The mission statement of Skål is “Doing Business Among Friends”. And yesterday, 138 folks did just that - and had a little fun as well - as Skål International Toronto hosted their 61st annual golf tournament in Toronto at Toronto’s Royal Woodbine Golf Club.

The scramble tournament, with 116 golfers registered, kicked off at lunchtime and as planes from nearby Pearson International Airport landed and took off throughout the day, golfers enjoyed the hot summer weather (with the exception of one short rain shower), with some talking business and others enjoying each other’s’ company and catching up.

“This tournament has been going on for many, many years and it’s a tournament that brings together the travel industry from every market segment –retail, wholesale, the airlines, car rentals, destinations – it’s just a great opportunity to not only network but to raise funds towards our charity of choice, which is the Toronto Daily Break Food Bank.” said Kimberly Hartley, Chair of Skål Toronto’s Golf Tournament. “We support different community events as well, but we also put some of the funds towards our own organisation, Skål International…and we want ensure that our members are always on top of the industry, what is happening in the business, how can we work together, and educate, and this is just one big event that helps us raise funds.”

Skål is a professional organisation of tourism leaders around the world, promoting global tourism and friendship. It is the only international group that brings together all branches of the travel and tourism industry. Skål members, the industry’s managers and executives, meet at local, national, regional and international events to discuss and pursue topics of common interest. Skål provides a world-wide network of contacts to expand social and business networks.

TravelPulse Canada spoke briefly with Fred Azouz, president of Skål International Toronto, to find out more about the organization.

“Skål is a global organization. There’s over 15, 000 members around the world in over 85 countries and in Canada we’ve got over 15 clubs, with Toronto being the second largest.” said Azouz. “Events like today are a great opportunity to network with fellow industry members on a local level. But from a global perspective, members have the ability to go to conferences like we had in Toronto [Skål Toronto hosted the first ever North American Skål Congress back in June with over 210 delegates] but also global events. There’s a world congress every single year and this year it’s in Hyderabad, India.”

We asked Dan Langevin vice president, sales and marketing at Softvoyage, why he was attending the event. “To be perfectly honest with you, I’ve missed this tournament for three years in a row because of scheduling.” he said. “And I’ve missed being here because it’s a different crowd and I see people I haven’t seen in a long time and so I feel it’s important that I be here today for that specific reason.”

If you’re interested in joining Skål or attending an event, find the Skål Canada club in your area or email Skal Canada’s Executive Director, Denis Smith.

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