The tourism sector is a remarkably diverse one, comprised of five distinct but related industry groups: accommodation, food and beverage services, recreation and entertainment, transportation and travel services.

Although its widespread nature contributes to its undeniably strong impact on the economy and culture, it also presents unique challenges in terms of workplace standards and best practises. The need is great for a unifying body to create Best-In-Class industry employment standards, attract and retain talent to the sector and strengthen opportunities for vulnerable populations.

That’s why OTEC, together with our partners, created the Tourism SkillsNet Ontario (TSNO) alliance in 2018 to align provincial workforce strategy with local collaboration around industry-specific regional labour challenges. TSNO builds capacity across the alliance by increasing resilience and competitiveness of Ontario’s Tourism and Hospitality Industry.

TSNO brings a wide range of sector stakeholders together with the shared goal of driving innovative workforce development solutions – including employers, industry associations, regional tourism organizations, unions, Indigenous organizations, community employment service providers, training/educational institutions, municipalities, community workforce development organizations and leaders in up-skilling, re-skilling and HR technology.

Comprised of over 270 organizations and 19 tourism destinations across Ontario, TSNO delivers workforce planning, partnership building, talent pool development and skills training at the community level through regional delivery hubs across the province. These hubs serve as action centres to assist workers in need of retraining, up-skilling, employment and support, including those whose jobs were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic through Tourism and Hospitality Emergency Recovery – A Recovery Plan for Workers and Workplaces (THER).