Cream Of The Crop: ACTA’s 2024 Award Winners

ACTA handed out its annual awards yesterday at the ACTA Eastern Canada Summit held at the Toronto Congress Centre.

Canada’s travel advisor advocacy organization attracted about 500 travel sellers and 200 supplier representatives for a full day of professional development and a busy trade show where advisors met with colleagues representing many of the travel industry’s leading brands and destinations.

Premiere sponsors for the event included Air Canada and Air Canada Vacations, the Globus family of brands, Brand USA and Manulife. There were two dozen featured sponsors too, underlining the strong supplier support for ACTA and Canadian travel advisors.

Among the featured sponsors was Visit Portugal, which will host 150 ACTA member advisors on an educational fam trip to the Azores archipelago in November.

Here are the 2024 ACTA Awards winners:

Louise Gardiner is the winner of ACTA’s 2024 Gerald Hiefetz Advocacy Award. (Photo Credit: ACTA)

Gerald Hiefetz Advocacy Award Winner: Louise Gardiner CTC, CTM (Kitchener, ON)

Louise Gardiner is a highly respected leader and advocate in the Canadian travel industry, with a distinguished career spanning over 45 years. Her commitment to mentorship, advocacy, and professional development has made a profound impact on our industry.

As a passionate advocate for the travel profession, Louise has played pivotal roles in the following organizations: Carlson Wagonlit Travel (CWT), the Association of Canadian Travel Agencies (ACTA), The Industry Council of Ontario (TICO), Conestoga College, and The Travel Agent Next Door (TTAND).

Named in honour of Gerald Hiefetz, who was instrumental in the foundation of ACTA and CITC, this ACTA Award celebrates an individual who in the most recent year has had a significant and positive impact on the role, status and sustainability of the Canadian Travel Industry.

Mary De Almeida, seen here with partner Pat Probert, is the winner of this year’s ACTA Leisure Travel Advisor Award. (Photo Credit: Photo: Pat Probert)

Leisure Travel Advisor Award Winner: Mary De Almeida CTC (Mississauga, ON)

The only award winner not present, De Almeida had a good excuse – she’s travelling. Part of the Bob Family Travel Team along with partner Pat Probert, De Almeida has achieved major success, especially with cruise groups. The Leisure Travel Advisor Award goes to an individual who shows versatility and innovation, has extensive knowledge of travel options and keeps clients excited about their dream getaway, says ACTA.  

Adam Taylor is this years winner of the ACTA Corporate Travel Advisor Award. (Photo Credit: ACTA)

Corporate Travel Advisor Award Winner: Adam Taylor (Bedford, NS)

The founder of Halifax’s Altitude Travel, Corporate Travel Manager Adam Taylor caters to the business and leisure travel needs of a large portfolio of travellers. Altitude Travel has earned Gold for the Best Agency in Halifax for the past two years. This award recognizes a Travel Advisor who delivers excellent service to clients, living up to expectations and demands in a timely and efficient manner. This individual must have an excellent understanding of client’s needs from a global perspective, including transportation, destination knowledge, policies, visas, and many other travel requirements.

Alison Long is the 2024 winner of ACTA’s Tomorrow’s Leader Award. (Photo Credit: ACTA)

Tomorrow’s Leader Award Winner: Allison Long (Calgary, AB)

The founder of Live For Luxe Travel & Concierge, Long is in just her second year in the business but has already found strong success, with more than $500,000 in sales in her first year and an expectation to more than double that number this year. The Tomorrow’s Leader Award recognizes a young potential leader who shows potential as an industry leader and is a role model for younger professionals. 

Joanne Gellatly is the 2024 winner of ACTA’s Ches Chard Education Award. (Photo Credit: ACTA)

Ches Chard Education Award Winner: Joanne Gellatly CTC (Toronto, ON)

 This award was established in memory of Ches Chard, who played a key role in developing numerous educational programs within the industry and was instrumental in establishing the first travel school in the Atlantic Provinces. Each year, the recipient is an individual, travel agency or group of travel agencies that has demonstrated a significant commitment to professionalism, education and training and excellence in human resources management.

A long-time professor at George Brown College, Gellatly has had a stellar career in the travel industry, including a stint as the first-ever female president of Contiki Canada. Gellatly holds a Doctor of Business Administration degree.

Lynda Tomilin CTC is this years CTC/CTM Lifetime Achievement Award Winner. (Photo Credit: ACTA)

CTC/CTM Lifetime Achievement Award Winner: Lynda Tomilin CTC (Barrie, ON)

According to ACTA, the aim of this award is to identify and honour an exceptional Certified Travel Counsellor (CTC) or Certified Travel Manager (CTM), who has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to lifelong learning and continuously expanding their knowledge of the travel industry and client service excellence.

Now with Envoyage and bringing 32+ years of travel industry experience, Tomilin continuously upgrades her travel knowledge and retains her Certified Travel Consultant status through her professional association with ACTA.

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