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Tourism&Hospitality Recovery Program

COVID-19 | 2021.12.01

All content current at time of publication. For any questions or updates about anything you see here, please reach out to info@kbh.ca

The new Tourism and Hospitality Recovery Program (THRP) is intended to provide wage and rent subsidy support of up to 75% to certain organizations in the tourism and hospitality industry including hotels, tour operators, travel agencies, and restaurants. Additional details including a definition of businesses that qualify for this support will be provided in the near future.

To qualify for the program, eligible organizations must have:

  • A current-month revenue loss of at least 40%, and
  • An average monthly revenue reduction of at least 40% over the first 13 qualifying periods (12-months) for the CEWS.

Note that:

  • The existing CEWS rules would continue to apply for the purposes of calculating the current-month revenue decline.
  • The average monthly revenue decline would be calculated as the average of all revenue decline percentages for eligible organizations from March 2020 to February 2021 (i.e., CEWS claim periods 1-13).
  • This calculation would not include periods that an entity was not carrying on its ordinary operations for reasons other than a public health restriction (such as because it is a seasonal business).
  • Businesses would be eligible for wage and rent subsidies at a maximum rate of 75% from October 24, 2021, to March 12, 2022 (i.e., claim periods 22 to 26).
  • The rent and subsidy rates would then be reduced by half from March 13 to May 7, 2022 (i.e., claim periods 27 and 28).
  • The subsidy rates would start at 40% for eligible organizations with a 40% current-month revenue decline and then increase in proportion to current-month revenue decline up to a maximum rate of 75% for those with a current-month revenue decline of 75% or higher.
  • Subsidy periods will follow the same 28-day cycle as the previous CEWS and CERS programs.

Eligibility

This would generally be restricted to organizations for which more than 50 % of their pre-pandemic revenues were earned from carrying on one or more of the following activities:

  • Operating or managing a facility providing short-term lodgings, such as a hotel, a motel, a cottage, a bed and breakfast, or a youth hostel.
  • Preparing and serving meals, snacks and beverages made to order for immediate consumption on or off the premises, such as a restaurant, a food truck, a cafeteria, a caterer, a coffee shop, a food concession, a bar, a pub, or a nightclub.
    • Would not include the operation of a facility primarily engaged in retailing food or beverage products, such as a supermarket or a convenience store
  • Operating a travel agency or as a tour operator, including:
    • acting as an agent for tour operators, transportation companies, and short-term lodging establishments in selling travel, tour and accommodation services; or
    • arranging, assembling and marketing tours.
  • Organizing, promoting, hosting, supporting, or participating in events that meet the artistic or cultural interests of their patrons, including live performances or exhibits intended for public viewing.
  • Preserving and exhibiting objects, sites and natural wonders of historical, cultural or educational value, such as the operation of a museum, a historic and heritage site, a zoo, a botanical garden, or a nature park.
  • Organizing, promoting, or supporting scenic and sightseeing tours, such as sightseeing or dinner cruises, steam train excursions, horse-drawn sightseeing rides, air-boat rides, hot-air balloon rides, or charter fishing services.
  • Providing charter bus services, if the buses do not operate on fixed routes and schedules, and the entire vehicle is rented, rather than individual seats.
  • Operating or managing an amusement or theme park, which would include:
    • operating a variety of attractions, such as mechanical rides, water rides, games, shows or theme exhibits; and
    • leasing space on a concession basis for these operations.
  • Operating or managing a facility or providing services that enable patrons to participate in recreational activities, including:
    • fitness and recreational sports centres;
    • downhill and cross-country ski/snowboard areas, and equipment such as ski lifts and tows (including revenues from equipment rental services and ski/snowboard instruction services provided at the area);
    • the operation of docking and storage facilities for pleasure-craft owners, with or without related activities, such as retailing fuel and marine supplies, boat repair and maintenance and rental services;
    • the operation of recreation and amusement facilities and services including establishments primarily engaged in maintaining non-gambling coin-operated amusement devices, in businesses operated by others; and
    • other amusement activities, such as amateur sports clubs, teams or leagues, archery or shooting, ballroom dancing, river rafting, curling clubs, mini-golf and bowling.
      • Would not include i) golf, golf instruction and the ownership or operation of a facility that is a golf course, a golf driving range, or a golf clubhouse, ii) country clubs, and iii) professional sports clubs, teams or leagues or facilities used primarily by such organizations
  • Operating or managing serviced or unserviced sites to accommodate campers and their equipment for tents, tent trailers, travel trailers, and recreational vehicles, excluding mobile home sites.
  • Operating or managing an overnight recreational camp, such as a children’s camp, a family vacation camp, or an outdoor adventure retreat.
  • Operating or managing a hunting camp, or a fishing camp.
  • Operating or managing a duty-free retail store at a land border crossing where the only exit route is to the United States.
  • Operating or managing a facility that is primarily engaged in exhibiting motion pictures, such as a cinema, or a drive-in theatre.
  • Operating or managing an amusement arcade, such as a family fun centre, an indoor play area, a pinball arcade, or a video game arcade.
  • Operating a facility allowing passengers to board and leave a cruise ship.
  • Operating or managing an airport, including renting hangar space and providing baggage handling, cargo handling, and aircraft parking services.
  • Operating or managing a casino.
  • Promoting a destination or region in Canada for the purpose of attracting tourism.
  • Organizing, planning, promoting, hosting or supporting:
    • conventions, trade shows or festivals; or
    • weddings, parties, or similar events.
  • Promoting the interests of the members of an industry organization or association, if the members are primarily engaged in activities described above.

Organizations would also be required to meet the following two conditions to qualify for this program:

  • Average monthly revenue reduction of at least 40 % over the first 13 qualifying periods for the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (12-month revenue decline); and
  • A current-month revenue loss of at least 40 % (the rules applicable under the previous wage and rent subsidy programs would continue to apply for the purposes of calculating the current-month revenue decline).

Those businesses that do not qualify under the Tourism and Hospitality Recovery Program but are still facing significant losses may be eligible for the Hardest-Hit Business Recovery Program. Like the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy and Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy, both programs will be administered by the Canada Revenue Agency.