Bonjour ARTA Canada by Muguette Goufrani, Associate Editor Africa Travel Magazine and Air Highways We are pleased to receive the good news regarding ARTA Canada. Our editorial and marketing team came to know about ARTA early in our publishing career. Here is a comment from our Editor, Jerry W. Bird. “The late Fred Fuller of Toledo, Ohio personified ARTA, being its biggest booster and a solid supporter of its alliance with the Africa Travel Association. Getting to know Fred as a friend at ATA Congresses in Africa, and at the American Travel Market in Orlando, Florida, I developed a fondness for ARTA's sound objectives. Just prior to his passing, we agreed to make ARTA a prime distributor of Africa Travel Magazine. I had the opportunity of sharing the podium with several ARTA leaders.”. As Vancouver residents, we are delighted to see this fine organization ready, willing and equipped to make its mark in Canada. Muguette has lived and worked in various African countries in addition to the USA and Canada. She resides in Vancouver, BC. Her father was the first major tour operator in Casablanca, Morocco. ASSOCIATION OF RETAIL TRAVEL AGENTS LAUNCH IN CANADA Toronto, Ont: The Association of Retail Travel Agents - Canada (ARTA Canada) announced its launch with Bruce Bishins as President and CEO. ARTA Canada is a nonprofit travel agency association federally incorporated in Canada. It is the strategic partner of USA-based ARTA and will follow in the footsteps of that well respected 45-year-old association. ARTA Canada's Board of Directors includes Mark Greenwood, Travel Masters, Vancouver; Gordon Miller, Uniglobe Premier Travel Planners, Ottawa; David Miller, Imperial Travel American Express, Montréal; and Simon Parry, Helen Thompson Travel, Toronto. Bruce Bishins, CTC is ARTA Canada's President and Chief Executive Officer. Free ARTA Membership for Travel Agencies In honour of the launch of ARTA Canada, free membership is offered to any travel agency which is currently a member of AQCV, ACTA, CCTA, CSTAR (former members), or The Travel Alliance for the duration of their other association membership up to one year. Agencies and individual travel counsellors will experience the benefits of ARTA Canada at no charge while keeping their existing memberships intact. If your travel agency is not a member of an existing travel agency association in Canada, you may join ARTA Canada at no charge for six months. This offer is extended until October 31, 2008. Travel students and travel training schools may join ARTA Canada as associate members. For full information, contact http://ww.artacanada.ca ARTA Canada board introduces general and premium member categories; membership benefits and fees set for 2008- At its board of directors meeting last week, the ARTA Canada board agreed to implement two categories of agency members, General and Premium. The board also agreed to a fee structure for 2008-2009. General Members are those travel agencies which require a variety of basic services and programs along with ARTA Canada's national and international representation of member issues. Member benefits include ARTA Canada newsletters and member bulletins, discounts on TRIPDocs, discounts on ARTA Canada and ATC training programs, discounts on ARTA Canada town hall meetings, use of ARTA Canada logo, discounts on FareSpider (coming in 2009), discounts on ARTA Canada Help Desk (coming in 2009) and discounts on BSP Dispute Manager (coming in 2009). General Member fees are dependent on the number of employees at the travel agency location and range from $200 to a maximum of $500 annually. Premium Members are those travel agencies which require more enhanced services and programs along with ARTA Canada's national and international representation of member issues. Member benefits include all the general member benefits plus direct intervention on IATA/BSP matters, free professional version of TRIPDocs, direct intervention with travel regulators, private consultation on industry affairs, annual State of the Industry web conference, free Job Board postings, free ARTA Canada Help Desk (coming in 2009), and free professional version of BSP Dispute Manager (coming in 2009). Premium member fees are dependent on the number of employees at the travel agency location and range from $350 to a maximum of $650 annually. For more information, or for online membership applications, visit attp://ww.artacanada.ca/join.htm