A new grant is being offered to small travel and tourism businesses to provide a one-time grant of between $10,000 to $20,000.
Announced by Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound MPP Bill Walker, the funding will be coming through a $100 million supported Ontario Tourism and Travel Small Business Support Grant, to assist small businesses in recovering from the impact of the pandemic.
“Small tourism and travel businesses are a crucial and valued part of any community, especially here in beautiful Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound,” says Walker.
According to a release, the grant will provide funding to eligible small tourism and travel businesses which did not receive the Ontario Small Business Support Grant, like travel agents, hotels, motels, resorts, and bed and breakfasts.
Minister of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries Lisa Macleod says, before the pandemic, Ontario’s tourism generated more than $36 billion in economic activity and supported over 400,000 jobs across Ontario.
“Our government is working with small businesses to overcome the challenges of the past year – through programs like the Ontario Tourism and Travel Small Business Support Grant – and help the tourism industry reclaim its place as an economic powerhouse and key job creator in our province,” says MacLeod.
To become eligible for the grant, businesses must employ fewer than 100 employees and demonstrate they went through a minimum 20 per cent revenue decline between 2019 and 2020.
Minister of Finance and President of the Treasury Board Peter Bethlenfalvy acknowledges the tourism industry was hit hard over the course of pandemic, noting how people and employers are following the necessary public health measures to keep people safe.
“That’s why our 2021 budget included funding for the Ontario Tourism and Travel Small Business Support Grant that will provide direct one-time payments to help thousands of businesses in Ontario,” says Bethlenfalvy.
Eligible bushiness owners can apply for the grant online through the Province of Ontario’s Covid Support website before it closes on June 25.
