Connect With CATO On The Web
The Canadian Association of Tour Operators (CATO) has rolled out a new website – www.cato.ca .
It was announced by the association’s executive members — Brett Walker, Stéphanie Bishop, Richard Edwards, Nicole Bursey and Joanne Dhue – with Walker observing that: “We now have a wonderful depiction of who we are and what we stand for.”
And he continued: “CATO’s raison d’être is to work together to make our industry stronger, more resilient, more responsible and rise to new heights for the benefit of all members and our many stakeholders.”
The association points out that apart from the public site, there is a robust members’ private site with chat rooms and open forums for existing and emerging issues and ongoing discussions.
Members can also set up private chats with other members. Another important feature is the on-demand polling of members with real-time results.
As well, the site will also house an extensive knowledge library of both public and proprietary information including our own industry reconnaissance.
Said Walker: “Being nimble to issues and events is paramount to CATO’s organizational effectiveness. This website features communication tools that are widely accessible, social platforms that are easy to use and will enable discussion, debate and polling on issues and quickly facilitate cohesion.”
In 2021 CATO released its new fee structure with reduced rates by as much as 75%. Membership starts at only $800 year per company for up to three company representatives with access to the website as well as being able to attend any online or in-person meetings. Every company member also has its brands represented on the rotating banner on the public CATO site.
Going forward, two of CATO’s priorities include:
Sustainability — CATO announced recently that it has partnered with Tourism Cares in its commitment to sustainability. To kick off this partnership, CATO executives and association members will be attending the Tourism Cares Meaningful Travel Summit in Victoria, BC from Sept. 27 to Sept. 29. Participants include Brett Walker, Stéphanie Bishop and Emma Cottis representing Collette, Globus Family of Brands and GOWAY respectively.
2023 Economic Impact Assessment & Report — In 2021 CATO commissioned BDO to undertake the first ever economic impact assessment of CATO members; in which 100% of members contributed. The results were staggering and enabled CATO to provide government with verified data to support CATO’s ongoing advocacy efforts. That was then. In 2023 CATO will be engaging BDO again to undertake yet another economic impact assessment. Along with the relevant aggregated data the report will once again include information on advance booking trends and travel categories.
Go to www.cato.ca for more.
