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Sunday,  November 10, 2024   2:50 AM
Fighting for fairness: ACITA outlines advocacy priorities for ITAs in a “changed environment”
ACITA co-founders Nancy Wilson (left) and Brenda Slater. (File photos)

The Association of Canadian Independent Travel Advisors (ACITA) has shared its latest advocacy priorities as the travel industry reopens while ongoing challenges remain. 

While the Canadian government has moved into the economic recovery phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, ACITA is adapting to a “changed environment,” the group wrote in a release issued Tuesday (Nov. 8).

The grassroots group, which formed in June of 2020, says its membership believes there is still work to do to ensure that independent travel advisors (ITAs) are treated as equal partners in the tourism industry.

“ACITA is up for the challenge,” the group wrote. 

In turn, the executive team has identified inequities for ITAs and has developed an action plan that promotes security and fairness within the tourism industry.

Advocacy goals

ACITA said it will work towards:

  • Building relationships and communication channels with the federal government to ensure that the impact of decisions made are not negatively affecting ITAs.

“This includes identifying any business changes that need to be made to ensure ITAs are able to obtain funding immediately in the event of temporary closures of the industry,” said the group, which is led by volunteers.

  • Expanding it supplier relationships, and communicate with them the unique challenges faced by ITAs in an effort to ensure equitable relationships within the industry.
  • Expanding the ACITA executive team to include representation from all provinces and host agencies and build a strong and robust network for ITAs across the country.
  • Providing unbiased information to its membership with regards to the terms of partnerships with our host agencies.

ACITA said its work has “changed” as a result of travel re-opening and that it remains focused on being the “collective voice for all independent travel advisors in Canada.”

“We represent almost half of the travel advisors in Canada and are the future of the community as more advisors continue to move to an independent model,” the group said.


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