20 minute read
6Frustrations mount over Ontario grant applications
“It was very frustrating”: Agents react to application for Ontario’s tourism grant
By Cindy Sosroutomo
TORONTO — When news fi rst broke about Ontario’s new Tourism & Travel Small Business Support Grant, Marianne Vogel was excited, knowing that the one-time payment would help pay her bills following 16 months of seeing no income at all. But Vogel, based in Dundas, Ontario and owner of Just for You Travel & Consulting, hit a roadblock fairly early on in the application process, turning her initial excitement into major skepticism. “The website was extremely diffi cult to manoeuvre and I ended up calling on the phone because the site was forever down,” she tells Travelweek. “The website also did not want to accept my CRA business number so I called CRA and the grant people there said the CRA and the grant program were not gelling well and that it had a glitch. It was very frustrating.” Vogel’s experience is not unique. Travelweek heard from several travel agents who came across similar complications when applying for the grant, fi rst announced on May 14 by Lisa MacLeod, Minister of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries. Launched to support struggling small tourism and travel businesses that have been hit hard by the pandemic, the grant would essentially provide one-time payments of $10,000 to $20,000 at a time when these businesses need it the most. To be eligible, businesses must apply by June 25, have fewer than 100 employees and prove a minimum 20% revenue drop between 2019 and 2020. Vogel, who lost 90% of her 2020 income due to commission recalls, was approved immediately after she eventually fi gured out how to apply, but was told her payment would take a full four weeks to be delivered. Already skeptical, she felt even more jittery when she was questioned about how she would use the money. “They threatened to take it back, said we could be disqualifi ed at any time and have to refund it, which is scary. They questioned me on what I am doing with [the money] and why I feel I deserve it, so I am leery to spend too much of it in case I have to pay it back,” she says. Though her application experience was less than perfect, Vogel did achieve the end goal of approval, which is more than what can be said for Judith Coates, an advisor with The Travel Agent Next Door in Orillia, Ontario and co-founder of the Association of Canadian Independent Travel Advisors (ACITA). Coates, who was “elated” at fi rst about the grant, especially after
learning that travel agents had been disqualifi ed from the previous Ontario Small Business Grant, got all the way to the end of the application process only to later discover when checking her status that it had been denied. “I got an email two weeks later telling me that my application had been denied but there was no reason given,” she tells Travelweek. Though she remains in the dark as to why her application wasn’t approved, Coates does highlight two potential stumbling blocks other Independent Travel Advisors may come across when applying. The fi rst is a business account requirement, which she says many Independents don’t have (“we don’t receive funds from customers or pay funds out to suppliers, our host agencies do that so there really is no need for one”), and the second is a TICO Registration number, which for Independent Travel Advisors belongs to their host agency. This means that only one Independent Travel Advisor at one host agency can apply for the grant. “When I applied, it accepted the TICO number I provided, which belongs to my host agency and is the number I am required to put on all my marketing material, in compliance with TICO regulations. But many other advisors got stopped at that point in the application, getting the message that the TICO number had already been used so they weren’t able to continue,” says Coates. “I don’t think the Ontario government realized that we don’t have our own individual TICO number. I don’t think they did it on purpose, it was just an oversight in their planning.” This doesn’t mean, however, that applicants are out of luck or should give
up at this point in the application process. As Coates notes, for one thing, it gives Independent Travel Advisors the incentive to get a business account if they don’t already have one. “Because we are a small business, my belief is we should have a business account and that the commissions we earn should go into that and then we pay ourselves into our personal account – that just makes business sense to me. We operate as a business so we should have a business account,” she says, adding that a basic business account costs approximately $6/month and is considered a business expense. As for the TICO number, Coates says Independent Travel Advisors can get around this requirement by using the
certifi cate number that was given to them when passing the TICO exam. But the onus to get around this “glitch” should be on the Ontario government, she adds, which should be fairly easy to do considering TICO is a government agency and that it has an up-to-date list of all Independent Travel Advisors in Ontario. “Every host agency has to supply a list annually to TICO of all the Independent Travel Advisors that are covered under their TICO licence and that list is updated annually,” says Coates. “The government can just go to TICO and ask for the list, then check all the agents against that list.” Still, Coates and her team at ACITA are doing what they can to highlight the issue and alert the government on how Independent Travel Advisors are falling through the cracks. ACITA is urging all its members to request a meeting with their MPP and has also launched a letter writing campaign addressed to the various Ministers responsible for the grant ahead of the June 