ACTA’s Wendy Paradis encourages Canadians to take the road less travelled
IAN STALKER
ACTA president Wendy Paradis is suggesting that her members encourage their clients to consider taking the road less travelled. Paradis told delegates to the Sept. 12 2024 Eastern Canada Travel Industry Summit in Toronto that 80% of travellers visit just10% of destinations, exacerbating a growing problem that’s been drawing considerable international attention as of late.
“We have an over-tourism problem,” she told those on hand for the gathering.
Some European destinations in Europe have recently seen demonstrations denouncing tourism, with locals blaming it for lowering their quality of life. Demonstrations have been particularly visible in some parts of Spain and Italy, which traditionally see huge numbers of summer visitors.
However, there’s no shortage of less-visited places around the world which continue to actively court visitors, with Paradis stating that there are now many travellers who are eager to vacation in places that don’t see large numbers of tourists. “Gone is the desire to just follow the crowd,” she said.
Meanwhile, Paradis told delegates that “overall, the future is definitely bright” for international travel, with the WTTC predicting “robust growth” in tourism. This country is expected to see a rise in disposable incomes in 2025, welcome news for the travel industry.
Luxury travel is expected see the fastest growth of any segment and Paradis said luxury travellers are particularly inclined to use travel agents before setting off on their trips.
“The industry in 2025 is ripe for growth,” she said, welcome news after the pandemic. But Paradis added that ACTA members shouldn’t be complacent. “We need to hustle for business,” she continued. “We need to be smart. We need to be nimble.”
Paradis told her audience that the “No. 1 active traveller in 2025” is expected to be the Millennial, but added that travel agents must still actively reach out to Baby Boomers
“The Baby Boomers still hold the bulk of the wealth when it comes to travellers,” she added. “They are high-opportunities clients for years to come.”
Paradis also said technological advances will continue to make their mark in a major way in the travel industry. “Technology is going to continue to catapult this industry forward,” she stated.
