Tour Operators
TICO Picks New Vice Chair
TICO hosted its annual general meeting in Mississauga, Ontario recently, where its board of directors named Richard Vanderlubbe as its new vice-chair. Vanderlubbe is the president and co-founder of tripcentral.ca which has 27 locations in Ontario. The vice chair appointment is for one year until TICO’s next Annual General Meeting to be held in 2018. As well, TICO’s board of directors welcomed Marc Patry, director of CNH Tours in Ottawa, Ontario to the Board. Patry was the successful candidate elected by the industry at large to serve a three year term on the TICO board....
Transat Says Thanks To Agents
Transat is thanking Canadian travel agents for picking them as their favourite in two categories – Tour Operator and best Leisure/Charter Airline – in the 2017 edition of the Agents' Choice Awards. Denise Heffron, vice-president, national sales and commercial, Transat Tours Canada, said: “The entire Transat team is incredibly honoured to be recognized by the Agent's Choice Awards. Working with our retail partners to deliver the best value for travellers is at the heart of what we do on a day-to-day basis and we share our success with them.” Heffron continued: “This...
Small Group Savings From Collette
Summer time and Collette is offering savings on all of its small group exploration tours. And that means that from now through Aug. 8, agents can save their clients $300 per person Nalinie Sharma, marketing manager for Collette, explained: “We’re kicking off summer with incredible savings that don’t come around very often,” said. “We want to give your clients an opportunity to go off the beaten path on these incredible exploration tours.” Explorations tours have an average of 18 travellers on tour which allows for meeting local residents and making memories with...
A Big ‘Thank You’ To Agents From WestJet
WestJet is thanking Canadian travel agents for picking it as the favourite overall supplier and the favourite airline in the low cost category of the 2017 Agents' Choice Awards poll. Lyell Farquharson, vice-president, sales for WestJet, commented “WestJet would like to thank and recognize all of our travel agent partners who voted for us. Their continued support and trust of the WestJet brand on behalf of their clients is critical to our own success. We pride ourselves on our great working relationships with our travel agents and we will continue to invest in the travel trade industry...
It’s New. It’s Different. It’s Agents’ Choice 2017
Today's the big day, Agents' Choice 2017 is on its way to your Inbox – so stay tuned. The ballots have been counted. The results have been tabulated. The stories have been written. The pages have been designed. And the 18th annual edition of the most comprehensive survey of Canadian travel agents is ready to go. It's hard to believe that it has been 18 years since we launched the Agents' Choice Awards Poll. The first edition of our annual survey appeared way back in 2000, not as a supplement, but as a special feature in both Canadian Travel Press and Travel Courier, with a...
TravelBrands Loyalty Rewards Program Winner
Starting in April, TravelBrands launched a nine-month contest, giving away one prize each month through Access. The monthly prize consists of 100,000 Loyalty Rewards points. Wanda Popadynetz of Uniglobe One, based in Calgary, has been named the first prize winner. For every online booking made through Access, the agent is automatically entered for a chance to win. The TravelBrands Loyalty Rewards program allows agents to collect points and redeem them for a multitude of rewards. This includes merchandise, travel, gift cards and the ability to donate to multiple foundations and...
California: Absolutely Golden For Canadian Agents
California has a simple message for the Canadian market these days – Canadians are welcome and travel agents and tour operators are an integral part of bringing more of them to the Golden State, reports executive editor, Bob Mowat in a special 16-page supplement on California in this week's digital edition of Travel Courier. And, as Caroline Beteta, president and CEO of Visit California, observed during a recent visit to Toronto, Canadian travel agents and tour operators continue to be “a very, very important part of the sales and transaction process because they actually connect...
ACV ‘Top Picks’ Savings
Air Canada Vacations (ACV) has released a Top Picks brochure highlighting its top resorts in Mexico and the Caribbean, as well as value-added offers including the new CareFree Plan. ACV has launched an Early Booking Bonus – specifically for Top Picks packages – offering families $1,000 in savings until June 30. Price Drop Guarantee offers up to $800 cash back per couple if the price of a package drops after booking. This offer ends Oct. 31 and is applicable to groups. The newest addition to ACV’s value proposition is the CareFree Plan. With it, clients will receive free seat...