25 deadline. “We’ve got a few indications that they’ll try to do something but nothing’s really happened,” said Coates. “I feel they probably will extend the deadline because according to Minister MacLeod, who recently spoke at a town hall meeting, the government has not received many applications for the grant. This is really telling and I think that’s a direct result of Independent Travel Advisors not being able to get through.” With the deadline fast approaching, ACTA is also lending its voice to advocacy eff orts. Wendy Paradis, President, tells Travelweek that the organization has been actively advocating for a deadline extension to accommodate independent travel agent businesses but that the response from both the Ministry of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries as well as the Ministry of Finance has thus far been to direct travel agents to federal government support programs like the CRB (Canada Recovery Benefi t), CERS (Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy), CEWS (Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy) and the CEBA (Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy). “The advice from the Ontario government is a sign that they do not understand our situation,” says Paradis. “Independent Travel Advisors are primarily sole proprietors that are not eligible for CEWS or CERS, and while the majority are collecting CRB, the amount of $450/week will be declining signifi cantly to $300/week by mid-July, making it extremely diffi cult for them to pay for mandatory fi xed expenses.” Like ACITA, ACTA is encouraging Independent Travel Advisors to contact their local MPP to discuss their ineligibility, as well as call the grant helpline at 1-855-216-3090 to let the government know they are being denied due to the TICO Registration number requirement. Calling the helpline is particularly important, adds Coates, who says that she recently heard from the director of the call centre who confi rmed that most incoming calls have been from
Judith Coates
Independent Travel Advisors saying they’re unable to apply. “Calling has been really eff ective because we’re at least making them aware of the problem,” says Coates, adding that the need for the grant is dire for many of her peers. “For the past 15 months, I and most other Independent Travel Advisors have been barely existing on the CRB, which was designed to help put food on our table and a roof over our heads. When it becomes reduced in July, this will leave us stranded. “The majority of our revenue comes in the form of commissions from our travel suppliers, which they pay when the client’s travel takes place. And since no travel is taking place – or will – until late 2021 and 2022, it will be 5-11 months from when travel restrictions are lifted until we start earning revenue again. It will basically be like starting from scratch again. “If we can get the grant it’ll be a great thing – it’s just a matter of will they make it accessible to us.”
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“You become the authority”: Here's what Bruce Poon Tip is saying about selling travel in these next few months
by Kathryn Folliott
TORONTO — G Adventures has more than 70 trips taking place in June, and 165 trips on the schedule for July. And that's on top of 100+ trips that have already run since April. Those numbers are positive in their own right, but what really got G Adventures founder Bruce Poon Tip celebrating at the company's Special Agent G trade conference on June 10 was the recent announcement from the federal government about eased quarantine restrictions. Poon Tip even busted out Kool and the Gang's 1980s hit 'Celebration' to mark the occasion – and no doubt travel agents watching the online event were celebrating right along with him. Along with the eased quarantine news, Poon Tip talked about everything from the importance of proof of vaccination (“don't call it a vaccine passport”), to the crucial role of travel agents especially as travel restarts, to rapidly tightening global travel inventory, during a Q&A session at the event, hosted by Kris Martinez, Mayor of G Adventures. “THE OTAS ARE AT A DISADVANTAGE” Everyone knows that the role of the travel agent will become even more important as travellers look for guidance post-pandemic. Poon Tip spelled out his take on why. “You have an opportunity to be a source of information for your clients, and transcend your product,” Poon Tip told agents. “If you have a business, you're always trying to create a dialogue and a relationship with your customers, that isn't just about selling them stuff. When you're selling product to your clients all the time, that's not a meaningful relationship. And that's why this is a rare opportunity. Travellers are nervous and we have to get people comfortable again, with travel, with getting on a plane again. This is the perfect opportunity to engage your clients in conversations around that. You become the authority. Be a source of confidence, and information.” Expert advice, the kind that comes from a real, live travel agent, is something the online travel agencies (OTAs) just can't match right now, adds Poon Tip. And expert advice is exactly what travellers are looking for for post-pandemic travel. “All this complaining the travel industry has done for so long, about OTAs stealing business, going direct ... this is the perfect opportunity for travel agents to engage customers with in-
formation and create a conversation. You know people who are starting to travel to destinations that are opening faster, you become an authority, and you give people that confidence. And having those conversations suddenly becomes a valuable source of connectedness that you have with your customers. You can't get that from an OTA right now. So the OTAs are at a disadvantage.”
