President’s Message
As Canada cautiously re-opens province by province and territory by territory, we head in to the latter part of Q2 with hope & optimism. We see the emergence of larger group gatherings, dine-in options, live theatre preparing to re-open and domestic travel restrictions loosening for most Canadians. For the first time in many months, CITAP members have the opportunity to see real business from a strong domestic market.
I urge all of you to support our critically unstable industry and take the time to have one of your best Canadian summer holidays with friends & family. Now is the time to support one another and know that soon, international borders will re-open and we will once again be safely welcoming back our Asia Pacific friends to our shores.
I leave you with 2 quotes that resonate with me……”Fall seven times, stand up eight” – Japanese Proverb and “Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall” – Confucius
Here’s to a positive summer & autumn 2021.
John Webster
CITAP President
CUS Interview: Elaine Xu
CITAP is pleased to introduce Elaine Xu, VP, Travel Trade & Promotion for DUFRY Group North America. Elaine has been involved with CITAP since 2003.
1. Your professional profile (on LinkedIn) shows that you have occupied various roles at World Duty Free and Dufry. Can you explain the diff. between the two names?
Dufry is a global travel trade retailer that is present in 64 countries across Three Regions: Europe, Middle East & Africa&Asia-Pacific, and The Americas. Dufry operates over 2,300 duty-free and duty-paid shops located at airports, on cruise liners, in seaports, and in other touristic locations.
World Duty Free is one of many retail brands under Dufry. At YVR, World Duty Free operates 21 retail stores of over 50,000 sq.ft. The stores are located across the International, US and domestic terminals.
2. You were recently promoted to VP, at Dufry – what does this role entail? What are your core responsibilities?
As a subject matter expert, I focus on developing travel trade partnerships. In the new role, my scope has expanded to cover tourism markets in 9 major cities across Canada & the US. I have had great success in partnering with travel trade partners such as Destination Canada, TIAC, DMOs, tour operators and travel media. There are great demands in other major cities. It’s my goal to bring these best practices to collaborate with other locations such as Toronto, Calgary, Edmonton, Seattle, Las Vegas, Houston, Detroit, Chicago and Newark.
My core responsibilities are:
- Continuously refine marketing, digital strategy, and tactical implementation to meet travellers’ ever changing needs.
- Build, further develop, and leverage relationships with travel industry media to evangelize our brand, mission, and movement in the market.
- Ensure our sales teams provide world class service to all travelers that pass through our stores
- Given that Int’l travel has been ‘on hold’ for many months and will likely be the last step in the re-opening of travel, what measures has DUFRY adopted to mitigate its losses?
Travel, tourism and hospitality has been decimated by the impact of the coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak. As a travel retailer, our position has closely mimicked that of the industry. Since the beginning, throughout all levels of our organization, we have planned and recalibrated our strategy regularly and implemented the right solutions to mitigate the impact of this crisis, laying out the foundations on which we will emerge as a stronger company. We made sure that our team kept positive attitudes and levels of dedication, adapting to the new market environment quickly to implement key cost savings to stay resilient in the face of adversity and prepare our organization for recovery and beyond.
“What does not kill you makes you stronger!” I believe our industry will recover soon and am looking forward to welcoming you in our stores.
- What do you enjoy most about Vancouver?
Since I moved to Vancouver in 2000, I have always enjoyed the beautiful nature, comfortable weather, great lifestyle and wonderful friends around.
- What are you most looking forward to doing when the social distancing restrictions ease up?
I can’t wait to reconnect with industry friends in person instead of virtually, explore new restaurants and cuisines, and of course, be able to travel.
- What constitutes a perfect holiday for you?
I like to experience new cultures and destinations as a nice break and change of pace from my daily routine. Shopping, trying new restaurants, and having a glass of nice wine is a plus.
Interview with CITAP Board Member : Kazuto Bessho, Maple Fun Tours
Kazuto is joining CITAP’s Board this year to fill in an important market segment – Japan. We all look forward to his contribution to our organization.
- Maple Fun Tours seems to be a family business. Can you tell us how it has evolved to what it is today?
Our past President at Maple Fun Tours, Mr. Bill Bessho, is my father. My parents, Bill and Tomoko Bessho, started the company in 1981. Initially renting a small office, Bill was away 8-10 months of the year for sales while Tomoko was in Vancouver, handling operations and accounting. Maple Fun Tours continued to grow over the years. It now has 4 sales offices in Japan, 3 operation offices in Canada, and 3 Sales Reps across Southeast Asia in Taiwan, Vietnam, and Thailand. As a family-owned business, we never take anything for granted. We constantly find new ways to sustain and build the company.
I started with the company in 2013. In 2019, I took over as President.
My father was part of CITAP for over 10 years, including being President for 2 years. I feel that it is my turn to join CITAP and to give back to the organization. I look forward to working closely with CITAP members and the Board to help CITAP continue to grow.
- What is the strangest question you’ve ever had from a client touring from Japan?
This is a hilarious question. To be completely honest, the list goes on and on. Here are some strange questions I’ve had:
- What is the best time of day to see a moose in Algonquin Park?
- Is Anne of Green Gables real? If not, why are we touring her home in Cavendish?
- Can we pet the elk in Banff National Park?
