Transat Tours' Europe Training Academies in full swing

Ontario travel agents had a lot to take in last night at the annual Transat Tours Europe Training Academy in Toronto, where 50 supplier partners from across Europe came together to meet an enthusiastic influx of attendees arriving for the trade show and dinner educational event.

The Europe Training Academy - also referred to as the 'Caravan' - is taking place in more than 24 cities across Canada throughout the coming weeks, expected to reach up to 6,000 travel agents - numbers that Nicole Bursey,commercial director for Western Canada & Ontario, said are a big pull for their European suppliers.

“The partners are very interested in talking to Canadian travel agents because Canada represents a really important market to them,” she said.

It’s a mutually beneficial relationship, according to Bursey, affording Transat an opportunity to enlighten agents to products beyond its popular air offering. “Travellers and agents alike think about flights when they think Transat, so tonight is about convincing agents to talk about hotels, packages, coach tours, which then shows travellers the value of working with a travel agent.”

Transat's breadth of options was a key focus of last night’s event, with an emphasis on new developments to coach and group tours including exclusive four-star hotel accommodations as part of the coach touring line-up, plus the ability to choose from pre-arranged or custom-made itineraries.

“We’re trying to make our groups team more accessible so [retailers] can understand that with the value and the way in which we package the programs, selling group tours to Europe is as easy as selling a South package,” Bursey said, noting that while sun destinations are still a hot ticket this time of year, the company is pleased with Europe sales so far for 2015.

The Transat team also focused on its newest destination, Budapest, which along with Prague (introduced in 2014), means that the company now has two access points to Central Europe, simplifying the sale of select river cruise product which Dan Prior, sales manager, Ontario & Atlantic Canada, said can be easily booked to include pre- and post-product with the tours regardless of European destination.

“We deal with a lot of cruise lines, and now with more flights being offered into Italy, it’s easier to catch a cruise that matches our flights,” Prior said.

Since the Transat Discoveries portfolio has been integrated to the Europe brochure this year, suppliers such as the Tourism Authority of Thailand and Incredible India were also on-hand for the event. Prior noted that with the structural change, the more exotic options are gaining exposure in the marketplace thanks to representation across the board by Transat business development managers.

To encourage bookings, Transat is offering a number of early booking bonuses for bookings made by Mar. 6 for departures Apr. 1 to Oct. 31, 2015:

- Coach Tours: save up to $700 per couple

- Greece packages: save up to $500 per couple

- Other countries: save up to $400 per couple

- Plus 21st passenger free and no deposit

(Please note that rules and regulations apply)

Bursey could not divulge details regarding the ongoing Confetti incentive, but coyly admitted that "it would make sense" if an upcoming program involved Europe sales.