CITAP+’s People

Board of Directors

Alice Lin

CITAP+ President, RTO Director (Southeast Asia)

CAL Travel International Ltd., Director

Born in Taipei, Taiwan, Alice immigrated to Canada in 1996 and has been working at CAL Travel since 1999. Before becoming an RTO, she started her tourism industry career in Taipei as a member activities coordinator at a private golf club and then worked as a hotel front desk supervisor. After work, she enjoys reading, travelling, skiing in winter and biking in summer. Alice has served on CITAP+ Board for more than a decade, volunteering at every different position all the way up to the president. In 2017, she coordinated the annual Chinese Speaking Guide Training program with the committee team in Vancouver, which has achieved over 200 graduates so far in three years.

Lorne Nakada

CITAP+ Vice President, CUS Director (Accomodation)

Hyatt Regency Vancouver, Senior Sales Manager, Tour and Travel

Lorne is born and raised in Vancouver, BC and is a proud and avid Vancouver Canucks fan. He started in the tourism industry in 1988, first as a Japanese inbound operator tour coordinator, followed by outbound manager for a couple of Japanese outbound travel agencies , hotel sales manager for a Five Diamond property, a resort property, and the last seven years as senior sales manager for The Hyatt Regency Vancouver. Lorne passionately supports all of CITAP+’s functions and initiatives and is driven to see CITAP+ get to the next level. He regularly attends Rendez-Vous Canada, Showcase Canada Asia, and Focus Canada Japan. Please feel free to contact Lorne anytime for any assistance to promote travel from/to the Asia Pacific.

Puspa Affandi

CITAP+ Secretary, CUS Director (Accommodations)

The YWCA Hotel Vancouver, Sales Manager

Puspa is the Sales Manager at the YWCA Hotel, Vancouver, and her role is to oversee the hotel sales and marketing department. Puspa works closely with local inbound operators as well as overseas operators and agents from UK, Australia, Germany, Mexico and Japan. Puspa has been an active member of CITAP for the past nine years, including sitting on the Board of Director from 2015 to 2019.

Born and raised in Indonesia, Puspa moved to Vancouver in 1996; she fell in love with the city and decided to make Vancouver her home! In her spare time, she likes to read, listen to music, and go for walks with her family.

Violet Thumlert

CITAP+ Treasurer, CUS Director (Transportation)

Rocky Mountaineer, Vice President, Global Sales

Violet has more than 20 years of sales experience with strong relationships among global trade partners and a wealth of experience in systematically driving sales growth. She leads the global sales team with team members operating in each of Rocky Mountaineer’s core regions. Having started her sales career in the pharmaceutical industry, Violet honed an effective systematic approach to driving sales growth. She holds strong relationships with many trade partners and has a wealth of experience in growing sales across all channels and markets. As Vice President, Global Sales, Violet leads the full sales team at Rocky Mountaineer.

Violet enjoys all things outdoors – mountain biking, backcountry skiing, rock climbing and camping. She loves to travel and experience new cultures, especially when it comes to the food.

Kazuto Bessho

CITAP+ RTO Director (Japan)

Maple Fun Tours Ltd., President

Kazuto Bessho is the President of Maple Fun Tours Ltd., a Receptive Tour Operator in the Tourism Industry for 40 years.

Kazuto was born and raised in Vancouver, BC. Before devoting himself fulltime to Maple Fun Tours, Kazuto was trying to find his way. Working in a variety of industries such as a server, construction worker, retailer – you name it, he tried it. However, in the end, it seems like Kazuto was destined to be in the Tourism Industry.

The company was originally founded by his Father and Mother. Seeing his parents work so hard to start and build the company, Kazuto feels strongly about expanding and sustaining the company for another 40 years or more.

On his days off, Kazuto enjoys golfing, travelling, hiking, going to the gym and reading. He is also an avid eater, and is always intrigued in new dining experiences and trends.

