ACTA will be sharing its analysis of the soon-to-be-unveiled federal budget during a virtual advocacy town hall scheduled for April 11.

Open to travel agencies, travel agents and independent travel agents, the town hall will include the most up-to-date information on Canadian government travel restrictions and measures, plus ACTA’s advocacy plan to ensure that the industry is best prepared for potential and future COVID-19 variants of concern.

ACTA will also be joined by senior leaders at WestJet who will provide attendees with an update on the airline.  ACTA and WestJet will be available to answer questions following the presentations.

The town hall will take place on April 11, 2022 at 1:00 p.m. ET. To join, click here.

The federal government will be unveiling its 2022 budget on April 7, its first since September 2021’s federal election, which saw the Liberals return with their second minority mandate.

Budget Day will see the retail travel sector waiting to see if its urgent calls for more financial aid have been heeded. 

Programs like the Tourism and Hospitality Recovery Program and its rent and wage subsidies began ramping down in mid-March, and are scheduled to end in May. 

Last month ACTA launched a ‘Save Travel’ campaign with an urgent call for the extension of the Tourism and Hospitality Recovery Program rent and wage subsidies.

Also last month, ACTA launched an advocacy campaign for independent travel agents, with a platform at helpita.ca to record videos detailing their personal story and why immediate financial support is necessary.

There’s been no word yet on the Independent Travel Agent Relief Program (ITARP) proposal, presented to the federal government as a possible solution to help fill the gap for financial aid for independent travel agents who don’t qualify for other aid programs.

ITARP was drafted and submitted by ACTA to the federal government in January 2022 with the endorsement of all major ACTA host agency presidents as well as the grassroots advocacy organizations ACITA and Canadian Travel Agents for Change. Said ACTA President Wendy Paradis: “ACTA’s top priority remains ensuring as much financial support as possible will be available for travel agencies, travel agents and independent travel agents.”

Source: Travelweek