CASTILLA Y LEON — “This week is about you. It’s about growth, both professional and personal,” said ACTA President Suzanne Acton-Gervais to the 100 travel advisors who participated in ACTA’s International Destination conference in Castilla y Leon.
Now four months into her tenure at ACTA, Acton-Gervais has been hopping across Canada (and across the Atlantic) listening and learning at the recent ACTA summits in Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal, and reiterating one of the key benefits of membership: showcasing the power of strengthening the travel advisor community.
“Having face to face opportunities to meet the team and members has been very rewarding,” said Acton-Gervais.
In September, ACTA expanded its team, adding Yacine Bimich as director of member services bilingual, to encourage membership growth in Quebec.
Immersed in the world of Canadian aviation for over 30 years including stints at Air Canada and most recently at the National Airlines Council of Canada, Acton-Gervais said she understands the travel industry from several different perspectives and is eager to continue ACTA’s essential role representing travel advisors on the national stage.
“We want to advocate, educate, promote and connect for your success,” said Acton-Gervais, addressing advisors and industry colleagues on the first day of the ACTA International Destination conference.
“CANADIANS ARE TRAVELLING FURTHER AND FOR LONGER”
Sitting down with Travelweek during the ACTA conference in Spain, Acton-Gervais spoke about the state of the industry, sharing how ACTA members are reporting moderate growth going into 2026 thanks to “Canadians travelling further and longer,” and the need for one voice to represent 21,000 members and 6,000 independent travel advisors.
“Advocacy is a core pillar of ACTA’s mandate, and the number one reason why members join ACTA,” explained Acton-Gervais, who detailed some of the issues ACTA is focused on for discussions with government.
These five issues have ACTA’s focus for lobbying on behalf of ACTA members with the federal government …
- Removal of provincial barriers preventing reciprocity of credential recognition and selling of travel insurance by travel advisors
- The geopolitical effects on travel advisors because of the evolving U.S.-Canada economic relationship, i.e. advisors who have agencies built on Disney or U.S.-port cruises, for example, who are seeing a downturn in business, should be eligible for retraining or support
- Advancing border resilience, ie. expansion of the Trusted Traveler Program for Canadians, making it easier for Canadians to be verified by the Canadian government
- Elimination of the proposed Canadian Transportation Agency $790 fee to be charged to Canadian airlines for each complaint it resolves whether the airline is at fault or not. ACTA believes this would discourage regional connectivity or foreign carriers from wanting to access the Canadian market
- If foreign airlines were allowed to operate in Canada and offer domestic operations, travel advisors need to receive commission for these flights
Back in Ontario, Acton-Gervais recently met with TICO President Richard Smart and the board during their strategic planning session to prioritize the review of the Travel Industry Act with the government of Ontario and hear the concerns of travel advisors.
Several travel industry organizations including the Canadian Association of Tour Operators (CATO) and the Ontario Motorcoach Association (OMA) consider the current legislation outdated.
“Every message we bring is to ensure the fair treatment of travel advisors,” Acton-Gervais told Travelweek. She reiterated the need for discussions with all provincial governments to remove red tape and modernize as they are the regulator of the sector.
The shared knowledge of these events is invaluable and beneficial, added Acton-Gervais, not just for members to learn how to better their business but also for ACTA to hear directly from their membership.
