November 30th, 2020
For Immediate Release
St. John’s – Hospitality Newfoundland and Labrador is optimistic after Federal Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland delivered the Government of Canada’s fiscal update. The update today presented a spending plan to help Canadians cope with COVID-19 while recharging the national economy, including a tourism and hospitality specific aid package and other outlined plans aimed at supporting hardest hit businesses.
“Hospitality Newfoundland and Labrador welcomes the
acknowledgement of the Tourism & Hospitality sector in the Fall Economic
Statement” says Hospitality NL Chair, Brenda O’Reilly. “We look forward to
viewing the details of the programs announced today and are hopeful that they
will be distributed to tourism operators in Newfoundland and Labrador swiftly.
The accessibility and efficiency of their delivery is imperative to further
address the needs of so many tourism businesses and their survivability
throughout the province.” added O’Reilly. “Additionally, we are pleased to see
that the airline sector was addressed directly, as access and increased
visitation to our province has always been a challenge.”
Hospitality Newfoundland and Labrador will continue to work with partners and
government officials to ensure further support is granted and meets the needs
of tourism operators.
The economic impact that COVID-19 has had on the tourism industry in
Newfoundland and Labrador can not be understated. Contributing over 1 billion
in spending with over 20,000 jobs in over 2,700 businesses, the tourism
industry has been impacted greatly in both urban and rural communities
throughout the province – threatening the existence of our heritage and our
culture.
Hospitality Newfoundland and Labrador, the provincial tourism industry association for over 37 years, is dedicated to advancing growth in tourism through advocacy efforts, skills and knowledge development and membership opportunities. For more information on Hospitality NL and the work taking place to strengthen the tourism and hospitality sector in NL, please visit www.hnl.ca
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Media Contact:
Shanelle Clowe
Manager, Advocacy & Communications
Hospitality Newfoundland and Labrador
E: sclowe@hnl.ca
P: 709-722-2000 ext. 231
C: 709-325-1040