Tour Operators
ACV Offers Agents More Points
From now until Feb. 7, 2016, Air Canada Vacations is offering travel agents four opportunities to earn 2X ACV&ME points by booking with select partners. The first week of the promotion runs from now until Jan. 17, 2016. Travel agents will earn 2X the points for bookings made with Sandals & Beaches Resorts, Barceló Hotels & Resorts, Occidental Hotels and Hard Rock Hotels All-Inclusive Resorts. The second week of the promotion will run from Jan. 18 to Jan. 24, 2016. The 2X ACV&ME offer will apply to bookings made with Meliá Hotels International, Velas Resorts, Hilton...
Savings From Signature
Signature Vacations is celebrating the New Year with extra savings on winter vacation packages across the most popular destination choices in the Caribbean, Mexico and Central America. From now until January 15, 2016 Canadian sun-seekers can save an additional $200 per couple on vacation packages that have already been discounted by up to 40%. Plus travel agents can earn double the STAR points if they book their clients a RIU vacation package by Jan. 31, 2016. This time-limited offer is also combinable with RIU’s Riu Partner Club (RPC)loyalty program. Go to...
Modern Family
Whether it's immediate family or “multi-gen” -- with toddlers, teenagers or grandparents -- tour operators are continuing to target the family travel niche, reports Ann Ruppenstein in this week's digital edition of Travel Courier. “Family travel is becoming more and more significant in people’s lives,” says Dina Bertolo, VP of product development at Air Canada Vacations. “They want to create lasting memories.” Bertolo points out that it's not uncommon to receive requests from families with kids of all ages, including infants, preschool, pre-teens and teenagers 18 and...
ACV Appointment
Air Canada Vacations (ACV) has appointed Marigold Frontuna as general manager, sales – Western Canada. Frontuna has 20 years of experience in leisure travel. During her five-year employment with ACV she has held the position of regional sales manager – BC and most recently interim manager, Western Canada. Frontuna will oversee the regions of BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. She can be reached at...
Testing The Waters
Transat A.T. Inc. has started a process to see if there are any third parties interested in acquiring its tour operating businesses in France and Greece. At this time, the company said in a statement, no negotiations have yet been entered into; no assurance can be given that such negotiations will be entered into or that, if and when entered into, that any transaction will be completed. Transat A.T.'s statement continues: “Should such a transaction take place, it will have no impact on Transat Tours Canada’s transatlantic program or on Air Transat operations and growth,...
Agents Invited to Become a Contiki Champion
Contiki has launched its #ContikiChampions 2016 Specialist Program, providing agents with online tools and exclusive resources to “both inspire and engage their millennial clients and 'gifters' to increase sales over the year ahead. To become a certified Contiki Champion, agents must complete five mandatory 2016 online trainings, including sessions like “Europe 2016,” “Increase Millennial Sales” and “Target the Gifter Market,” with an 80% score on training quizzes. “With more than 8.25 million millennials in Canada alone, 18- to 35-year-olds are a crucial demographic...
Intrepid Marks New Year With $1 Deposits
Intrepid Travel is celebrating the New Year by encouraging travellers to “Just Go” with a special $1 deposit offer available until Feb. 15. Intrepid has more than 500 departures on offer across six continents. Tours range from Basix to Comfort and include everything from trekking in Patagonia to food tours through Europe, ensuring an experience for every type of client and traveller. “The New Year brings new resolutions and we wanted to give people the opportunity to turn their travel dreams into a reality,” says Leigh Barnes, vice-president of Intrepid Travel in North...
Off The Beaten Track
Exodus Travels believes cold weather is hot. Sasha Andrews, who works in sales and marketing for the adventure travel company, notes Exodus has been offering winter itineraries for over 10 years but this year sees new ones, such as an “off-the-beaten path ski tour in Norway” and expects to see more people visiting the likes of Iceland when winter rolls around, reports Ian Stalker in Canadian Travel Press' annual Hot Issue. “In the past, these trips were only popular among our European clients. However, we're experiencing a growing number of Canadians who are seeking out alternative...