Air Canada Vacations hits the road for 2015 Sun launch

Air Canada Vacations continues its 2015 Sun product launches across the country, giving travel agents a glimpse of the upcoming season and the new itineraries offered through the program.

Last night's seminar in Oshawa, featuring a presentation on the new brochure as well as a trade show for agents to meet with ACV’s suppliers, was just one of a series of shows taking place throughout Ontario this month, wrapping up in Sudbury on Sept. 25.

Krista Cardona and Dianne Pedroso, ACV’s area sales managers for the GTA, led attendees through the brochure on an island-hopping journey of ACV’s wide range of Caribbean packages (along with other popular winter destinations including Central America, Hawaii, Florida and Las Vegas), detailing the company’s numerous hotel offerings which include many web-exclusive deals. At 360 pages - including special inserts for both Bahia Principe and Sandals Beaches properties offered through ACV – Pedroso said this is ACV’s biggest brochure so far.

Among the new destinations offered this year is Panama, with nine hotels and three weekly flights from Toronto’s Pearson Airport beginning Dec. 17.

Pedroso told PAX that while Mexico, the Dominican Republic and Cuba continue to draw the most travellers booking through ACV, she said that there is also currently a “huge demand” for Jamaica as well as other unique destinations.

“Other people are starting to want more of the English Caribbean,” she said. “They’re looking for a different travel experience in places like Aruba, Costa Rica and Grenada, where the new Sandals property has been sold out for months.”

Pedroso added that the launch of Air Canada’s rouge leisure service has also allowed for more flight options and the ability for agents to book more flexible durations. And with fall almost here, she added that there’s no time like the present to book.

“The time to book is now if you want the best deal for your clients,” said Pedroso. “That way, they can get what they want instead of what’s left over.”

PHOTO: Dianne Pedroso (left) and Krista Cardona, ACV area sales managers for the GTA.