Sandals’ executive chairman Adam Stewart surprise guest at ACV event
Photos courtesy of Shiraz Ali/Unique Travel Corp.
Air Canada Vacations is taking advantage of its ties with its weighty travel industry cousin to deliver clients to far-flung locales in both the Eastern and Western Hemispheres.
At the tour operator’s recent Toronto-area product launch — which followed earlier similar events in Vancouver, Edmonton, Halifax and Montreal – it detailed what it’s offering clients in the upcoming season.
Air Canada Vacations noted that it’s now offering a program that features not only traditional sunspots such as Mexico and the Caribbean but the likes of Colombia, Dubai, Bangkok and Brisbane, Australia.
“Air Canada Vacations offers hotels pretty well anywhere Air Canada flies,” Erminia Gallina, the company’s sales director, told Travel Courier.
Winter is drawing closer and Air Canada Vacations reported that its Sun Collection offers over 600 resorts across 60 destinations, along with hundreds of cruise itineraries. Virgin Voyages is the latest addition to its cruise program.
Photo courtesy of Shiraz Ali/Unique Travel Corp.
The launch event also saw Sandals Resorts International’s executive director Adam Stewart as a surprise guests. He praised the long-standing ties between his company and Air Canada Vacations and recalled his family hosting prominent Air Canada Vacations figures in its Jamaica home.
“For as long as I can remember, I’ve known the leadership of Air Canada Vacations,” said Stewart. “I literally grew up with Air Canada Vacations [staff] at the dinner table… We [Sandals and Air Canada Vacations] have had the most awesome relationship over the years.”
Sandals has built an impressive presence in the Caribbean, a region Stewart described as “the most beautiful place on God’s planet.”
Stewart, speaking to a large group of travel agents, expressed appreciation for those in that line of work, stating they’re the “No. 1 booking channel” for his company.
The company will this month be hosting agents who will be visiting Jamaica during a particularly large fam trip.
Photo courtesy of Shiraz Ali/Unique Travel Corp.
Stewart told those on hand that his company remains committed to the Canadian market.
He also stated that Sandals is regularly reinventing itself, with part of that process being “knowing the next best piece of real estate.”
Stewart and Air Canada Vacations head Nino Montagnese praised one another and referred to their friendship during the evening.
“I get one phone call from Nino and here I am,” Stewart said.
Stewart earlier said that the number of bookings Air Canada Vacations has received in the past couple of weeks for Sandals properties is soaring.
Photo courtesy of Shiraz Ali/Unique Travel Corp.
Sandals and Beaches Resorts and Bahia Principe Hotels & Resorts were together title sponsors of the event.
Highlights promoted by Air Canada Vacations at the Toronto launch event included an Enhanced ePackages program that “offers flexibility and equips our travel partners with the tools they need to easily book flight and hotel packages for customers anywhere Air Canada operates.”
The tour operator also in a statement praised its Vacation Promise, Cruise Promise and CareFlex and Carefree programs that it said “allows customers to travel with peace of mind, ultimately providing agents with turnkey tools to support their clients.”
Another feature singled out by the tour operator is its “expansive product offering in Europe, Asia and South Pacific, the United States and Canada, (which) allows agents to book the long-awaited vacation of their client’s dreams.”
Air Canada Vacations said its Group Insta Quote provides new updates, while the ACV&ME Loyalty program has “more rewards, flexibility, and automation.”
The tour operator noted that it also has a Travel Agent Advisory Board.
Air Canada Vacations has also launched its social-first campaign designed to “put Canadian travellers at the forefront. We’re inviting them to share their vacation mood on social media using the hashtag #MyVacationMood and tagging @aircanadavacations for a chance to be featured on our social channels.”
The company is also lauding “enhanced self-serve tools available to travel agents via the Manage Your Booking page on aircanadavacations.com,” which it says helps enable travel agents to effectively serve their customers.
“Our digital initiatives are built around the evolving needs of our travel agent partners,” Air Canada Vacations added.
