Congratulations to all of our PMO, RTO and CUS members for a very strong Fall season both here in Canada, where we have welcomed 1000's of guest from our key markets, and to those who have spent so much of October and November on the road promoting our great destination for future years of tourism business to Canada.  These are very key months for all of us and it is great to see the fruits of our combined efforts!

Our numbers for visitors to Canada in 2016 are ending on a very healthy note from our Asia Pacific markets; thanks to your work over this past year, and the relationship of our Canadian Dollar against other currencies worldwide.  Our strong partnerships between members strengthen our offerings to the markets, and visitors can feel that synergy when they arrive here in Canada.  The efforts by so many to make the visitor visa process more streamlined and accessible has also given us the ability to boast that Canada is ready for its visitors!  And we are! 

As we look ahead to the last quarter of 2016, we are pleased to share with you that the preparation for our 20th Annual CITAP Winter Function is underway.  This year's event will be held on December 6th at the Hyatt Regency Vancouver.  The combination of workshops, marketplace and gala dinner will make for a great day to "Get connected and Stay connected!"  There is still time to sign up for sponsorship until November 16, educational seminars in the morning and the reception and gala dinner until November 23. Please be in touch with Yuko Denham to firm up your arrangements. More information on our Winter Function can be found below and on our website. Thank you for your support.  The Winter Function is a key source of revenue for the association, but more importantly, it's an important event that brings together our members and industry partners - connecting with one another to celebrate the successes we made in 2016 and to look ahead to 2017, and how we can position Canada in an even stronger light when we work together. 

Our staff and committees have all been very active, working on their specific tasks, and we will be able to share with you at the Winter Function a brief summary of these activities -- from our added conference plans at our AGM March 9-10, 2017 in Ottawa to our work on supporting Tour Guides Canada-wide.  We will also be announcing some changes to our Hidi Nishi Golf event for next year, so please stay tuned!

And if you have additional thoughts or suggestions for areas we should be working on as committees, please be in touch with me or any members of our Board of Directors via email or a call.  We welcome your input and value your contribution to the future direction of CITAP.  We are on a roll and want to keep on rolling. 

I look  forward to seeing many of you at the Winter Function in Vancouver on December 6th, and also look forward to many celebrations together in 2017 as we enjoy Canada's year long 150th Birthday Party!