Why the Internet Continues to be a Vital Marketing Tool


With the appointment of Charles Lapointe, the new chair of the Canadian Tourism Commission, he stated that the principle of an industry-led organization is "paramount to the success of the CTC," but he's not sure that the objective has been achieved.

Lapointe explained, "We have to look at the mandate and function of our marketing committee system, which is where we find most of our industry partners."

He stated, "In terms of responsibility, the board is the governing body setting policy and strategic direction; the marketing committees oversee the development of programs, and CTC employees implement those programs." But Lapointe added, "There's imprecision concerning the level of responsibility of the marketing committees, and that has to be addressed. The industry-led principle impresses me most about the CTC, but we have to ensure that the industry's role is clearly defined."

The new chair told Canadian Travel Press that his aim at the CTC is to promote "total cooperation between all partners, under an industry-led formula."

"That has implications for the provinces," said Lapointe. "Some of them have said they want to go back to the old days when they received direct subsidies from Ottawa, but the world has changed and it's not going to happen."

He stated firmly, "They have to realize they're full partners with the industry and the CTC if we're all going to succeed."

Lapointe, said another preoccupation is to get greater participation in CTC programs from small and medium-sized tourism businesses.

He pointed out, "It's easy for our major national companies to partner with the CTC, but it's almost impossible for small and medium-sized enterprises. We have to address that problem, and it's my belief that the Internet could provide an e-commerce solution for an important sector of our industry."

Courtesy of Mike Dunbar, Canadian Tourism Commission. January 2003.

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