Canadian Heritage committee  This is a matter of balance. I will begin with an important fact. According to the surveys, Canada is among the most popular destinations for foreign travellers. Festivals are one of the reasons those people decide to come to Canada. We all agree that this is made possible through the investments by the federal government, the provinces and the private sector.

Canadian Heritage committee  I will got first.

Canadian Heritage committee  Well, Mr. Klassen's organization takes the promotional role, so I'll yield to him on that. Our job is really to create the public-private partnerships to make Canada a more competitive destination. To go to Mr. Klassen's earlier point, most of these are not-for-profit festival organizations, and all of these are partnerships with the private sector, which generate partnership multiples.

Canadian Heritage committee  Yes, and I also would look forward to having that discussion with the Immigration committee. But in fact, we have. Your colleagues at the Citizenship and Immigration committee just actually did a very thorough report on that very issue and we're awaiting a response from the government.

Canadian Heritage committee  There's a specific initiative that FAME is working on that we're supportive of, which I'll let Mark speak to. The first answer to the question, Ms. Jones, is that a lot of that cooperative work is already happening through the Canadian Tourism Commission. We have a proposal with the Canadian Tourism Commission in front of the government right now, which we're calling Connecting America, which will look specifically at the U.S. market.

Canadian Heritage committee  I look forward to present at the transport committee. But in this sense, it's just one piece. If you can imagine, every successful destination has three things working in concert: marketing, access, and product. The marketing piece has to be done in development with access being, in this particular question, aviation access, but the product has to be there as well.

Canadian Heritage committee  I'd say exactly the same as the two gentlemen, and I'll just add that Mr. Klassen's ROI methodology has been vetted by Treasury Board, so it's solid methodology.

Canadian Heritage committee  Again, that's 80% of the market, number one. And number two—and I think Mark spoke about this—the big acts are the big draw, but that's what gives room for the smaller acts to be on the venue. That's how they're going to get exposure to Canadians but also to international audiences as well.

Canadian Heritage committee  We love all our customers. But Canadian customers are really just moving Canadian dollars around the Canadian economy. In 2002 we were 7th in the world when it came to international arrivals. We're now 16th. That is the biggest challenge that faces our industry, and that is the biggest gulf not just from a number of visitations but the amount that they spend.

Canadian Heritage committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Vice-Chair, members of the committee, it's a pleasure to join you today and be part of this important study. This was a suggestion the president made when he appeared before the parliamentary tourism caucus. We appreciate the opportunity we are given to discuss with you the impact of music and music festivals on the tourism industry.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  I will just tell a story. Anecdotes are dangerous, but I will tell a story of a very prominent Canadian business person who is a member of my board of directors, whose mother lived in India. She had a 10-year, multi-entry visa to get into the United States, but had a very difficult time getting even a single-entry visa into Canada.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  You can ask your questions in French, if you like.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  I don't want to come here today and say that there haven't been improvements. In Mexico we have reversed some of the reputational damage that was done to Canada in the process. We're trying to say that a visa as an instrument is a blunt instrument, and I think you have to look at various levels of risk and various levels of accessibility, because not all markets are built the same.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  It's working to its limits, and if there's one key point I want to make today, it is that if we don't reinvest in the system, it's very hard to grow it. Trusted traveller programs have worked to a limited degree, NEXUS being probably the most successful. But there isn't enough promotion behind it, and it's getting difficult to get interviews.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  I would just like to make it known to the general public that these mechanisms exist. NEXUS is not a household word. I think our community, being the tourism community, and the government and all other stakeholders could be doing a better job. But again, if even a portion of the revenue that's derived from NEXUS applications were reinvested in promotion, you would have more people involved in the program and that would take more people out of line.