President’s Message
Dear Members,
As the situation around COVID-19 continues to evolve, I wanted to take a moment to connect with you and send a personal note to share our thoughts on the current climate affecting us all. Over the past few weeks, it has become clear that the world is facing an unprecedented challenge. Like you, we at CITAP are deeply concerned and want to do what we can to help keep our communities and our families safe and healthy.
Considering the cancellation of RVC 2020, we have made the difficult decision to cancel our Annual General Meeting in Quebec. This means we will have to find an alternative way to hold the AGM and vote in the new board members for the 2020/21 term. The board is currently deliberating the best way to do this and will be in communication with our membership once we have a plan in place. We encourage all members, especially during this tough time, to please ensure you stay involved and make sure you vote. This is your board and your support during this difficult time is very important to CITAP.
Amidst the uncertainty, one thing we do know that can help mitigate the spread of COVID-19 is to take steps to limit our exposure to others. We will keep you posted on future CITAP events as we get more information.
In this challenging time for all, we remain deeply committed to the safety of our communities and our members. We will be setting up round table discussions via conference call for our membership to collectively come together and share our experiences on how this has impacted our businesses and our economy. In the meantime, our Executive Director, Joe Volk can be contacted anytime if you’d like to chat. Please feel free to call Joe at 604-818-0907 or email him at jvolk@citap.ca.
We are all in this together.
Stay safe.
Alice Lin,
CITAP President
COVID-19 Resources
This is a difficult time for everyone. CITAP is here to support you. We are making sure your voice is heard by the various levels of the industry stakeholders, including the federal and provincial government, directly and indirectly. At this time, we would like to make sure your have access to the various resources provided by the federal government. Please find what Resources for Canadian Business are available for you by clicking here
RTO Reports
Editor’s note:
Given the rapidly changing landscape across all markets, CITAP is not sharing RTO reports at this time. We will send you an update in our next newsletter, once (hopefully!) the situation has started to resorb.
Get to know the CITAP Board of Directors: Alice Lin
Born in Taipei, Taiwan, Alice immigrated to Canada in 1996 and has been working at CAL Travel since 1999. After work, she enjoys reading, travelling, also skiing in winter and cycling in summer. Alice has served on the CITAP Board for over a decade.
- You’ve been at CAL Travel for over 20 years. What was your role when you started, back in 1999? What is your role now?
I like travelling. When I arrived in Canada, I thought I could realize my dream to be a personal travel consultant. Not necessarily to earn profits in a short period or to achieve quick success, but I wanted to make dream come true for my customers. That was my initial plan. Then I became a receptive tour operator in 1999. I have been doing this for many years, but I still have passion for this business. I am lucky to have my own team, and I feel honoured to be able to work together with people who share same passion. My hope for the future is to continue to support my team in creating their own dream.
- What attracted you to the tourism sector in the first place?
After I graduated, I had the chance to work in the hotel industry – the private resort club. I enjoyed providing services to the customers and became interested in the tourism sector. After immigrating to BC, I could see that tourism was one of the BC’s major industries. So, I chose to build my career as RTO to challenge myself.
- What have you found the most challenging when you first moved to Canada from Taiwan in 1996?
Leaving home country without my parents for the first time was my first challenge. Most Asian parents protect their children too much, I was one of those overly protected kids. Learning to be independent was my first lesson in the different country. Now, I push my son to develop his independence and being able to live away from home after his high school graduation.
- You’ve been CITAP’s president for the past two years. What are some of your accomplishments that you’re most proud of?
Twenty years ago, decision makers in Asia and most of tour operators were men. I am proud to be the first Asian woman to take the leadership of CITAP. I always push myself to work hard to meet expectations of our members. CITAP has been more active and create more activities, fam tours, education seminars and guides’ training. We are now much quicker to respond to members’ inquiries and more members are involved in contributing their time to help CITAP. This is not only my personal accomplishment but also our teamwork. I really appreciate many others for their help and support. I particularly want to thank Mr. Volk, who works hard for CITAP and has been an incredible support for me.
- When did you join CITAP? What made you want to join?
I was invited to a CITAP event (Winter Function) and was very impressed by how nice this event was. While attending dinner reception, I decided to join CITAP.
- What does your family enjoy doing together? What does a ‘perfect holiday’ look like?
Being a receptive tour operator working with the Asia Pacific market, I always work long hours and over weekends and holidays, sacrificing family time. But we make sure to spend the Christmas holiday period together. We enjoy going ski trips or vacationing in areas with warm climate. Family time is always fun and perfect.
CITAP Membership Renewal
Have you renewed your CITAP membership for 2020 yet? Please note that all CITAP memberships expired December 31, 2019. If you have not already renewed for 2020, please do so immediately so that there is no lapse in your membership and you stay current with all CITAP news and events.
To renew, please login to your online profile on our website. If you have any questions or need help with your renewal, please contact us at info@citap.ca.
Save the Date: 2020 CITAP Upcoming Events
2020 AGM: Unfortunately we have decided to cancel the upcoming AGM in Quebec due to current conditions with COVID-19. We will be sending more information, as well as an alternative voting method to select a new CITAP board for 2020/21 in the coming weeks. Please stay tuned!
2020 CITAP Hidi Nishi Golf Classic: This event is still scheduled to be held on Tuesday, July 21st, 2020 at the Tsawwassen Springs Golf Course. Further information will be posted in the next few months..
2020 Eastern CITAP Golf Tournament: Similarly, our popular Eastern summer event is still scheduled to be held on Thursday, August 20th at Lionhead Golf Club & Conference Centre. Please keep an eye on further communication.
2020 Winter Function: Will be held on Tuesday, December 1, 2020. Venue details will be announced in the Fall.
Members’ Corner
In this Members’ corner, you can share your latest news and updates with other members, or learn other members’ latest updates and news! In this issue, 8 organizations have shared their latest updates with us. Click below to see their updates.
