UPDATED: Glitz, Glamour and Buzz as Air Canada Vacations hosts “The Greatest Celebration”

Air Canada Vacations welcomed a sold-out crowd to its “The Greatest Celebration” launch event in Toronto as it wrapped up its cross-country tour of Canada during which it unveiled a massive new line-up of destinations, new and enhanced service options and a whole lot more for the 2025-2026 winter season.

There was a lot of energy and a lot of buzz in the room as 1,500 travel advisors arrived at the Universal Events Space in Vaughan, Ontario, where they had a chance to talk to some 100 of Air Canada Vacations’ suppliers participating in the trade show that took place before the evening presentation.

And along with the launch of its 2025-2026 winter product, Air Canada Vacations also celebrated its 50th anniversary with its travel agency partners, with the backdrop of the stage featuring a wall of Air Canada Vacations’ brochure covers from over the years – a quite impressive sight.

Asked by Travel Press Today, what’s new for the winter of 2025-2026, Air Canada Vacations’ vice-president Nino Montagnese had to pause a bit, before responding that “there’s so much.”

Montagnese pointed to new destinations, technical innovations, new options and more that Air Canada Vacations had introduced.

Highlights of the launch include:

• The launch of the 2025/2026 Digital Sun Brochure (4th consecutive year)
• The program features 620+ hotels, including 42 brand-new Sun properties and 32 new U.S. additions
• Expanded to 64 destinations, with five newcomers: Cartagena (Colombia), Miches (Dominican Republic), Palm Springs & Napa Valley (California), San Juan (Puerto Rico)
• New Virgin Voyages itineraries + addition of CroisiEurope river cruises (from September 2025)
• Expanded Play Collection: 92+ resorts and 24 Play hotels across the USA
• Long Stay Packages: Spain, Portugal, Thailand, Indonesia, and World Cruises

New & Diverse Products:

• New routes: Budapest, Catania, Palma de Mallorca, Shanghai, Rio de Janeiro, Santiago (Chile), Guadalajara, Guatemala City, Naples, Tepic, Puerto Escondido, Lima, Belize, Porto, Prague, China
• Year-round service to Bangkok
• New experiences: campervan adventures, rail journeys
• Special Experiences: Chill Out Event, Fitness Retreat, Wellness at Sea, Judy’s Kitchen Party

For Groups:

• Updated GQT Platform
• New Groups Loyalty Program launching soon
• Dedicated Groups workshops & FAM trips planned

Plus:

• Coming in November: Revamped CareFlex & CareFree programs + new Options.
• Coming soon – ACV&ME GAME: Booking Incentive to give a chance to win 50 000 prizes

Elite Sponsors include:

• Bahia Principe Hotels & Resorts
• Sandals and Beaches Resorts

Digital Forward:

• Introduction of the digital Sun guide: https://agents.dreamofsun.aircanadavacations.com/
• Enhanced self-serve tools via Manage Your Booking (seat selection, payments, traveller info, Aeroplan numbers, special requests)
• New cruise modifications: airfare price drops, loyalty # updates, special requests
• All digital initiatives designed around the evolving needs of travel advisors

Winter 2025-2026 Collection:

• Enhanced ePackages: Flexible flight + hotel combinations across Air Canada’s network, checked bag + carry-on included. Available for Asia, South Pacific, Canada, Europe, USA (including San Juan)
• Car Rentals: Exclusive 16% commission launch promo + competitive pricing
• Vacation Promise, Cruise Promise, programs: built-in peace of mind
• Expanded product lineup: Europe, Asia, South Pacific, U.S., Canada
• ACV&ME Loyalty Program: Currently offering the ability to earn and redeem for Aeroplan® points, travel vouchers, Visa gift cards, and more, with a full program revamp coming soon to deliver even greater rewards, flexibility, and value for our travel partners.
• ACV@HOME initiatives supporting advisors remotely
• Travel Agent Advisory Board continues to guide ACV strategy and initiatives
• Earn Aeroplan® points on all flight-inclusive packages

Observing that “so much has been added in 2025,” Montagnese said that the message to travel advisors is that “we’ve been here for 50 years” and he pointed to the wall of Air Canada Vacations’ brochure covers and continued that that display “reminds me of how Air Canada Vacations has moved forward and will continue to lead the Canadian travel industry.”

And Montagnese added that: “Over its 50 years, Air Canada has grown to offer products globally,” so no matter where an agent’s customer wants to travel to, they should come to Air Canada Vacations first, “because we will have exactly what that customer wants.”