G Adventures' Bruce Poon Top
“DROPPING THE QUARANTINE SHOULD HAVE BEEN DONE A LONG TIME AGO” One agent asked Poon Tip for his take on where the Canadian travel industry is at this point in the pandemic. While the eased quarantine announcement last week was good news, Canada is still lagging behind the U.S. and Europe when it comes to reopening travel. “We're a bit behind. They're opening up in the U.S. ... we don't have the amount of double vaccinated people [as they do in the U.S.], we had a strategy of getting single vaccinations. You can complain about the execution of how this format has gone ... it's put us back a bit but I do think we're placed very well, if our government cooperates. I am constantly talking with groups of different CEOs from different industries and leaders within Canada, trying to communicate with governments about what we need to do. Dropping this quarantine is something that should have been done a long time ago.” Poon Tip added: “The government seems to have no urgency, I think that's our biggest problem. I think we actually stand to fare well as a country. Everyone wants to come to Canada, that's for sure. I hear from all the operators all over Europe, I got calls literally for this morning. It's going to be people
that are vaccinated and I think it's going to depend a lot on other countries opening their borders to double vaccinated or fully vaccinated people.” “DON’T CALL THEM VACCINE PASSPORTS” Speaking of vaccinations, Poon Tip urged agents to drop the 'vaccine passport' term, and use 'proof of vaccination' instead: “Stop using this term 'vaccine passports'. It's a lightning rod, it's a politicized term. Everyone in the travel industry knows we've had proof of vaccination since the dawn of travel ... proof of vaccination has existed since [mass air] travel started in the 1950s. People are trying to make it something it's not.” As many in the industry have noted over these past 15 months, the 'yellow book' showing proof of vaccination for yellow fever has been in use for decades. Proof of vaccination is needed in schools too: “If your child hasn't had their vaccinations, they can't go to school,” noted Poon Tip. “Proof of vaccination will be a very important part of restarting travel.” “BOOK NOW – THERE’S LIMITED SPACE EVERYWHERE” Poon Tip was also asked why agents should tell their clients to book travel product now for getaways in later 2021 and into 2022. Especially with travel on the radar for consumers in the U.S. and Europe, inventory is getting snapped up at a fast pace, a situation most Canadians are probably unaware of. “At G Adventures we're starting to see bookings return as more people get vaccinated,” he says. “Why should customers book now? There're a few reasons. The first one is, there's limited space everywhere. There’s going to be a tipping point and I think it’s going to move very fast. I don't think it's going to drip, drip, drip like it has been up until now, I think there will be a tipping point where we're going to hit those herd immunity numbers in certain countries and, you know, we're going to have 70% of people fully vaccinated and travel is going to open, and you want to make sure you have space. That's number one. The second reason to get clients to book? The deals. “There's lots of deals, there are deals, deals, deals, and we're offering deals too.” Those deals aren't just with tour operators like G Adventures, says Poon Tip. “The third reason is airlines. The airlines are desperate right now to get people to travel again and booking flights now is a lot cheaper than it's going to be once they have a reasonable amount of traffic and they're trying to get more planes up in the air.” The flexibility on offer right now is also unheard of, he added: “We're all offering unheralded flexibility that we've never offered before.” Finally, there's the need to support the travel industry. Says Poon Tip: “The last one, and the most important one, and the more compassionate one, is to support the travel industry. I mean, we love travel. And it's not just about agents or operators or airlines. It's all those people on the ground who need to need to start planning their lives ... a lot of them are hanging on by a thread waiting for people to travel again. I got letters from people saying, 'I'm putting a deposit down, I'm not even choosing a trip, I'm putting a deposit down to support you guys'. It was unbelievable how many people wanted to do just that, just to put a deposit down to support the industry.” MONTREAL — Air Canada will serve 50 Canadian airports this summer, and is set to offer three new routes, as it sharpens its focus on domestic travel for this second COVID summer travel season. The company says its domestic peak summer schedule will begin at the end of June, and has been developed to advance the country's economic recovery and support Canada's tourism and hospitality enterprises during the high season. The three new routes are: • Montreal - Deer Lake (daily starting
July 1) • Montreal - Kelowna (starting June 26 and operating three times weekly in July and four times weekly in August) • Montreal - Saskatoon - Regina (daily starting Aug. 1) The three new routes complement Air Canada’s extensive schedule of re-established routes plus Air Canada Signature Class and Premium Economy Class cabins on select transcontinental routes. Air Canada's revised refund policy, announced in April 2021, provides customers an option for a refund to the original form of payment in instances where Air Canada cancels their flight or reschedules the departure time by more than three hours, irrespective of the reason. Air Canada customers also have the option of accepting an Air Canada Travel Voucher or Aeroplan points with a 65% bonus. Normal fare rules will apply when customers make voluntary changes to non-affected flights. Air Canada is also providing connectivity to five additional regional communities through interline agreements with third party regional carriers: Wabush, Baie Comeau, Gaspe, Mont Joli, and Val d'Or. The airline notes that its summer 2021 schedule may be adjusted as required based on the COVID-19 trajectory and government restrictions.
