21 May 2019
Hon. Robert Gauvin, Minister of Tourism, Heritage and Culture
Marysville Place
P. O. Box 6000
Fredericton, NB
E3B 5H1
Via email: robert.gauvin@gnb.ca
Dear Minister Gauvin
Re: Tourism Funding Reductions – Budget 2019-2020
I am writing today to inquire about your department’s plans to leverage New Brunswick’s tourism sector’s potential for growth as well as to determine if industry officials were consulted prior to the decision to reduce the sector’s provincial budget for 2019-2020. As per the Tourism Industry Association of New Brunswick, the sector supports over 42,000 employees and represents close to 9% of the province’s labour force. Visitors spend roughly $1.3 billion dollars in New Brunswick. Tourism contributes more than $520 million annually to the provincial GDP. The tourism share of provincial GDP ranks with the combined share of agriculture, forestry and fishery in New Brunswick’s economy.
Our chamber was pleased with the budget direction overall, particularly Minister Steeves’ recognition that the province must have a strong private sector, it must be an attractive location for investment dollars, and it must be fiscally responsible to make it happen. The transparency measures promised in this budget are also part of the fiscal responsibility needed – that includes more detailed quarterly reporting and an increase to the auditor general’s budget.
However, it is also important that the reasons for reductions or increases in the budget are well understood by those affected so that more New Brunswickers can support the fiscal restraint trajectory of your government’s first budget. We therefore would like to more fully understand the nature and rationale for these cuts as we are concerned that even small reductions in resources supporting the tourism sector could drag on the province’s growth agenda.
Sincerely,
Krista Ross, CEO,
Fredericton Chamber of Commerce
cc: Carol Alderdice, CEO, TIANB
cc: Dan Myers, Chair, TIANB