All Play and No Work: The Case of Revitalizing Career Perceptions in Canada’s Tourism Industry

This case analyzes the challenges facing the Canadian tourism industry workforce following the COVID-19 pandemic, fueled by perceptions of careers in the tourism industry as temporary, low-wage, and unsatisfactory for long-term prospects. According to Tourism HR Canada, a pan-Canadian organization focused on supporting the recovery and growth of the Canadian tourism industry, these declines have created significant challenges for employers struggling to recruit and retain employees. This case study aims to equip students with the necessary tools to analyze data collected by Tourism HR Canada and its partners to identify Canadians’ perceptions of jobs in the tourism industry and develop actionable recommendations for tourism employers. Students will use this data to uncover patterns in the provided data and compare their findings across different contexts, with the ultimate goal of developing a robust Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) Analysis to transform the public’s perceptions and reshape the Canadian tourism workforce.