Canada’s tourism suffers unprecedented losses

Ottawa, March 9 : Canada’s tourism economy suffered unprecedented losses in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic and is by far the most threatened sector in the country’s economy, it was revealed.
In a statement issued on Monday, Destination Canada said that from April to November 2020, revenues from air transportation for passengers fell 91 per cent and accommodation revenues plummeted by 71 per cent, reports Xinhua news agency.
Small and medium-sized businesses make up 99 per cent of enterprises in the tourism sector.
Last summer, the highest weekly average occupancy rate for hotels in Canada only reached 42.9 per cent.
Passengers on major Canadian airlines for the month of June 2020 reached 440,000, which was 6.7 million fewer passengers than the same month a year prior.
Alongside rapid declines in tourism, the pandemic brought business events, entertainment and festivals to a halt; the combined impact resulted in massive losses to hotel revenues, with data showing that major cities have been hardest hit, according to Destination Canada.