The Association of Canadian Independent Travel Advisors (ACITA) was formed in June, 2020, so that Independent Travel Advisors could have a collaborative voice when reaching out to Government officials about the unique circumstances that they are in, due to COVID. They aren’t sitting back and waiting for someone else to “fix” things for them, instead they are proactively looking for ways to affect change for the Travel Industry and they need your help.

To date, they have met with over 175 Cabinet Ministers, Members of Parliament and Policy Advisors, via Zoom calls, to explain how the current Travel shutdowns are affecting their businesses.

Now they are asking for all Travel Advisors, Agency Owners and Travel Industry personnel to join them in gathering signatures for an onslaught of Paper Petitions to be read by MP’s in the House of Commons.

A Paper Petition only requires 25 signatures in order to be presented in the House of Commons by a sponsoring MP. In order to be valid, the people signing need to be a resident or citizen of Canada, provide their contact information, and there is no minimum age. They don’t have to belong to the Travel Industry, and they can be members of the same household.

“This is a really great way to have our voice continually heard in the House of Commons, on an ongoing basis”, said Flemming Friisdahl, President of The Travel Agent Next Door. “We need to keep our requirements front and centre until we receive the assistance that will keep this industry going for years to come.”

“We want to flood the House of Commons with the message that we will not back down until the Government recognizes that the Travel Industry needs support”, added Judith Coates, co-founder of ACITA. “There are currently 3 different Petitions available for signature”, one for commission protection from the Airlines/Tour Companies who are still in negotiations with the Government for a bailout package, one for an extension of the CRB, and one for Sector Specific funding.

They are asking for all Travel Advisors to get on board to make this happen. Full instructions are included with the Petitions, when they are sent to you.

If you are interested in gathering 25 signatures for a Paper Petition, you can submit your information here, and the Petitions will be sent to you by ACITA, along with additional instructions.