CASTILLA Y LEON — ACTA officially opened its International Destination Conference in Castilla y Leon this week – with a heartfelt welcome from Spanish dignitaries including Leon’s Mayor Jose Antonio Diez Diaz and Alejandro David Galan Aguado, Deputy Manager of Tourism for the Regional Government of Castillo y Leon.

Travelweek is here along with 100 Canadian travel advisors, plus supplier partners Air Canada and Collette, and tourism industry colleagues from Canada and Spain, for ACTA’s conference, taking place at the Palacio de Congresos y Exposiciones de Leon.

ACTA VP Marco Pozzobon and ACTA President Suzanne Acton-Gervais

The delegation is immersed in presentations on this northeast region of Spain, best known for its section of the popular Camino de Santiago.

ACTA President Suzanne Acton-Gervais addressed the gathering of Canadians and Spaniards in English, French and Spanish, thanking the Tourist Office of Spain for partnering to host the conference.

Isabel Martin Benitez, Consul for Tourism Affairs from the Tourist Office of Spain in Toronto, welcomed ACTA conference participants with good news of the addition of two new direct flights between Canada and Spain coming in 2026: Montreal (YUL) to Palma de Mallorca (PMI) on Air Canada and Toronto (YYZ) to Madrid (MAD) on Iberia Airlines.

Acton-Gervais emphasized the importance of travel advisors. “This week is about you, it’s about growth, both professional and personal,” said Gervais.

She gave a snapshot of ACTA’s focus, including removal of interprovincial barriers preventing the recognition of credentials, potential expansion of the Trusted Traveller program and working to withdraw the CTA’s proposed fee of $790 that would be charged to airlines for each travel complaint it resolves.

Conference sessions so far have included presentations from Paradores de Espana, a network of 100 historic Spanish accommodations; Renfe, the national network of state-owned railways; and Grupo de Ciudades Patrimonio de la Huminad, the 15 world heritage cities of Spain.

ACTA’s International Destination Conference in Castilla y Leon continues all this week. Stay tuned for more updates via Travelweek’s social media channels, and in Travelweek Daily.