Episode 41: Making Tourism Accessible

In the first episode of our seventh season, we’re kicking things off on a “touristy” note, with a conversation about making tourism in Canada — and globally — more accessible.

Tourism is one of the most important sectors of the Canadian economy. And the global one.

In Canada, it directly employs more than 700,000 people. Globally, more than 357 million people.

And tourism is almost two per cent of Canada’s gross domestic product. Globally, it’s 10 per cent of GDP — US$10.9 trillion in 2024.

Against the geopolitical backdrop in 2026, the number of people internationally making Canada a tourism destination, keeps rising.

In the 2025 summer tourism season, there was record revenue for Canada’s tourism businesses. In all, $58.96 billion.

Destination Canada predicts annual revenue in the tourism sector will hit $160 billion by 2029.

People from all over the world are coming to see Canada — and that includes people who have a disability.

Which begs these questions:

• How accessible is tourism in this country?
• What are best practices in making tourism, and tourist attracts and businesses, more accessible?
• What are businesses and attractions in the tourism sector missing out on if they’re not accessible to both tourists and job seekers who have a disability?

In Episode 41, a compelling national conversation about all this with these three guests providing their perspectives:

• Jasmine Qi, Workforce Development Director at Tourism HR Canada (Ottawa, ON)
• Shelley Petit, Chair of the New Brunswick Coalition of Persons With Disabilities (Fredericton, NB)
• Jamie Millar-Dixon, principal consultant at MacLeod Silver HR Business Partners (Vancouver, BC)

SHOW NOTES

• Episode 41 transcript (PDF)
• Learn more about Tourism HR Canada, the New Brunswick Coalition of Persons with Disabilities and MacLeod Silver HR Business Partners
• UN Tourism, Ethics, Culture and Social Responsibility report (November 2025), Accessibility Guidelines for Tourism Businesses