On July 4, the Honourable Randy Boissonnault, Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance, visited Benchmark at NC’s Daniel J. Patterson Campus in Niagara-on-the-Lake for the Niagara Business Leadership Series hosted by the Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce (GNCC) and sponsored by NC.
Minister Boissonnault’s visit followed an announcement in the morning in Niagara Falls to launch Canada’s New Federal Tourism Growth Strategy entitled Canada 365: Welcoming the world. Every day.
“The Minister’s announcement today is welcome news for the College and our Region for growing the visitor economy and support for tourism here in Niagara,” said Dr. Marc Nantel, Vice President Research, Innovation & Strategic Enterprises at NC.
At the GNCC event at Benchmark, Minister Boissonnault engaged more than 60 federal and municipal elected officials, community members, and business leaders in a conversation about tourism and recovery facilitated by Mishka Balsom, CEO of the GNCC and Chair of the College’s Board of Governors.
The Federal Minister outlined the plan to take tourism in Canada from recovery to prosperity, and he spoke with passion for the future growth of the sector and Canada’s potential to become a “global powerhouse for tourism.”
“The Niagara Region – which sees millions of visitors each year – is home to world-class food and wine, and our programming here at Niagara College supports the skilled graduates who are helping to meet the labour needs of the tourism industry and ‘wow’ the many who flock to Niagara from around the world for a truly unique experience,” said Dr. Nantel, noting NC’s applied research efforts within the tourism sector.
Minister Boissonnault put the federal announcement – with a national target to grow the tourism sector by 40 per cent with 85,000 more jobs by 2030 – into a local context to elevate the visitor economy in Niagara.
“Niagara College is punching well above its weight,” said the Minister, stressing the importance of regional coordination and inspiring the group to work together to drive the “economic engine” of tourism in Niagara.
“I need more of the Niagara magic in other places across Ontario and the country,” he said.
The Minister emphasized the importance of partnership to grow Indigenous tourism, one of the key priorities of the federal strategy.
“Indigenous tourism is reconciliation in action,” said Minister Boissonnault.
All those in attendance enjoyed a taste of the talent of students in the School of Culinary Arts, with food and light refreshments prepared and served under the guidance of Chefs Justin Downes and Mitch Lamb and Manager, Foodservices Operations, Sarah Scott.
To close the visit, Minister Boissonnault spent a few moments meeting the student culinary team.
Minister Boissonnault also visited the College in the spring of 2022 to explore NC’s culinary and beverage expertise.
What a warm welcome we received in Niagara for the launch of the Federal Tourism Growth Strategy! Together with our tourism partners, we are ready to take our visitor economy from “business-as-usual” into a global powerhouse! Thank you to @niagaracollege for hosting us today! pic.twitter.com/CkUdk3iMN6
— Randy Boissonnault 🏳️🌈 (@R_Boissonnault) July 5, 2023