Shan Tseng

CITAP+ RTO Director (Sino-China)

NTS Holding (International) Ltd., Tour Manager

Shan was born in Taipei, Taiwan, but was raised in Vancouver, BC. After joining NTS International Group, her work experience in tour operations, event planning, and administration has led her to excel in other areas of her life, such as volunteering with the Taiwan Chamber of Commerce in BC in her early 20s on various events, eventually leading her to sit on the board of directors with the Chamber of Commerce for the 2018-2019 term on the events committee. Her passion for event planning is evident in her work with NTS as well as the Chamber. In her spare time, she loves to experience different cuisines, and sharing this passion with her friends. She also finds time to play drop-in volleyball to stay active and continue to meet and connect with new peers.

Gillian Beath

CITAP+ RTO Director (Australia)

Journeys Across Canada, President & Owner

Gillian was born and raised in the UK. She started in the travel industry working for a UK receptive handling tours all over Europe and the UK before moving on to manage the incentive travel division of a UK receptive. In 1990 she took a career break to travel the world which brought her to Vancouver where she fell in love with the active, outdoor, spontaneous lifestyle of the west coast. In 1992, she emigrated to Canada and founded Journeys Across Canada, an RTO specialising in custom group and FIT from international source markets as diverse as Australia,  Sweden, Netherlands, Israel, and Chile.

Gillian loves outdoor activities including hiking, kayaking and skiing. She also loves food, is always interested in new flavours and dining experiences.

Victor Pun

CITAP+ RTO Director (Sino-China)

Winners Vacation Inc., President

Victor immigrant to Vancouver from Hong Kong in 1997. After graduating from university, he joined in China International Travel Service. In 1989 Victor moved to Hong Kong and set up his own travel agency doing business with clients in Taiwan, South East Asia and United Sates. Victor works as Managing Director at Winners Vacation Inc. since 2002. He is in the industry as RTO for more than 3 decades, he is Managing Director of Winners Express Charter Coach Ltd. as well. Victor was CITAP+’s Director (Sino China) from 2015 to 2018.

Nancy Johnston

CITAP+ RTO Director (Europe)

Jonview Canada, Vice President Contracting & Product

Nancy was born and raised in Toronto. After graduating with a Degree in Business Finance from Ryerson University, she enjoyed personal travel through Europe then started her 30-year career with Jonview Canada. She is a member of HEDNA (joining the Jonview IT team on distribution solutions), is a member of the Destination Toronto Travel Trade Advisory Council and sits on advisory boards of national hotel brands. More recently, she completed a mini-MBA with Schulich School of Business.  

Throughout this time a continued passion for travel has remained, along with personal hobbies of yoga, running and wind down time to read.

Charles Zhao

CITAP+ RTO Director (Southeast Asia)

CPTrip Canada Inc.,

With over 30 years’ experience in hospitality and hotel management; receptive tour operator in Toronto for 15 years with focus on Asia Pacific as well as domestic corporate markets.

Susan Tomihiro

CITAP+ RTO Director (Americas)

Fresh Tracks Canada, Director, Product

Susan is the Director of Product for Fresh Tracks Canada, leading all aspects of product including procurement, supplier relationships, product development and management, pricing, and revenue management. Having worked for Destination Canada for 6 years, she loves collaborating with suppliers to achieve win-win-win goals: wins for suppliers, wins for Fresh Tracks and most importantly, wins for Canada’s tourism industry.

Originally from Toronto, Susan has lived in Vancouver since 2009 and has also lived in Ottawa, Montreal, and Waterloo. While tourism was not her intended profession, Susan landed in this industry after stepping onto an airplane for the first time when she was 26 years old. Shortly after this flight, she got a job with Canadian Airlines and spent most weekends and vacations flying anywhere Canadian metal went. She’s also held various roles in Marketing, Sales and Corporate Strategy for Air Canada, Carlson Marketing, Destination Canada and most recently, Fresh Tracks Canada. Looking forward, Susan is working to incorporate climate change goals in both her professional and personal life.

