The Association of Canadian Travel Agencies and Travel Advisors (ACTA) met with Senators, Members of Parliament and federal officials to discuss how federal policy can better support travel businesses as changing consumer demand, border pressures and global market shifts continue to reshape the travel landscape.
ACTA brought members of its Board of Directors, its Travel Agency Leaders Advisory Committee (TALA), and regional advisory committees to Parliament Hill on March 24 for its first ACTA Parliamentary Hill Day.
The meetings are intended to reinforce ACTA’s message that travel is trade — and that travel agencies, travel advisors and the broader travel distribution sector are embedded in communities across Canada, with a presence in nearly every federal riding.
“Parliamentary Hill Day brings frontline business experience directly into federal discussions at a time when our sector is navigating significant change,” said Suzanne Acton-Gervais, President of ACTA. “Federal decisions increasingly shape how our sector competes, grows and serves travellers across Canada.”
ACTA’s discussions on Parliament Hill will focus on five recommendations that align directly with the priority of building a strong united economy:
- Federal leadership to establish mutual recognition of licenses across provinces and territories, and harmonized consumer protection and travel-insurance rules – so businesses can serve clients nationwide without duplicative compliance.
- Temporary support for travel advisors affected by U.S. market shift, including: co-funding diversification marketing; expanding training and credential supports (including youth employment/wage subsidies) tailored to travel advisors.
- Create a digital market-access grant program to connect small and Indigenous tourism suppliers to global booking platforms and distribution systems. This improves export readiness and year-round demand.
- Build a made-in-Canada Trusted Traveller option (alongside NEXUS) to speed domestic screening and reentry for pre-approved Canadians, maintaining service continuity during operational or geopolitical disruptions.
- Avoid new cascading costs that would strain airline economics, disrupt distribution partnerships, and raise prices for travellers.
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