Think pink: Bermuda tourism & BermudAir toast strong Canadian growth

The Bermuda Tourism Authority (BTA) rolled out the red carpet – or should we say the pink carpet – and invited media Monday night (June 9) for an exclusive ‘Bermuda Nights’ event, which took place aboard the Yankee Lady IV, docked at Queens Quay West in Toronto.

Despite earlier clouds hanging over the evening, the sun broke through just in time as Toronto's skyline provided a beautiful backdrop for the event. Attendees, sporting pops of pink and tropical-chic outfits, were treated to a cruise along Toronto’s harbour celebrating International Dark 'n Stormy Day with warm Bermuda hospitality.

All three levels of the yacht featured a delicious spread of goodies – from sushi to sliders, desserts, and served hors d'oeuvres. At the bar, three island-inspired cocktails were featured, with the Dark 'n Stormy taking centre stage as the iconic Bermuda drink.

Canada showing strong results

During an interview with PAX, Jamari Douglas, vice president of marketing, PR and communications at the BTA, shared positive statistics highlighting Canada's growing importance to Bermuda.

"Year to date, Canada arrivals are up 41 per cent," Douglas revealed. "Canada arrivals are up 61 per cent specifically for the month of April, and our leisure arrivals, year over year, are up 75 per cent."

Douglas attributed this growth to Bermuda's re-engagement with the Canadian market, a new marketing campaign, and U.S. travel challenges that is prompting some travellers to seek alternative destinations. The increase in both business and leisure travellers presents a valuable opportunity for the BTA, Douglas told PAX.

The BTA is also developing resources for Canadian travel partners. "We're developing our travel trade program right now as we speak, actually, so that will be launching in September," Douglas told PAX.

He emphasized that current tools are available on the destination website, including meetings and incentive videos, as well as hotel profiles.

Bermuda's investments creating fresh appeal

Douglas also shared with PAX about the many developments taking place across the island which shows Bermuda's commitment to enhancing the visitor experience and positioning itself as a premier destination.

"We have a great runway of hotel investment and hotels that have upgraded their facilities," Douglas emphasized. "We want people to know that these facilities have been updated, and the product is not stale and dated."

The Loren at Pink Beach has added a new pool, while Hamilton Princess & Beach Club (‘Pink Palace”) has entered a fourth phase of refurbishment. The Harbour View Hall Room and Princess rooms are scheduled to be revealed later this year.

According to Doughlas, the biggest news is the reopening of Fairmont Southampton, Bermuda's largest property, which will usher in a new era of luxury when it reopens in April 2026.

Beyond infrastructure, Douglas told PAX that Bermuda is positioning itself around its rich cultural heritage and culinary scene.

"We are Portuguese heritage, British heritage, African heritage, and Caribbean - and all of those flavours mixed together makes the Bermuda culture, the Bermuda food," Douglas noted.

BermudAir’s Canadian expansion

Douglas shared with attendees that “Bermuda has long welcomed Canadian travellers to our pink shores, and over the years, we've built more than just visitor numbers. We've built friendships, partnerships and unforgettable experiences with direct flights on BermudAir from Toronto, Halifax and now Montreal (launching June 12).”

In an interview with PAX, Julie Rempel, head of marketing at BermudAir, noted that "all three markets are extremely strong." This success has fueled the airline's Canadian expansion, with Toronto service increasing from three to five weekly flights, Halifax growing from two to three weekly starting October 2025, and Montreal launching twice weekly on June 12. 

As for the in-flight experience, Rempel shared that "we really try to bring that honesty of what Bermuda has to offer the second you step on board." According to Rempel, passengers are greeted by the airline's flight attendants "dressed to success." "Male flight attendants are in the Bermuda shorts - the typical attire," she added.

Passengers also receives Dark 'n Stormy or Rum Swizzle cocktails, thanks to BermudAir's partnership with Goslings Rum. As for snacks and light meals, Rempel said these are curated directly from Bermuda to give travellers a genuine taste of the island before arrival.

Rempel also shared that one of BermudAir's most distinctive features is its unique cabin lighting system. On flights heading to Bermuda, the lighting in the aircraft is pink, and on the way back it's blue. Remple explained that this mirrors Bermuda's local transit system, where pink indicates heading toward the city and blue indicates heading away from the city.

Trade incentive opportunities

For travel advisors, Rempel shared that BermudAir offers multiple booking advantages through its BermudAir Holidays package program, which bundles hotel and airfare with optional golf packages at reduced prices.

"Travel advisors can reach out to us, and we'll take care of all the work, and it's obviously still commissionable,” Rempel told PAX.

The airline offers standard agent commission of 4 per cent in Economy and 8 per cent in Business Class market-wide. For BermudAir Holidays packages, commission is 7 per cent across all package components. Advisors can book through Sabre under code 2T, with commission paid at time of booking, except for BermudAir Holidays bookings.

According to Rempel, the airline also provides exclusive access to all seven golf courses on the island including Mid Ocean Club, which is the premier golf course on the island, with access to its private members club.

A new summer promotion for travel advisors launched June 11 offering 10 per cent off for all summer bookings with new bookings through June 30 for travel between June 11 and August 31.

As the yacht returned to dock, attendees gathered on the top deck for a champagne toast - a perfect way to wrap up a fun evening celebrating the destination’s positive numbers out of Canada. Guests were also gifted with a scent of Bermuda as they disembarked, taking home samples from Lili Bermuda that perfumer, Isabelle Ramsay-Brackstone had described as capturing the island's natural essence. 

With three gateways now established and promising growth across all routes, Douglas' shared with PAX his simple message to the travel trade: "Bermuda welcomes everyone."

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