Agents go head to head in 8th annual Air Canada Race

“You are team number eight!”

It’s a phrase that nobody wants to hear this week, as eight teams of five travel agents go head to head in this year’s eighth annual Air Canada Race, held in Kissimmee, Florida.

Held by Experience Kissimmee and Air Canada, the contest sees teams competing for some big prizes, including two round trips aboard Air Canada Rouge to Orlando, a vacation home rental stay, and passes for two to Disney, Universal, and SeaWorld (Aquatica and Busch Gardens Tampa Bay).

A spin-off of the hit reality TV show The Amazing Race, the eighth annual Air Canada Race will test the skills and stamina of Canadian travel agents from as far as Goose Bay, N.L, over a period of four days, as the teams trek across some of Kissimmee’s most popular spots, including the Hard Rock Hotel, Universal Orlando Resort, Universal Studios, Walt Disney World Resort, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios, while staying at the Reunion Resort, a luxury vacation rental home resort complete with three golf courses and the perks of a lavish all-inclusive vacation.

“Our partnership with Air Canada and Air Canada Vacations is so strong,” said Denise Graham, account manager, Vox International. “Kissimmee is an ideal destination; not only do we have theme parks right outside our front door, but we have so much going on in our own backyards, and that’s what we want to highlight. We’re 12 miles due south of the Orlando International Airport, and a lot of our hotels are very close to the main Disney gates. One main feature you cannot get in Orlando that you can get here [in Kissimmee] is our vacation home rentals. They range from to two to 15 bedrooms, and we have close to 22,000 in the rental pool, a lot of them now purpose-built in gated communities for rental purposes.”

The whole Air Canada Race team poses at Toronto Pearson International Airport.

Kissimmee: a leading family destination

The Air Canada Race 2018 is a special one, being back on North American soil for the first time in three years. Two years ago, the race was held in France, and the year before that, agents sped through the streets of Britain.

This year, 34 travel agents from every single province, three Canadian trade media, and six Air Canada officials are taking part in the 2018 Air Canada Race in Kissimmee, Florida.

“In peak season, Air Canada offers up to five flights per day in the Toronto market, and 65 gateway connectors across the country, so its easily accessible, and a great destination that’s close by, and offers a lot of great things to do,” Graham said.

Day one of the Race begins with a footgolf tournament, followed by a challenge hosted at the Orlando Tree Trek Adventure Park, where agents will go head to head at a tree-top obstacle race, which may or may not include zip-lining, and climbing ladders that are suspended 50 feet in the air!

“The whole idea is to engage the agents,” said Steve Goodfellow, director of sales, Eastern Canada, Air Canada. “The challenge that Kissimmee has is distinguishing itself from Orlando. Kissimmee is almost under the shadow of Orlando, and that’s why we [Air Canada] partnered with Experience Kissimmee, to help expose to our agency partners just what Kissimmee has to offer. Air Canada could not be as successful as we are without the help of our distribution partners. Kissimmee is a phenomenal place, and for those who have never been, enjoy it. This race is a very sought-after event, and congratulations to everybody on our eighth year.”

Kissimmee is approximately 25 minutes outside of Orlando, Florida. Tune into PAX’s coverage across social media this week, where we’ll be reporting live, from Kissimmee, Florida!

Agents taking part in the race are reminded to use the office race hashtag, #ACRaceKissimmee.