In today’s scattered world of digital events and communication, ACTA deserves kudos for its excellent Virtual Summit late last week, which attracted over a thousand Canadian travel counsellors for a varied two-day program designed to help put the pandemic in perspective, present information and tools to cope with COVID now, and offer an educated guess on the future of the industry. And, naturally, give out a spit-load of prizes.
ACTA president Wendy Paradis prefaced the event with the observation that the last eight COVID-19-ravaged months have been a “rollercoaster” for the travel industry, but “not the fun kind of roller coaster.”
“Our industry, including travel agencies and travel agents have been without meaningful income since March, and that is having a catastrophic impact on our business and well-being,” she stated.
But, she quickly added, “Please know that the ACTA team has been with you every step of the way,” including attending “hundreds of meetings” advocating on behalf of travel agencies/agents and the travel industry at large.
ACTA’s advocacy priorities, said Paradis, have and continue to be:
• Lobbying for financial aid to help travel agencies/agents survive the crisis
• Doing everything possible to re-start the travel industry safely (such as advocating for increased rapid testing capacity at airports and contact tracing in order to reduce the current 14-day quarantine period in Canada)
• Encouraging the government to reduce travel advisories in a measured way and replace blanket “avoid international travel” pronouncements with appropriate country-by-country considerations.
• Fostering a “healthy evolution” of the relationship between agencies and suppliers, including replacing an “unstainable” model of paying commission.
Keynote speaker Bruce Poon Tip, founder of G Adventures, agreed that the travel industry’s position is perilous and unprecedented.
“When you look back on past eight months, who would have thought that we would be where we are today? When we closed our offices on our that fateful day, March 13 – Friday the 13th – we thought we’d be closed for 30 days, maybe 60-90 days, and any business could take disruption for that period of time. But who would have thought at that time that borders could close, that countries could close, that countries are even banning their own citizens from leaving?
“No one ever thought that was possible – and could be possible for such a long period of time. But here we are eight months later and it’s a very trying time. And our industry is still under a lot of pressure because we don’t know where we’re going or how long it’s going to take to take control of this virus. And we’re all in this together.”
So, with togetherness in mind, ACTA embarked on two “jam-packed” days (Thursday-Friday), of “learning, collaboration and networking” – all easily pulled together by engaging emcee, TV travel personality and former travel agent Lorraine Simpson.
ACTA execs tackled a host of subjects through engagement with key industry and governmental figures – from advocacy and government support and policies to the changing nature of supplier relations.
There were also expert panels and presentations on diversity in the industry, consumer trends, corporate travel, and the state of retail travel around the world, plus requisite messages/updates from sponsors (among them platinum level Air Canada and Manulife).
Best-practice tips were revealed on subjects like marketing and social media and a two-hour trade show made possible one-on-one meeting sessions with over 50 exhibitors representing air and cruise lines, tour operators, tourist boards, hotels, insurance, and more.
But the Summit wasn’t all serious business, as break-out sessions gave attendees a chance for a bit of fun and relaxation through yoga, meditation, mixology, and even baking cookies.
Fun facts aside, the conference was inherently about absorbing the latest news, learning, keeping up contacts, making new ones, and sharing successes and hardships with industry colleagues. One thrilled (and overwhelmed) destination rep told Travel Industry Today that she had tagged almost 400 chats in the first hour of the trade show alone.
Such enthusiasm from ACTA agents has been critical in the association’s efforts to support the retail industry during the pandemic, says Paradis.
“Thank you for helping us help you,” she said. “You have sent thousands of letters, tens of thousands of social media posts… I know you are tired, but this grassroots advocacy is very helpful. And we hope you can stick with us as we continue the battle to get the travel industry back up in the air.”
G’s Poon Tip, meanwhile, offered a note of optimism. “We’re seeing green shoots for the industry,” he said, pointing to advancements in testing, promising vaccine development, regime change in the US, and a tentative, albeit limited, return to touring.
Perhaps just as importantly, he added: “This virus has brought us all together; it’s made the world seem small – because we have to come together to fight it. We can’t do it individually… and maybe that’s a good thing: making lemonade out of lemons.”