Okay. That's awesome.
I'll just continue from there.
Prior to COVID-19, tourism was one of the fastest-growing industries in the world. We are here today, over a year into the pandemic, and the visitor economy is still in crisis. The tourism economy has lost over half a million jobs. The rate of unemployment in the sector has surpassed the national level, and the impact on tourism has been greater than that experienced after 9/11, SARS and the 2008 economic crisis combined.
Canada's tourism sector was the first hit and the hardest hit, and it will be the last to recover. Before COVID-19, tourism was the fifth-largest sector in Canada, responsible for 10% of Canadian jobs, $105 billion in revenues, and 2.3% of GDP.
Since the onset of the pandemic, TIAC has been advocating for targeted support for the sector, and many of our recommendations require Bill C-14. We applaud the government for the implementation of the HASCAP program. We continue to work closely with government to facilitate open dialogue on feedback from the industry, and we also thank the government for the recent extension and revenue comparison changes for the CERS program.
However, we are still waiting for a sector-specific support package. A large portion of our recovery plan is based on business solvency. Over the past year, tourism businesses have lost revenue and cash flow, but regardless of that, fixed expenses like rent, mortgages and taxes have continued. Without liquidity to stay on top of these costs, these businesses will not be able to survive and reopen.
We have a number of recommendations with respect to improving current support programs, which we have provided to you in writing through our recovery plan, and we will continue to work with the government to provide industry feedback on these programs. We have seen the commitment from the government in the Speech from the Throne, the fall economic statement, and revised mandate letters on supporting the hardest-hit businesses, but now is the time for us to see action and investment in measures to support the rebuilding of our sector.
We are calling on the government for immediate action in this budget. We are specifically asking for the following: a tax incentive for Canadians for the 2021 and 2022 tax years to travel locally or within Canada; the development of a business events and urban recovery funding program; top-up funding for Destination Canada to keep Canadian destinations top of mind; support for destination-marketing organizations to entice the return of high-value travellers; reinstatement of the visitor GST rebate program for international visitors; reintroduction of the federally funded marquee tourism events program; and support to save our airline sector, the backbone of tourism and the economy.
One of our key recommendations is for a tax incentive to help Canadians explore Canada, to stimulate the visitor economy, and to support small businesses. This is an opportunity to encourage domestic travel and unlock the spending power of Canadians. If we can shift just two-thirds of the planned spend on international leisure travel towards domestic travel, it will make up for the forecasted $19-billion shortfall currently facing our visitor economy in 2021.
Recovery of international travel will also depend on border reopening. We need to use current science-based data and effective testing and contact tracing, and commit to adopting proof of vaccination as an additional travel document going forward. We need federal guidance on a policy road map so that tourism businesses can understand what conditions are required before border restrictions are relaxed. We need the government to set out the criteria for reopening.
Thank you.