Sunwing puts the spotlight on travel advisors

Here comes the sun promotion…

Sunwing Vacations held a winter launch in Toronto recently that provided updates on its winter program and at the same time expressed appreciation for travel agents while detailing incentives for agents to book it.

“We couldn’t do what we do without you,” Samantha Taylor, Sunwing Vacations Group’s chief marketing and digital officer told agents on hand.

Sunwing has named October Sunwing Loves Advisors Month and will be quadrupling STAR points this month for bookings made for travel from Jan. 1 through April. As well, advisors will be entered for a chance to win an all-inclusive vacation each week to either Riu Yucatan, Riu Montego Bay, Riu Emerald Bay or Riu Tequila. Advisors are automatically entered for having made a booking in the last six months.

Sunwing also used the Jamaica-themed event to tout Flynancial Advisor, billed as a “multi-year strategic brand initiative that backs recent survey research revealing Canadians are taking a savvier approach to travel, and implementing the following savings strategies that ranked among the top three financial and budgeting techniques among survey respondents: travelling during off-peak seasons (60%), booking in advance to reap the rewards of early booking rates (56%), seeking out all inclusive vacation deals offering one upfront price (39%) and setting up a vacation fund (39%).”

“We know Canadians are savvy shoppers, looking for ways to unlock the potential of their money spent and maximize their vacation budgets, and since the introduction of our new value proposition and brand personality in 2022, we’ve dedicated every effort to proving that with Sunwing Vacations, anything is possible,” Taylor said in a statement. “Through our newly launched, multi-year Flynancial Advisor brand initiative and a wealth of industry expertise from our travel advisor community at our customers’ fingertips, we’re showcasing how all inclusive getaways with Sunwing are the preferred and most flynancially savvy travel option, and that saving more and doing more go hand in hand.”

This year’s commercial, which will be shown in print and digitally, spotlights the “everyday Canadian couple reflecting on the relatable challenges of booking their vacation à la carte and the accompanying costs. Through a memorable interaction reinforcing the value of booking with Sunwing, this commercial embodies Sunwing’s Save More, Do More mission.”

Taylor told those on hand in Toronto that a survey suggested 61% of Canadians plan to travel internationally this winter and all-inclusive stays will be popular.

Sunwing says the “importance clients place on their annual vacations, and the sacrifices they would make to make it all possible,” is what led it to launch the campaign and the Flynancial Advisory Hub, an “informative yet approachable tool with one goal: arming advisors and their clients with everything they need to be flynancially savvy and get the most value out of their time in destination, with practical, value-driven travel tips, booking insights and inspirational guides and content, all developed to help them in their planning journey.”

“Cost-of-living challenges don’t have to mean saying no to travel. It just means we have to get savvier about how we spend, save and budget for those experiences,” Sunwing Vacations spokesperson Melissa Leong added in the statement. “Spending on travel can be an investment in happiness and your well-being, and with smart choices, great deals and a little planning, it’s possible to do so without breaking the bank. Plus, Sunwing’s newly launched Flynancial Advisory Hub features a number of insights and useful tips to help Canadians maximize the value on their all inclusive getaways.”

Sunwing Vacations is seeking  what it calls “value-driven, flynancial tips and tricks from their vast and loyal network of true Flynancial Advisors across the country – the valued travel advisor community. Advisors are invited to share their valuable insights and expertise, accumulated through their many years of firsthand knowledge working in the industry, for the chance to be featured in the national Sunwing Flynancial Advisor campaign and entered for a chance to win a $250 Sunwing gift card.”

Coinciding with the launch of Sunwing Flynancial Advisor and the Flynancial Advisory Hub, clients looking for a “vacation option that’s expert approved can take advantage of the Flynancial Sale,” which runs  through Oct. 27 with “weekly offers that closely align with key flynancial tips.”

David Wright, Sunwing Vacations’ director of sales for Ontario and the Atlantic provinces, told the Toronto gathering that his company will have a “jam-packed flight schedule from Ontario this winter,” sending people south from Toronto, Ottawa, Kitchener, London, Hamilton, Thunder Bay and Windsor.

There will be new air service from Toronto to Camaguey, Cuba, and Kitchener to Cancun, and Sunwing Vacations will also have blocks of seats on WestJet flights to several southern sunspots, among them Honduras, St. Lucia, St. Martin and Grenada.

Wright also identified new and renovated hotels his company is offering, among them Jamaica’s adults-only Princess Senses The Mangrove and the family friendly Princess Grand Jamaica. The sister properties are found between Negril and Montego Bay.

Also being offered in Jamaica is the Riu Aquarelle, found by the community of Falmouth, with Wright labelling the Riu brand “hugely popular in Canada.”

Available on Aruba is the Joia Iberostar, an EP resort, with Wright saying those vacationing on Aruba frequently to “go out to dinner.”

Sunwing offerings in the Dominican Republic include the Riu Palace Bavaro, which Wright reported has been “fully renovated.”

The Royalton Chic Antigua is available for those wanting an Antigua holiday, while the Dreams Estrella del Mar awaits those choosing Mazatlan, Mexico.

Meanwhile, Wright urged travel agents to join Sunwing’s Facebook Group, adding over 8,000 already have, using it to gain the likes of announcements from the tour operator.

“Anything we think is important to you as agents will be posted on our Facebook Group…,” he said. “It’s the best way to get real-time information.”