Quick facts
The Honourable Monica Ell-Kanayuk, Nunavut's Minister responsible for Tourism, is the new co-chair of the Canadian Council of Tourism Ministers and will host the next meeting in Iqaluit.
Tourism is a vital part of the Canadian economy and is the number one service export sector. In 2014, tourism revenues grew by nearly five percent to $88.5 billion, and tourism supported close to 628,000 jobs in Canada.
The U.S. is an important tourism market for Canada, representing approximately 70 percent of total overnight visits.
The National Aboriginal Tourism Research Project 2015 found that Indigenous tourism in Canada has grown substantially since 2001, accounting for $2.77 billion in gross economic output and employing approximately 37,000 people, or 2 percent of the entire Canadian travel sector workforce.