Lonsdale promoted

Collette has promoted Ron Lonsdale to the newly-created role of vice-president of Canada, the tour operator announced this week.

In his new role, Lonsdale will play a critical part in influencing sales strategy and activities by working closely with partners to continue building successful relationships with leading travel providers.

Lonsdale started with Collette in 1994 as a business development manager in Ontario and Manitoba. He transitioned to Canadian regional sales manager in 2002 after nine successful years on the road. In 2014, Ron was promoted to director of strategic partnerships where he has been responsible for managing and growing the company's strategic partners throughout Canada.

“We recognized a need for someone on the strategic partner side to have an influence in our current sales strategy as we grow and expand,” said Christian Leibl-Cote, senior vice-president of global business. “As a relationship builder and dedicated salesperson with more than 20 years of experience at Collette, we are confident that Lonsdale will make a great asset in further contributing to our brand.”

Lonsdale told PAX that Collette’s continuing Canadian strategy will see the tour operator “aligning with our trade partners to better support the frontline agents,” as the company continues to promote its expanding collection of destinations, with an emphasis on cultural experiences in a small-group tour setting.

“They’re fully understanding the true value of a guided tour as opposed to doing it individually; calculations show you save close to 40 per cent,” he said regarding feedback from travel agents and their clients. “They understand that we’re a premium brand, it’s well-balanced and we’re positioned in the market as a solid four-star tour operator.”

Looking ahead to 2018, Lonsdale said that agents can expect “a lot of exciting events” as Collette celebrates its 100th anniversary, with the 2020 edition of the Oberammergau Passion Play among the highlights of its upcoming product offerings.

“Our entire global sales team attended Oberammergau last March for a workshop and we want to share that story,” Lonsdale told PAX.