The Fund was officially announced during a Working Session of the Ministerial Tourism Council. Photo Credit: Destination Canada
Destination Canada has launched a new, three-year, International
Convention Attraction Fund (ICAF) in a strategic move to bolster the
country’s global competitiveness to draw international MICE.
Some details of the ICAF:
· It offers support of up to CAD$1 million (US$737,555) per
event for eligible Canadian destinations bidding to host major
international business events
· It is part of an overall CAD$50 million investment by the Government of Canada for this purpose
· Canadian Destination Marketing Organisations (DMOs) putting
together a bid for an eligible major international convention may apply.
· DMOs must have an international business events attraction
strategy, which includes the following key components: hosting
infrastructure and facilities, marketing and promotion, dedicated
financial and human resources, and industry collaboration.
· The international convention under consideration must fall
within one of Destination Canada’s six priority sectors and/or align
with a Canadian federal government mandate, objective or initiative
· The convention under consideration must produce
well-documented economic benefits for host regions to qualify as a
“citywide” event by attracting a pre-defined minimum number of
delegates, proportional to the size of the city, its infrastructure and
facilities
· The awarded financial commitment is determined by a
pre-established scoring system based on select criteria, demonstrating
the value of each bidding opportunity.
"Hosting more international events is a central part of our work to
help Canadian tourism reach its full potential," said Soraya Martinez
Ferrada, minister of tourism. "That’s why, as part of the new Federal
Tourism Growth Strategy, Destination Canada is making historic
investments to attract more conferences and conventions.
“These events showcase the best of Canada, extend our tourism season,
and attract business people – who typically spend twice as much as
leisure travellers. We anticipate that this programme will bring in at
least CAD$174 million into the Canadian economy. From the Women Deliver
Conference to the World AIDS Conference, Canadians are world-class
hosts. With fierce competition for these events, this investment will
ensure that Canada can contend with the best - and then welcome them."