Destinations

Transat adds Haiti to product lineup

Transat A.T. Inc. will offer vacation packages to Haiti out of Montreal, beginning Jan. 23. The packages will combine stays in the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince, and on the CÒte des Arcadins, featuring “magnificent beaches, with an extensive program of guided excursions”such as museums, historical and natural sites, theme routes, sports and seaside activities. “More and more travellers want to enjoy an enriching human experience when they take their Sun holiday,”said Annick Guérard, general manager, Transat Tours Canada. “These new packages are designed for customers seeking vacations that combine discovery and relaxation. We have developed an innovative and distinctive product that is consistent with our desire to offer holiday travel that is centred on authenticity, culture and nature.”In addition to seven-day double-discovery packages, travellers — especially those visiting family and friends in Haiti — will be able to choose from a variety of four-day seaside packages. Excursions and visits will be led by local guides. Transat has concluded agreements with an incoming travel agency and hotels that offer a two-meal-a-day plan. The new products will be sold under the Transat Holidays brand. “We are building our tourism development strategy particularly on associations with first-rate partners like Transat, which will be the first major Canadian tour operator to offer tourism packages to Haiti,”said Haitian Tourism Minister Stéphanie Balmir Villedrouin. “Tourism is a vital driver of socio-economic development. Like Transat, which is working toward more sustainable tourism, we are hoping for this development to occur in a responsible and integrated way that takes into account the needs of our people and protection of the environment.”(http://www.transat.com)