GBTA Canada Government Relations: The Voice of the Canadian Business Travel Industry
About GBTA Canada Government Relations
GBTA advocates across the globe for policies that better the business travel industry. Promoting passenger facilitation, a healthy infrastructure and a tax and fee system that benefits rather than burdens the traveler are key items for the travel buyers and the travelers they manage.
Effective 2021, GBTA is pleased to formalize a Canadian government relations strategy, expanding our government relations and advocacy efforts here in Canada.
GBTA Canada is pleased to partner with INVICTUS Corporate Affairs, to develop a formal advocacy initiative to enhance and grow existing federal and provincial government relations efforts and establish a strategic plan to include:
- Strengthening a GBTA Canada stakeholder network
- Restoring confidence in "business travel" within multi levels of government, and within corporate Canada itself
- Creating messaging to differentiate business travel from leisure travel, and emphasizing the importance of business travel as essential travel to the Canadian economy
- Continuing to elevate GBTA Canada’s efforts and presence to further become a trusted advisor to policy makers in our country
Leading this effort with GBTA Canada is Fitti Lourenco and Matthew Henley, with INVICTUS Corporate Affairs.
Fitti Lourenco is a Partner at INVICTUS Corporate Affairs. He has more than 15 years of lobbying experience across Canada including eight years at Air Canada, where he served as Director of Government Affairs. In 2020 Fitti left Air Canada to co-found Invictus Corporate Affairs Network.
Contact Fitti at fitti@invictusca.net
Matthew Henley is an Associate with INVICTUS Corporate Affairs and has spent the past 15 years providing support for some of Canada’s largest organizations. He is also well versed in travel industry having spent time at the National Airlines Council of Canada and represented the Association of Canadian Travel Agents.
Contact Matt at matt@invictusca.net
Canadian Federal and Provincial Government Activity
Ontario Provincial Tourism Economic Recovery Ministerial Taskforce
Nancy Tudorache, Regional Vice President Canada, GBTA, is pleased to represent Canadian business travel in the Ontario Provincial Tourism Economic Recovery Ministerial Taskforce, an exclusive group of 20 industry leaders. She provides guidance to the Honorable Lisa McLeod, Minister of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture, to advise the Ontario Provincial Government on strategies, tactics and approaches for government consideration in the master reopening of travel and tourism in Ontario.
Please share the Tourism Economic Recovery Ministerial Task Force report, issued June 24, 2021, with your industry contact by sharing or re-tweeting the ministry’s social media posts:
Canadian Travel & Tourism Roundtable
GBTA Canada is pleased to be involved in the Canadian Travel & Tourism Roundtable. The Canadian Travel & Tourism Roundtable is a cross-Canadian coalition of leaders in the tourism and travel sector – including representatives from airports, airlines, hotels, boards of trade and chambers of commerce across the country – committed to working together to restart the sector smoothly and safely. Travel and Tourism is a $102 billion sector, employing millions of Canadians across the country and accounting for 2.1% of the country's gross domestic product. It advocates for a safe and prosperous tourism and travel sector across Canada.
June 1, 2021 press release
Grassroots Advocacy
GBTA members are an active and crucial part of advocating for the business travel industry. Be a part of this movement through actions that YOU can take to support important Canadian industry initiatives.