Canadian Tourism Commission rings the bell at Rendez-vous Canada, Canada's International Tourism Marketplace

Tourism trading floor generates hundreds of millions of dollars in sales for Canada's visitor economy

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VANCOUVER, May 11 /PRNewswire/ - A tourism trading floor will open for business at the sound of the bell on Sunday, May 15, in beautiful Québec City, QC. Welcome to Rendez-vous Canada (RVC), Canada's international tourism marketplace—a sales and marketing event led by the Canadian Tourism Commission. With the high-energy buzz of a trading pit, some of the world's most influential travel buyers will be in Québec City to check out Canadian tourism offerings, broker deals and close sales. Over 23,000 face-to-face meetings will take place over four days, with hundreds of millions of dollars coming to Canadian businesses. Last year's event sealed close to $350 million in contracts, supporting over 610,000 jobs in Canada that depend on tourism spending. "RVC is a way to showcase authentic Canadian products for some of our high-end international buyers. More important, it's a mechanism for opening up lucrative deals for the Canadian travel industry," says CTC President and CEO Michele McKenzie.

"Tourism is one of the fastest-growing economic sectors in the world, with global travellers spending over one trillion dollars annually—or two million dollars every minute. We have to be aggressive on the trading floor, and we see RVC as one way to do that," adds McKenzie.

Under Canada's Approved Destination Status, the number of buyers from China has quadrupled. Hot growth markets like India and Brazil will be well represented, along with sizeable delegations from more established markets such as the UK, Germany and the US. There is a record number of new buyer organizations this year, making it the best buyer:seller ratio in RVC's history.

An interim report on leveraging the 2010 Winter Games for Canada shows that travellers from international markets are arriving in greater numbers than ever before. These results point to the growing strength of Canada's international tourism brand and its influence in the competitive world of tourism.

To learn more about Canada's visitor economy, visit Tourism Facts & Figures.

About Rendez-vous Canada

Rendez-vous Canada (RVC) is Canada's international tourism marketplace—a sales and marketing event led annually by the Canadian Tourism Commission. Now in its 35th year, RVC is being held in Québec City, QC, May 15-18. RVC is staged by the Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC) on behalf of CTC. For information about the 2011 Host Organizations please visit: www.corporate.canada.travel, www.bonjourquebec.com/media and www.quebecregion.com

Follow the conversation! RVC Hash Tag #RVC11

About the CTC

The CTC is Canada's national tourism marketing organization. Our vision is inspiring the world to explore Canada. With our partners in the tourism industry and the governments of Canada, the provinces and the territories, we advertise and market Canada in 11 countries around the world, conduct industry research and studies, and promote product and industry development. For regular updates on CTC initiatives, subscribe to CTC News, available through RSS feeds and by e-mail. Become a fan on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, subscribe to our YouTube channel or check out new photos on Flickr

NOTE TO EDITORS: Media assets accompanying this story are available as follows:

Images:

1. Under Canada's Approved Destination Status, the number of buyers from China has quadrupled this year at Rendez-vous Canada. The first Chinese tour group was greeted at YVR in August 2010.
2. Buyers from hot growth markets will be well represented this year at Rendez-vous Canada, Canada's international tourism marketplace. CTC's first consumer campaign in Brazil will drive sales this summer.
3. The number of buyers from India is up at Rendez-vous Canada this year. Bollywood star Akshay Kumar, named CTC's tourism ambassador in 2010, has helped promote Canada as a tourism destination in India.

SOURCE Canadian Tourism Commission - Vancouver