CITAP+’s People

Board of Directors

Lorne Nakada

CITAP+ President, CUS Director (Accomodation)

Pinnacle Hotel Harbourfront , DIRECTOR TOUR & ENTERTAINMENT

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.  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.

Mito Ota

CITAP+ Vice President, DMO Director

Tourism Calgary, Manager, International Markets

As the Manager, International Markets at Tourism Calgary, Mito leads the development and execution of global travel trade initiatives while providing in-destination services for clients visiting Calgary on familiarization tours and press trips. Her passion for tourism sparked during a summer job with a Banff tour company – a role that lasted 4.5 years and set the stage for an 18-year career at Travel Alberta. There, she played a key role in shaping strategic direction, leading consumer-direct campaigns and travel trade programs in international markets and managing destination marketing and brand partnerships with global airline partners. Before joining Tourism Calgary, Mito joined the Calgary Stampede where she contributed to the development and implementation of tourism sales programs at “The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth”, collaborating with travel trade and media worldwide. On her days off, Mito loves hitting the road with her family, including her 3-year-old puppy “Bo”, chasing new adventures and the next delicious bite along the way.

Christie MacAulay

CITAP+ Secretary, CUS Director (Accommodations)

Prestige Hotels & Resorts , Director of Tour & Event Sales

Alice Lin

CITAP+ Treasurer, 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.

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.

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.

Natasha Elias

CITAP+ CUS Director (Transportation)

WestJet, Program Manager, Global Sales

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.

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.

Bruce Pan

CITAP+ RTO Director 

Zen Travel, President

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.

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.

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.

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.

Staff Members

Andy Shimizu

CITAP+, Executive Director | ashimizu@citap.ca

A Chartered Professional Accountant by training, Andy brings over 30 years of experience in the travel and tourism industry, including more than a decade in senior management with the JTB Canada Group. Andy’s career has spanned operations, finance, and corporate planning, with a consistent focus on industry advocacy and collaborative leadership.

He has had the opportunity to represent our sector on national and provincial committees, including HRSDC on foreign worker visa policy, Consumer Protection BC on travel licensing and regulation, ICBC on motorcoach safety, government authorities on GST and tax charges and Destination Canada in better promoting inbound travel from the Asia Pacific region. Andy’s board service includes Tourism Richmond and CITAP+, where he supported both governance and strategic direction as Treasurer.

It has been Andy’s great privilege to serve industry stakeholders with passion and purpose. As Executive Director of CITAP+, he looks forward to continuing that work–supporting our members through education, advocacy, and renewed engagement as we grow our community, strengthen the voice of our members, and stand with them in facing the evolving realities of our industry.

Shan Tseng

CITAP+, Operations & Communications Generalist | stseng@citap.ca

Shan was born in Taipei, Taiwan and raised in Vancouver, BC. Her origin story began at NTS International Group where she learned the ins and outs of travel trade. Starting as a receptive tour operator, Shan worked with overseas clientele bringing guests inbound to Canada. Her network has since expanded to serve clients across the spectrum internationally and locally. Her passion for travel planning has brought her guest all across Canada, from the fast-paced life in major Canadian cities, to the mighty mountains of the Canadian Rockies or tranquil tundra, all the way to astronomical heights of northern lights viewing. In Shan’s spare time, you can find her checking out local cafes for oat milk lattes, and hitting up her local spin studio for a good workout!