CTC Applications Surge in Canada
by Jill WykesTORONTO – ACTA has seen a huge increase in applications for professional certification since it merged with The Canadian Institute of Travel Counsellors (CITC) last year.
At ACTA’s annual general meeting here this week, president and COO David McCaig noted the growth of interest among travel sellers in attaining CTC and CTM standing. “Last year CITC had seven applicants; this year over 112 agents signed up.
“Our goal is to encourage every agent to get their CTC,” he told ACTA members.
McCaig also said ACTA had eliminated its deficit a year ahead of schedule.
ACTA priorities
Continuing to work with IATA on the implementation of its New Distribution Capability (NDC) will be a priority for ACTA this year. McCaig said that IATA now consults with ACTA before sending out communications about the issue.
A second priority is working with provincial jurisdictions toward a goal of achieving a universal certification that will allow agents to sell insurance from any province. “[It] will not be easy, but we are working towards it,” McCaig said.
ACTA also will continue to dialogue with Carnival Cruise Lines about non-commissionable fees ( NCFs) and will work on alleviating issues around Agent Debit Memos (ADMs).
A new award
ACTA also announced that a new award will be established to honor Gerald Heifetz, who served as ACTA’s counsel for many years and passed away last month. The criteria is being developed with his family.
The Maguire Wamsley Award was awarded to Cynthia Wong, CTM, manager of CAA Travel Saskatoon.
Name change for ACTA
Attendees voted to change ACTA’s name, effective immediately, from the Association of Canadian Travel Agents to the Association of Canadian Travel Agencies.
