Emerson Businessman Inducted Into Canadian Tourism Hall Of Fame

The owner/operator of the country's oldest Duty Free shop outside of an airport has been inducted into the Canadian Tourism Hall of Fame. Michael Resch is an industry pioneer, having been involved since he opened the Emerson Duty Free at the Canada/U.S. Border in 1982. "We have license number one," adds Resch.

According to the Tourism Industry Association of Canada's web site, Resch founded the Frontier Duty Free Association, which is celebrated its 30th anniversary in November. He also assisted CBSA in developing the duty free customer regulations/liquor license program in Manitoba.

In the late 1990's, he spearheaded and lobbied the federal government for the Visitor Rebate Program to be instituted in Canada. He explains the initiative allowed visiting tourists to claim back the money spent on sales tax while in the country. In fact, Resch says the Visitor Rebate Program was such a success that in 2006 the Federal 

"They went through an evaluation process about five years ago, or six years ago, and each department had to save some money."

Resch explains this decision reduces Canada's competitiveness on the world stage.

"Ninety per cent of each country with a value-added tax allows the taxes to be paid back, except Canada", he said. "It wasn't a self-serving exercise for Duty Free, it was for the tourism industry so that we could pay back thirteen per cent of taxes and be better off than the U.S. or any other countries."

Resch, along with the FDFA, continues to lobby government for a re-instatement of a newer, streamlined form of the program, as a much needed tourism incentive to U.S. visitors. While accepting his induction into Canada's Tourism Hall of Fame last week, Resch took the opportunity to bend the ear of the country's new tourism minister.

"I had like six minutes with the minister, in public, in front of two hundred-eight delegates, all high-powered tourism people, to speak about this. I was so thrilled that I could address this issue."

After his speech, Resch says the minister approached him and asked for more details on the Visitor Rebate Program.

Despite boasting $145 million in annual sales, the Canadian Duty Free industry has taken its share of hits through the years. Resch says there has been a noticeable decline in the number of cars crossing into Canada from the U.S. since the year 2000. He explains that the cancellation of the Visitor Rebate Program isn't 100 per cent to blame for this decrease, listing 9/11 and America marketing it's tourism products in an east/west campaign instead of north/south. 

And while Resch has served on the Tourism Industry Association of Canada's Board of Directors for 20 years, and receiving the F.G. (Gerry) Brander Memorial Award for his outstanding contributions to the Canadian tourism industry in the areas of industry awareness and tax reform, he says the induction into the Tourism Hall of Fame still came as a surprise to him.