this decision will have on summer tourism in the NWT. The United States is our biggest source of international travel.

Today, the federal government introduced an $82-billion aid package that includes $27 billion in direct support for business. You can find the full news coverage here https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/economic-aid-package-coronavirus-1.5501037, You can find the backgrounder document, which gives information of the roll out of resources, that came with the press release here. 

We want to share with members a letter sent by the Tourism Industry Association of Canada to Minister Morneau yesterday. This is a direct result of all of the Tourism Industry Associations throughout Canada working together. You can find the letter by clicking here. 

We encourage all of you who are able, take part in the Destination Canada COVID-19 webinar this Friday. The webinar is open to everyone in the tourism industry, and will focus on the Visitor Economy, what Destination Canada knows, their approach moving forward, information on federal support initiatives. You can find more information and the sign in for the webinar by going to this link. https://www.destinationcanada.com/en/coronavirus-updates/covid-19-webinar

We hope that all of you feel supported, including by our team at NWT Tourism. We are working hard on your behalf to get you the support you need during these turbulent times. 

Kindest regards,

Cathie Bolstad
Chief Executive Oficer 
Northwest Territories Tourism