- We would like to have Alberta beef, and not New York steak, is that possible?
- Can we fish in Lake Louise and then eat the fish at the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise?
- What are some of the solutions your company has implemented to facilitate a safe experience when travel reopens?
When travel resumes, safety and health will remain at the forefront of travellers’ concerns. Earning back our guests’ confidence requires that we follow suggestions provided by our healthcare leaders. Heightened alertness with regards to health presents an opportunity to go beyond the norm and focus on the visitors’ experience and greater well-being.
At Maple Fun Tours, we have implemented solutions to facilitate a safe experience when travel reopens.
Firstly, the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) created a stamp to recognize businesses that have implemented their health and hygiene global standardized protocols. Maple Fun Tours has received this recognition, which clearly communicates our commitment to safety.
Additionally, we feel that communication is vital in voicing what our partners and the destinations are doing to protect our visitors. We are in close contact with all our partners to learn about their protocols and find out what policies, such as cancellations and refunds, are in place so that we can relay this information to our partners in Asia. Communication is key to build confidence and help them choose Canada as their preferred destination once travel resumes.
Lastly, we have put strict COVID Safety Protocols in place to keep our employees safe as we are starting to gradually open our office.
- What got you interested in the tourism industry initially?
My parents have built Maple Fun from scratch. They love their company. I didn’t want it to go to the wayside as they moved into a new chapter of their lives. At that time as well, I was quite lost. I had gone to UBC for a year, Capilano University for 2 years, and after working in various industries, I was still not sure what I wanted to pursue as a career.
Also, I was born and raised in Vancouver. I’m a proud Canadian. I love all that Canada has to offer and I want to showcase it to the world. I also love travelling and am blessed to have travelled to many countries.
As I started in the company, I realized that I was destined to be in this industry. My passion grew more and more as time went by. I feel that I made the right career choice in the end.
- Japan sure has had its share of challenges with the pandemic. How do think RTOs can best position themselves to gain the confidence of int’l travellers again?
As I mentioned above, health and safety concerns will remain a top priority for consumers and their families. Companies that monitor and report safety measures will help instill consumer confidence. Only when consumers can be certain that their safety is paramount will they re-engage in travel. It’s now up to us to help inspire that trust.
I believe collaboration and communication will play a key role in this. I think RTOs should constantly contact their partners in Canada and in Asia to make sure we’re on the same page once international travel returns.
We should communicate not only about safety, but policies as well. Eager travellers that will travel long-haul once borders open will likely tend to be less concerned about COVD health risks. They may have fewer concerns about flying to their destinations. The main barriers to travel among this cohort are about cancellations and refunds. Providing reassurance regarding booking policies would therefore be important to mitigate their concerns and encourage bookings.
We need to think out of the box, as there will be a new normal. People are considering various destinations. We need to offer products and itineraries that we may not have offered before, to showcase Canada.
- What do you most look forward to do when the world returns to normal?
Wearing pants to a meeting.
Just kidding!
Things have undoubtedly been tough and many of us have done the best we can to adapt, as our world as we previously knew it was completely turned upside down. I don’t believe the world will return to what it was pre-COVID, but we will be moving to a new ‘normal’.
It helps maintain our sanity to visualize what we can look forward to in a post-COVID world. Here are a few small things that I’m looking forward to:
- A proper vacation: I am looking forward to being able to safely travel somewhere, with no fear of catching or spreading the Coronavirus to friends or family.
- Carefree hugs: I believe this one is hurting most people right now. Some folks haven’t been able to hug or see their loved ones in a very long time. This can wear on the morale and make the heart feel awfully heavy. I look forward to those days to return!
- Not having to wear a mask. Even though it is necessary right now, it is no easy feat to keep a mask on constantly. The feel of fresh air during a run, for example, and not having to gasp for air from behind a mask, is something I look forward to.
- COVID has made us all feel lonely. Most affected are those who lost loved ones or may not have a job or a business to return to. I am hoping we are going to come back together with a greater appreciation and gentleness for each other.
New CITAP Website- Please update your profiles
As you may have noticed, our website has a whole new look! Many of you got acquainted with the new interface when you renewed your memberships at the start of the year. In case you have not had a chance to login yet, we urge members to login to your profile and update personal information. We know during this tough time there have been many personnel changes within companies so please ensure your information is current and updated. This includes names, positions and contact information.
Fall Colours Event- Save the Date!
What a roller coaster over the past 16 months! But tourism recovery has started, and like the maple leafs turning during the fall, the future is bright. CITAP remains dedicated to its members and is providing another opportunity to get connected, and stay connected.
We are excited to present our virtual Fall Colours Pod Event! Please Save the Date! Just like to our Spring Thaw event, sellers will be organized in to regional pods for scheduled presentations to RTO buyers. There will be some new additions, so check your emails mid-July.
The Fall Colours Event will take place over two dates for two regional pods:
- BC and Alberta: Sept 14th, 9:00 am to 12:00 pm PST
- Central, North, Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic: Sept 16, 9:00 am to 12:00 pm PST
Until then, enjoy the summer, stay safe and get vaccinated!
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, 15 organizations have shared their latest updates with us. Click below to see their updates.
Destination BC Vancouver, Coast, Mountains Region
