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| RTO Report |
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Market updates written by Receptive Tour Operator members including:
- Australia
- China & Taiwan
- Japan
- South Korea
Enjoy their anecdotal assessment of each of our primary Asia Pacific markets with a combination of Overview, Economy and Forecast.
**RTO Reports are now posted in the Members Only section of our website. Please login to view the report.
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Welcome to CITAP!
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(Surrey, BC)
(Calgary, Alberta)
(North Vancouver, BC)
(Calgary, Alberta)
(Banff, Alberta)
Tsawwassen Mills
(Tsawwassen, BC)
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CITAP Website Update
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Members can now update their own Member Profile page in the Members Only section of the website: you can now update
- contact details,
- update corporate logo,
- add photos,
- change your business/service description,
- change the password to something easier for you to remember,
- and even has a new section to add Social Media information!
Check out your own Profile Page today to ensure fellow CITAP members have access to the up-to-date membership information.
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| Upcoming Events |
2017 Hidi Nishi Classic - 19th CITAP Golf Event
*Registration to open soon!
- July 18, 2017
2017 Winter Function
- December 4, 2017
- The Westin Bayshore Vancouver
2018 AGM
- Halifax, Nova Scotia
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Get Connected
Stay Connected
to Increase Your Business from Asia Pacific
Interested in joining CITAP?
Interested in joining a committee?
Have a suggestion for a committee?
We welcome your ideas!
Email us at:
citap97@citap.ca
Visit our website at: www.citap.ca
Next issue scheduled for September 2017 |
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President's Message
Spring has sprung! The snow is melting, and with that comes blossoms here in Canada as well as camping, longer days for outdoor weekend festivities, and for some it has meant floods and mudslides. We hope for all directly involved in difficult aspects of nature's weather shift, that it is short lived and that the recovery is with much support.
Looking back at March we saw our first ever Chinese Speaking Tour Guide Workshop completed by 27 people with varying backgrounds and experience, but all with the commitment to the industry and with the ability to speak and work in both English and Mandarin. Getting this initiative off the ground was an achievement that required tremendous collaboration and planning by Alice Lin and her committee. Congratulations to those who completed the program and to all who put in their time to ensure the content was thorough and accurate. We hope each person who completed the training will find themselves booked with busloads of Chinese visitors through the summer and fall seasons organized by CITAP RTO members. CITAP is now reviewing the next steps for this to be rolled out to more people who are interested in the program. There is also discussion about a shorter course for those already guiding who would appreciate learning some of the key safety material that was reviewed during the 2 week program. Stay tuned for more!
April was a great month for CITAP! We were fortunate to be hosted in Ottawa for our 2017 Conference & AGM. All who attended -- from the pre-fam to the city fam and from the Ottawa members industry update to the Conference & AGM -- felt fortunate to have been welcomed into "Our Capital." Ottawa Tourism and its members continued to unveil many of the exciting special events and exhibits that are part of the sesquicentennial celebrations of Canada's Confederation 150 years ago! If you can add Ottawa to your plans for 2017, the people will make you and your clients feel truly welcomed. We are also pleased to have addressed some practical bylaw changes that were in need of attention. Through this newsletter, I also want to thank all who put your names forward for the Board of Director positions. I look forward to working alongside you, serving our members and continuing with our focus on Education and National issues that affect our industry. For the full slate of elected Directors for 2017/18, please visit our website.
Spring also means Rendez-vous Canada! Congratulations to TIAC, Destination Canada, Travel Alberta and Tourism Calgary for putting on an amazing show from start to finish. This year CITAP has attended for the 2nd time with Joe Volk, Executive Director representing us. I know many of you attended this year's RVC; some of you had time to speak with Joe and our Board of Directors about your business and how CITAP can do more to support your needs. Should you wish to share additional suggestions or thoughts, or if you didn't have the opportunity to share them with us in Calgary, we welcome you to contact Yuko or Joe to arrange a time to catch up and to answer any questions you may have. We are always open to feedback.
We wish you a very strong 2017 summer season and look forward to seeing you on July 18th at our Annual Hidi Nishi Classic which will be held for the first time at the Tsawwassen Springs. We will also have an activity for non-golfers which will be at Tsawwassen Mills, so please mark your calendar! The evening will bring us all together - sharing with each other our best shot at the course or our best findings at the Mills - while enjoying the dinner in this new venue and a chance to Get Connected and Stay Connected.
Again, many thanks to all our members who volunteer their time for the health of our industry. Let it grow, let it grow, let it grow!
Sincerely,
Cheryl Lee
President
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Our Recent Workshop: 
Chinese Speaking Tour Guide Program
We recently held a Chinese Speaking Tour Guide workshop in Richmond, BC (March 20 - 31). This initial workshop was a huge success! Many expressed their interest in attending. We were aiming to have 20 people registering, but there were 27 students attending! The graduation ceremony was held on the last day of the workshop.
We received positive feedback on the workshop -- from our students, Chinese RTOs and tourism partners, and many are inquiring when the next workshop will be held. Currently, we are in discussion with our RTO members on the type of workshops that are needed in their sector. Click here for the photos, feedback and media coverage.
