Christmas has to be one of our most favorite times of the year.  We get to slow down a little as we do close the office between Christmas and New Years to give our team a well-deserved break. We also get to spend a little extra time with our family and eat way too many sweets knowing full well we need a reason for our New Years Resolutions. Also, our granddaughter Lily is one year older, and it will be fun to watch her open her presents by the tree.

While reflecting on the year past, we cannot help but be grateful for the support we have received from our customers. We had many of you cheering us on as we returned to what we do best and that is providing you with incredible experiences. We started the year taking a group on the Canadian Rockies on a Rocky Mountaineer train and kept the momentum going until our last tour to Quebec City in December.

I have to be honest with you, we were a little rusty starting out after a 2 year pause but we soon found our rhythm made some great memories for our passengers. Special thank you to our Tour Directors Merv, Walter, Gary, and Sharon for being at the top of their game and representing us well.

We also had a successful year with our inbound step-on guide business with many bus groups returning to the Maritimes and seeing all that we have to offer. Our guides were busy all summer and fall and we are so lucky to have such a great inbound team of professionals representing the Island as well as Target Tours.

We would not have had the success we did without a highly engaged office team. After it being just Lindsay and myself for a while, we were joined by Ian early in the summer and have recently added Katlyn. It continues to be so much fun to come to work.

Personally, I also launched my real estate career with Island Homes PEI and was fortunate to have a number of transactions in which I was involved. The travel and real estate are quite different industries, but they do share the need to help customers and I did enjoy that aspect very well.

Finally, there was a moment this past year when it really hit home that we were back in business for good and that was while recently hosting our Christmas Party. It was the first time in three years that we got together to celebrate with the people who are truly responsible for our success. It was a surreal moment as I looked out at everyone concentrating on their paintings. It was probably the point when I forgot about the past and looked ahead to our bright future.

In closing, both Lynn and I would like to thank you for your loyalty and to wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. We hope to see you in 2023.

John and Lynn