ACTA held its first-ever national ATLAS Awards Gala on June 2nd, 2007, in Toronto, in recognition of excellence in the travel industry. ACTA developed the awards program to mark its 30th anniversary. The ATLAS Awards provides recognition of the outstanding work done by the members of the Association of Canadian Travel Agencies.

A regional awards program was held during the winter and the spring, in all regions of Canada, and the nominees that were chosen, in all of those regions, were competing for the National Awards. A panel of judges composed of Ms Edith Baxter, Editor-in-Chief, Baxter; James McNair, Vice-President and General Manager for Canada, Sabre Travel Network; Marie Verschuuren, Vice-President Marketing, Pottruff & Smith; John Powell, ACTA Life Member; Jean Collette, ACTA Chair, selected the winners.

The National Winners:

Travel Professional of the Year: Norm Payne, ATCO Travel. This award recognizes an active travel agent who has made a great contribution to the travel industry and whose outstanding professional activity has advanced the status of travel agents.

Travel Agency of the Year: Voyages Incursion. Jean-Pierre Caron, President and
Founder accepted the award. This award recognizes a travel agency whose business development has been spectacular and innovative and whose outstanding influence and activity have advanced the status of the retail travel industry.

The Ches Chard Award: Air Miles Rewards Program. Mr. Ed Bennington, Senior Manager for the Air Miles Rewards Program accepted the award. This award was established in memory of Ches Chard who played a key role in education awareness within the industry and was instrumental in establishing the first travel school in the Atlantic.

Allied Member of the Year: WestJet. Denise Saunders, Sales Representative for WestJet, Atlantic Region accepted the award. This award recognizes an ACTA allied member whose contributions to travel have
positively impacted the travel agency community.

Travel Personality of the Year: Philippe Sureau, President Distribution, Transat Group. This award recognizes and honors an individual whose career has made an enduring impact on the development and expansion of the travel industry.