Credit: G Adventures
Ccaccaccollo Women’s Weaving Co-op, Peru’s Sacred Valley
Air Canada’s summer 2021 schedule includes 50 airports and 3 new routes
This month the Mexican Caribbean is celebrating one year of reopening to tourism following the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. In June 2020, Cancun International Airport registered only 32 operations, 16 of which were arrivals, 12 national and 4 international. A year later, there have been a record 470 operations, of which 235 were arrivals, 82 national and 153 international. In May 2020, hotel occupancy saw an average 2.5% in the Riviera Maya and 5.69% in Cancun and Puerto Morelos Hotel Zone. In May 2021, Riviera Maya reported an average 53.3% hotel occupancy while Cancun, Puerto Morelos and Isla Mujeres saw an average of 58%. The Mexican Caribbean’s Clean & Safe Check Certifi cation, developed by the Quintana Roo Tourism Secretariat, allowed tourism companies to adopt comprehensive health and hygiene protocols for their safe reopening in June 2020.
The dates for this year’s Tianguis Turístico Mexico have been moved up by a few days following feedback from the private sector and international tourism industry. Previously announced for Nov. 21-24, Mexico’s largest tourism event is now scheduled for Nov. 16-19. The location remains the same, in Mérida, Yucatán. According to Miguel Torruco Marqués, Mexico’s Secretary of Tourism, and Mauricio Vila Dosal, Governor of Yucatán, the dates were moved following requests from wholesale agencies, hosted and international buyers – especially those from the U.S. – to have the “best edition” of Tianguis. The new dates will also allow for antigen testing, vaccinations and the latest bio-sanitary measures to be implemented.
Turkey has updated its entry rules to allow vaccinated travellers arriving by air from select countries, including Canada, to enter without having to take a PCR test and undergoing quarantine. The new rules, which went into eff ect on June 1, state that passengers from certain countries who submitted a document issued by their respective country’s offi cial authorities showing that they had been vaccinated at least 14 days before their arrival in Turkey and/or that they have recovered from COVID-19 in the last six months, are not requested to submit a PCR test and quarantine. If this cannot be provided, submission of a negative PCR test taken up to 72 hours before arrival in Turkey, or a negative rapid antigen test taken up to 48 before arrival in Turkey, is deemed suffi cient. The Turkey Entry Form, available on Turkish Airlines’ website, must still be completed within 72 hours prior to their fl ight. All fi ve ships in the Regent Seven Seas Cruises fl eet are on their way back. The cruise line says it intends to preserve already published itineraries as much as possible, beginning with Seven Seas Explorer on October 16, 2021, from Venice, as the ship takes over fi ve of Seven Seas Mariner's published cruises, with Mariner going into a technical drydock. Seven Seas Mariner will resume sailing December 18, 2021, from Miami, as will Seven Seas Navigator on January 6, 2022. Finally, Seven Seas Voyager will return on February 15, 2022from Barcelona. As part of the return to sail plan, 17 new sailings in Europe and the Caribbean have been created for Seven Seas Explorer and Seven Seas Voyager, which can be viewed at RSSC.com/Regent-returns, and are scheduled to go on sale in June 2021. Meanwhile the cruise line has canceled all sailings up to each ship's respective restart date. “We are incredibly excited that all fi ve of our ships will be back on the ocean by early 2022, the year of our 30th anniversary,” said Jason Montague, president and chief executive offi cer, Regent Seven Seas Cruises. “The World’s Most Luxurious Fleet is ready to return, and our crew will be there eagerly waiting to welcome all our guests back onboard once again.”
Silversea, which was the fi rst cruise line to return to global ultra-luxury cruising with voyages in Greece and the Galápagos starting June 2021, has announced new summer voyages in Alaska and Iceland, starting in July 2021. Silver Muse will resume roundtrip sailings from Seattle on July 29. The Alaska sailings have been added to Silversea's website. Meanwhile Silver Shadow will circumnavigate Iceland with the launch of new all-Icelandic itineraries, returning to Northern Europe with three 10-day voyages from Reykjavik, beginning July 30. Passengers who book before Aug. 31, 2021, will be able to cancel their cruise up to 30 days prior to departure for all voyages (except World Cruises) until April 30, 2022, without penalties when selecting an FCC. All guests and crew will be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 before embarking Silver Muse in Alaska and Silver Shadow in Iceland.
TOURISM
The UNWTO says that the latest stats from its Confi dence Index show a slow but defi nite uptick in travel confi dence, however tourism experts point to the continued imposition of travel restrictions and the lack of coordination in travel and health protocols as the main obstacle to the sector’s rebound. International tourist arrivals were down 83% in the fi rst quarter of 2021 as widespread travel restrictions remained in place, according to the stats. Meanwhile the latest survey of the UNWTO Panel of Tourism Experts shows prospects for the May-August period improving slightly due to the pace of the vaccination rollout in key source markets as well as restart policies, in particular, the EU Digital Green Certifi cate. Three in fi ve (60%) of the UNWTO's tourism experts say they expect a rebound in international tourism only in 2022, up from 50% in the January 2021 survey.
