Tourism Relief Fund Now Open For Applications

Contact FedDev Ontario directly for questions and more information about this funding.

Eligible applicants

Eligible applicants include tourism entities that cater mainly to visitors, such as:

• businesses;
• not-for-profit organizations, such as tourism associations; and
• band councils or other Indigenous organizations and cooperatives.

To be considered eligible for this fund, applicants must meet at least one of the following criteria:

• Be a key supplier or operator in the visitor experience;
• Be part of a defined tourism cluster or a tourism dependent community, including supporting downtown cores; or
• Provide an anchor product or service in a tourism destination.

For more details on eligibility criteria, please consult the Application guide.

Ineligible applicants

Businesses that are in the following industries are normally not eligible under this initiative:

• restaurants
• retail sector
• hotel chains

For more details on eligibility criteria, please consult the Application guide.
With a budget of $500 million over two years (ending March 31, 2023), including $50 million specifically dedicated to Indigenous tourism initiatives and $15 million for national initiatives, this fund will position Canada to be a destination of choice when domestic and international travel is once again safe by:

• empowering tourism businesses to create new or enhance existing tourism experiences and products to attract more local and domestic visitors; and
• helping the sector reposition itself to welcome international visitors by providing the best Canadian tourism experiences we have to offer the world.

Eligible activities

Tourism Relief Fund projects will focus on:

• Product development: For example, projects that enhance tourism experiences; help tourism businesses adapt to the “new normal”, to modernize their offerings; and, encourage the adoption of more environmentally sustainable and inclusive practices.
• Destination development: For example, projects that position communities to take advantage of post-pandemic opportunities through strategic planning for medium- to long-term investments, as well as supporting destination development prospects in line with objectives set out in the Federal Tourism Growth Strategy.

Recognizing local realities, the regional development agencies (RDAs) will work to address the needs of businesses and communities on a regional basis, offering consistent support across Canada in this critical time.

For more information

• COVID-19 Tourism Relief Fund
• Application Guide
• Contact FedDev Ontario