Travel advisors say bonjour to Toulouse with Air Canada

This week six Canadian and two American travel advisors were on location in Toulouse to discover what the Pink City in the South of France has to offer on a FAM trip in partnership with Air Canada, Visit Toulouse and Toulouse-Blagnac Airport.

“France is a very important market for Air Canada and has been for a long time,” Jennifer Backus, manager, global accounts for Air Canada, who led the FAM along with local partners, told TravelPress Today. “The airline serves five destinations in France, and we are proud to offer Canadians direct routes to different regions. The longevity of our service speaks volumes: some of the routes to France have been operated for over 75 years.”

The FAM trip was in partnership with Air Canada, Visit Toulouse and Toulouse-Blagnac Airport

Just this past June, the Montréal-Toulouse route become the first commercial transatlantic service operated by Air Canada’s new A321XLR aircraft into Airbus’ home city. The FAM group got to experience the aircraft on the flight from Montréal on Monday evening before visiting the Final Assembly Lines of the Airbus A321 later in the week.

During this stage of the process the wings and fuselage are assembled along with final cabin fittings, a process that takes roughly two months to complete. While no photos were allowed in the facility, an Air Canada aircraft nearing completion was parked in plain view (and in plane view) for the advisors to see.

Air Canada’s Jennifer Backus next to one of the new A321XLR aircrafts on order outside of the Final Assembly Lines of the Airbus A321 in Toulouse

“Toulouse offers visitors a unique blend of history, culture, gastronomy and architecture, while serving as a gateway to the Pyrenees, the Mediterranean coast and the renowned wine regions of southern France,” she added. “For French travellers, Montréal provides an equally compelling experience, combining North American energy with a vibrant French-speaking culture, world-class festivals, culinary experiences and year-round outdoor activities.”

A self-professed aviation enthusiast, Marcel Cormier of BCD in Moncton already has clients who travel to Toulouse so being able to see the destination firsthand will be useful when it comes to planning and booking upcoming trips.

Notably, Air Canada’s new A321XLR aircraft offers business class even in the single aisle configuration 

“I deal with a number of companies that work in the aviation and aerospace industry, so they often fly to Toulouse. I often book hotels in the area and it’s good to see in person where they are going and why they choose specific hotels. This city is very nice, I loved the people and will recommend for leisure travel,” he shared. “I think the A321XLR is a game-changer for the industry. It has the range that only bigger planes could reach, but not fill, so the routes would not be profitable. A big plane that is half empty does not make money, so they can fill the smaller one. It can also fly to smaller airports.”

Following the Airbus tour, the group headed to Aeroscopia Aeronautical Museum, where visitors can step foot inside legendary aircraft including the Concorde, the Super Guppy, an Airbus A380 and Airbus’ latest-generation military aircraft, the A400M.

The FAM group inside an Airbus A400M military transport plane at Aeroscopia Aeronautical Museum

While there are several commercial headquarters in the area, Marine Brunet from the Tourist Office of Toulouse stressed that it’s not an industrial city and that Toulouse offers another side of Southern France.

“We are called the Pink City because of the bricks that make up all the buildings in the city centre. It’s a really colourful city. We are the other South of France. We are very warm and welcoming. Canadians will discover kind of a hidden gem, and from Toulouse they can discover a huge part of the south coast of France. They can go to Albi or they can discover Carcassonne with the medieval city,” Brunet shared. “There are so many things to see, I would say at least four to five days are needed to explore. The authenticity is really something special in Toulouse.”

Toulouse is called La Ville Rose (The Pink City) because its historic buildings are built using local terracotta bricks with a pink hue 

Over the course of the week the group also experienced some of the highlights of the city like the Garonne riverbanks; the Place du Capitole, the main public square and the historic heart of Toulouse; Fondation Bemberg, which is home to a collection of artworks ranging from the Renaissance era to the early 20th century, and Galeries Lafayette, where clients can experience a complimentary consultation with a personal shopper.

The itinerary focused on restaurants that offer flavours of the region like La Gourmandine, Mama Shelter and J’Go. The group also indulged in a food tour with Taste of Toulouse and learned all about how the traditional baguette is made with only four ingredients: flour, water, salt and yeast, and the dough can never be frozen. Another important bakery distinction is that in Toulouse it’s called chocolatine and not pain au chocolat like in many other destinations — with the phrase ‘ici, c’est chocolatine’ or ‘ici, on dit chocolatine’ (here we say chocolatine) proudly displayed on postcards, t-shirts, bags, mugs and other souvenirs.

Cité de l’espace is a space- and astronomy-themed science park with full-scale spacecraft, including a replica of the Ariane 5 rocket

Another highlight of the FAM was visiting Cité de l’espace, a space- and astronomy-themed science park with full-scale spacecraft, interactive exhibits, and shows, including a replica of the Ariane 5 rocket.

For travel advisors looking to send clients to Toulouse, Brunet shared that they can reach out for help planning itineraries.

“My job is to make the job easier for travel agents,” she revealed. “If they need anything — information on hotels, restaurants, activities, guided tours, they just have to reach out and I will help them put the program together, even if they want me to check if they enough time here or there. I will be their contact, and it’s a free service. So use me.”

Meanwhile, Adrien Harmel, deputy director of the Tourist Office of Toulouse believes the city is a destination in its own right, and makes a great base for exploring the region.

“Don’t consider Toulouse just as one stop on the way to something else. Just consider it a real destination. Toulouse is a very good base camp to explore the region, which has medieval cities and stunning smaller towns. You’ve got everything nearby, the mountains, within a one-hour drive and everything is accessible by train,” he noted, adding that day trips to hilltop towns like Carcassonne complete the experience. “We’re seeing more and more Canadians, but I think Toulouse is not yet really on the map. Some of them have heard about it, but they don’t know exactly what to do and what to see, so I think it’s still kind of a secret. And what’s good about Toulouse is that it’s not touristy, it is still very unspoiled, and there’s so much to see.”

A must-see for aviation lovers, the Aeroscopia Aeronautical Museum lets visitors get up close and personal with legendary aircraft from the Concorde to the Airbus Beluga ST No. 4

Notably, Backus shared there is growing demand for France and a lot of opportunity for clients to connect to Air Canada’s broad network of destinations across Canada and the United States, including major business and leisure markets such as New York, Boston, Chicago, Washington, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Miami.

“We are constantly looking at expanding our service to France to meet the demand,” she added. “This summer, we inaugurated a new route from Montréal to Nantes and we recently announced our Toronto-Nice service for Summer 2027.”

The FAM group tries local delights on a food tour with Taste of Toulouse