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2017 Conference & AGM
Our Conference & AGM was held in our nation's capital, April 9-10, 2017.
Thank you for all those who attended. You all make this year's Conference & AGM successful!
We also wish to thank Ottawa Tourism for hosting the AGM and FAM Tour in our capital city, and special thanks to the following partner organizations for their support:
- Ontario's Highlands Tourism Organization for hosting a pre-FAM for RTO members.
- Ottawa Tourism for hosting the Ottawa FAM in addition to providing complimentary shuttles to the train and airport, using a coach generously provided complimentary by McCoy Bus Service.
- Novotel Hotel Ottawa, VIA Rail and WestJet for providing discounted accommodation and travel fares.
- Nancy Greene's Cahilty Hotel and Suites, 1000 Islands Accommodation Partners, Muskoka Language International, Sutton Place/Sandman Hotel Group and Hilton Worldwide for their financial support of the conference.
Most importantly, we wish to thank all of our members who participated either in person or by proxy to make this year's Conference & AGM successful. See you at our next event - 2017 Hidi Nishi Classic!
To meet our board of directors for 2017/18, please click here.
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Snapshots from RVC 2017
We had a productive and engaging conference in Calgary and I am sure you had the same experience too! This was our 2nd year attending RVC and similar to last year, Joe Volk, our Executive Director represented CITAP at the 2017 Rendez-Vous Canada In Calgary. One of our primary goals this year was to further develop relationships with industry stakeholders while strengthening our current relationships. Through this conference, we were also able to talk our members and other tourism members, and shared with them our visions as an association and how we can move forwards as an association. Educational opportunities continue to be a key topic and we had the opportunities to discuss this with our provincial and territorial partners; some initiatives have been discussed and will be scheduled over the next 12 months. So stay tuned!
Thanks to Cheryl Lee, Bill Bessho, Chiemi Nishinari, Anastasia Belashov and Shawna Little who at different times accompanied Joe at the meetings.
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Mark your calendars
! A fun golf tournament is just around the corner. Beginners and experienced golfers can compete with each other since the only rule is to have FUN! In addition to a golf tournament, we also have a FAM tour and golf academy. So stay tuned for more information. Online registration will open very shortly!
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Attention Members, renew online...
or call CITAP office to renew your membership.
Majority of CITAP memberships is expired on December 31, 2016, so most likely your membership has been expired if you haven't renewed it early this year. Membership dues are our major funding source, and it is the strength of this membership that funds the numerous works we do -- advocating on your behalf, providing more learning opportunities and creating more awareness of our association within the tourism industry. If you are unsure of your membership expiry date, please contact CITAP office at
[email protected] or 604 247 1997.
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RTO Interview
Isao (Sean) Murata
Kintetsu International Express (Canada) Inc.
Profile
Mr. Isao (Sean) Murata
was born in Himeji, Japan which is famous for the world heritage Himeji Castle. He traveled across Australia for a year in 1986 which sparked his interest in the industry. He began his career as a tour guide in Toronto in 1988, in charge of operations and guiding tourists in Toronto and Niagara. He joined Kintentsu International, Toronto Branch, Inbound Division in 1994 and was transferred to the Vancouver branch in 2005. Read the Interview
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Destination Canada Update
Maureen Riley
Executive Director, Industry Partnerships
Can you believe it? Another Rendez-Vous Canada has come and gone? But what a Rendez-Vous it was!
With over 1,840 delegates, RVC 2017 has broken many of the attendance records set over RVC's 41-year history.
2016 was a banner year for tourism, with total international arrivals reached almost 20 million in 2016 -- the highest in 14 years, and the second best year on record. Canada also surpassed the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) global average visitation growth. In 2016, global growth was up 3.9 percent, while for Canada it was 11 percent-almost triple the world average. Full Update
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PMO Corner 
Yas Yamamoto
Market Manager - Asia Pacific
Tourism Yukon
Yukon Hospitality So Warm It Can Melt Snow & Ice
Hello to all the CITAP members from beautiful Whitehorse, Yukon.
After living in Vancouver, B.C. for over 40 some odd years, I made the decision to move to Whitehorse for the opportunity to work for Tourism Yukon. To be honest, before moving up here I didn't know whether I could adjust to living in a much smaller city nor what to expect other than the long and very cold winters and famous aurora viewing. Probably many people who don't know the Yukon would feel the same way. But I must say I have found people here in the city and territory to be kind and hospitable, and am now enjoying my new lifestyle in this community of approximately 27,000 people. Even though the weather here is cold, visitors feel warm and welcomed by the friendly community.
Full report
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Online Advertising Opportunities
Starting this September you will be able to
promote your event,
share your update or
advertise your products or services on
CITAP online channels!
You will be able to have the premium space without overspending, and over 50
0 members and tourism partners can see your advertisement/update easily! Each ad will run for three months (quarterly) and include a direct link to your website. Take advantage of this opportunity by booking this limited online advertising space now by contacting CITAP office at
[email protected] and 1.604.247.1997.
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