The Canadian Association of Tour Operators (CATO) announced the launch of its new web site, www.cato.ca.
“We now have a wonderful depiction of who we are and what we stand for” says Brett Walker, Chair of CATO. “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”.
Apart from the public site, there is a 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 feature is the on-demand polling of members with real-time results. The site is intended to also house a knowledge library of both public and proprietary information including CATO's own industry reconnaissance.
Walker states “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 up to 75 per cent. Membership starts at CAD $800 year per company for up to three company representatives with access to the web site 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.
Moving forward, CATO highlights its priorities, including sustainability and the upcoming 2023 Economic Impact Assessment & Report.
To kick off its partnership with Tourism Cares and its commitment to sustainability, CATO executives and some members will be attending the Tourism Cares Meaningful Travel Summit in Victoria, BC on 27-29SEP. Participants include Brett Walker, Stéphanie Bishop and Emma Cottis representing Collette, Globus Family of Brands and GOWAY respectively.
In 2021, CATO commissioned BDO to undertake the first ever economic impact assessment of CATO members; in which 100 per cent of members contributed. According to CATO, the results were "staggering" and enabled the Association to provide government with verified data to support CATO’s ongoing advocacy efforts. In 2023 CATO will be engaging BDO again to undertake another economic impact assessment. Along with the relevant aggregated data, the report will once again include information on advance booking trends and travel categories.
For more information, visit CATO's new web site.