Rhonda Hughes

CITAP+ DMO Director

Travel Alberta, Manager, RTO Development

Rhonda Hughes is the RTO manager for business development at Travel Alberta. She is responsible for growing product offering from receptive tour operators and for handling the RTO relationship for Alberta. Rhonda has over 20 years of hospitality and tourism experience and always had a passion for tourism. She has been working with RTOs for over 15 years and has travelled extensively internationally for both work and personal. She has a long background in tourism and has worked in a wide range of tourism organizations, from restaurants and hotels, to Tourism Calgary and Travel Alberta. She has her Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Calgary, specializing in hotel and resort management, along with her diploma in hotel and restaurant management from the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology, and is currently working towards achieving a certificate for emerging leaders from the University of Calgary. Rhonda was born and raised in Alberta, and enjoys doing anything outside, from skiing to hiking, along with being a foodie at heart.

Sonya Stevenson

CITAP+ DMO Director

Destination Ontario, Business Development Manager, Asia Pacific and Mexico

Sonya has been part of the International Marketing team at Destination Ontario for over 24 years; she is responsible for the trade for the Asia Pacific and Mexico markets and also manages the Ontario presence at Rendez-vous Canada.  Sonya holds a Bachelor of Environmental Studies (Geography) from the University of Waterloo.  Her love for tourism was sparked growing up in Ontario on Lake Huron and nurtured during time spent living in Banff and Vancouver.  Sonya now lives in a small town outside of Toronto. She is passionate about her diverse Ontario adventures (personally and professionally!) and enjoys discovering hidden gems … especially wine & culinary and the outdoors!  Sonya has been a member of the CITAP+ Board of Directors since 2020.

Elaine Xu

CITAP+ CUS Director (Others)

DUFRY (World Duty Free), Division Travel Trade Development Director

Elaine Xu is the director of Travel Development at Dufry North America Division. Building on her experience as director of Travel Trade Development at WDFG in charge of sales and promotions, she develops and maintains business relationships for strategic partnerships. With a focus on China and the rest of Asia, Elaine has been a driving force behind the exponential growth in Vancouver Airport Duty Free retail.

Elaine’s forte is relationship-building. With an MBA and a Bachelor of Commerce in industrial business management from Beijing, China, she has produced and implemented business strategies for expanding and enhancing opportunities between Canada and China, Japan, and South Korea.
Elaine speaks Mandarin.

Natasha Elias

CITAP+ CUS Director (Transportation)

WestJet, Key Account Manager

Natasha Elias manages WestJet’s Global Sales portfolio for the UK, Europe, Mexico, Japan, and Korea markets. Her role involves providing support to contracted partners who operate and sell inbound traffic to Canada. Before joining WestJet, Natasha spent over 10 years in Dubai, Hong Kong, and Singapore, where she managed marketing and events for global brands such as Disney, FOX Sports, and National Geographic in the Asia-Pacific region. During her time abroad, Natasha achieved many significant milestones, including organizing Formula 1 Singapore from 2015 to 2019, launching Disney+ across Asia, and playing a vital role in the Chevrolet/Manchester United sponsorship launch in 2014. Natasha moved back to Canada with her family in 2021, where she made the transition to aviation.

Staff Members

Joe Volk

CITAP+, Executive Director

Born in Edmonton, Alberta, Joe was CITAP+’s chair of the board of directors from 1998–1999 and CITAP+’s president from 1999–2005. Joe was appointed as Executive Director of CITAP+ in early 2016 and currently feels privileged to be working in such a great association. Prior to joining CITAP+ as the executive director, Joe has had the most satisfying career within the tourism industry. In his more than 40 years in tourism, he has worked with Brewster Travel Canada, Rockies Heli Tours, Travel Alberta, and including a 33-year career with Via Rail Canada Inc. Joe holds a Master’s Degree in Management from McGill University and a certificate from the International Master’s Program for Managers.

Taneet Gill

CITAP+, Administration & Operations Officer

Taneet joined CITAP+ in November 2017 and serves as the Administration and Operations officer. She contributes to the overall success of the organization by effectively managing member relations, financial accounting and reporting, and providing support to the board.