FCCQ and Réseau des SADC et CAE help 1,040 small tourism businesses seize the opportunities offered by the recovery

 La The Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec (FCCQ) and the Réseau des SADC et CAE in the presence of the Honourable Pascale St-Onge, Minister of Sport and Minister responsible for CED, accompanied by Rachel Bendayan, Member of Parliament for Outremont and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance, took part in announcements related to the Tourism Relief Fund (TRF), including the results of the Tourism Small Business Assistance Project supported by CED under the TRF.

Help that travels!

A total of 1,040 rural and urban tourism businesses in all regions of Quebec benefited from non-repayable contributions to improve their facilities and adapt or develop their products and services to meet customer needs. Support for small businesses was provided in cooperation and synergy with partners in the field. Of the 1,040 businesses assisted under the Project, 279 were small tourism businesses owned or managed by women, and 44 were small tourism businesses owned or managed by First Nations people.

Ready for the touristic season!

All regions and all sectors of the tourism industry received a helping hand to carry out one or more projects before the tourist season: restaurant, accommodation, arts and leisure, tourist transport and other sectors all benefited from a contribution. The projects supported include, for example, installing bike racks in a café along a tourist bike path, increasing seating capacity at a sugar shack, adding identification panels at a brewery farm, improving a religious heritage trail along the river, and more than a thousand other projects that give tourism entrepreneurs even more tools to attract visitors to their region!

Fast, efficient delivery

The assistance project was delivered throughout Quebec thanks to the combined forces of the Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec (FCCQ) and the Réseau des SADC et CAE. This was the second major collaboration for the two networks, which have already worked together on the Canadian Digital Adoption Program.

“Our government continues to be there for businesses and organizations in the tourism sector to ensure their recovery. Thanks to CED’s support, a total of $36.5 million has been invested in small businesses across Quebec in the form of non-repayable contributions. The investments were made in a short period of time, during the first quarter of the year, so that entrepreneurs could take full advantage of the upcoming tourism season. Every dollar invested will more than double the benefits,” explains the Honourable Pascale St-Onge.

“Thanks to their agility and in-depth knowledge of the field, SADCs and CAEs, in collaboration with local tourism key players, have been able to quickly identify various types of businesses in the regions of Quebec. The diversity of the 665 tourism businesses assisted by our network reflects the regional tourism ecosystem. We are proud to have played a part in revitalizing this sector, whose vitality is key to the economic development of our regions,” adds Pascal Harvey, General Manager of the Réseau des SADC et CAE.

“The administration of this type of project is fully in line with the economic development mission of the FCCQ and its affiliated chambers of commerce. In addition to the direct and indirect spin-offs that will benefit all regions, several thousand jobs will be preserved, and the projects supported will create several hundred more, ensuring the vitality of the sector for seasons to come. The Chambers have done an extraordinary amount of canvassing to raise awareness of the Project in urban areas and support entrepreneurs. We are honoured to have been able to participate, with CED and the SADC-CAE network, in the delivery of such a promising project,” explains Charles Milliard, President and CEO of the FCCQ.