March/April 2010
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North American Leisure Well its March already and we are well into our activities for 2010, the Americas Leisure Travel strategic plan for 2010 is complete and available for industry – please contact Christie Makowichuk directly to request a copy. Below is an update on what we’ve been working on for the last couple of months; United Vacations Product Launch and Educational Retreat, Las Vegas – January 8-10 For 2010, United Vacations/United Airlines hosted a travel agent educational retreat in Las Vegas for their top 200 travel agents. This is was an invitation only event and the agents invited had to pay for their trip – though the cost of the trip will be rebated back to them via booking incentives/programs. The initiative was coordinated by the CTC and invited Canadian partners to buy in to the trade show and the seminars to train the agents on product. Edmonton Tourism participated in the previous UV Retreat in Vail, CO in October 2008. This group of agents is extremely qualified and the program offers some of the best opportunities for training and networking in the US market. American Bus Association Marketplace, National Harbor, MY – January 15-19 The American Bus Marketplace is an annual business event for the group travel industry. The appointments on the Marketplace floor are the core of the show; which allow Buyers and Sellers to meet face-to-face in prescheduled seven-minute appointments. In addition to appointments, Marketplace offers professional education seminars and numerous networking opportunities. These business sessions allow Buyers and Sellers to plan trip itineraries for motorcoach group travel throughout the US and Canada. ABA is probably the best show for Edmonton Tourism and partners and generates the most leads and tour bookings to the city. The Team Canada booth also provided an excellent ongoing opportunity to interact with buyers. Overall and excellent show and detailed leads are available if required. Another great opportunity at ABA was the Team Canada Sponsorship of the email message centre. Tour operators were attracted to the booth to enter the draw for the coveted “Olympic Red Mittens” which were given away every hour. Christie’s responsibility on the Team Canada board is to plan and execute marketplace events and interaction which included the booth at ABA. The Red Mitten contest was hugely successful with approximately 75% of the buyers registered for the show stopping by the booth to enter the draw. See below for image of Team Canada members showing off their great Canadian pride! Two Nation Vacation Shows, Seattle/San Diego/Irvine/LA – March 11-17 For the past twenty-two years, the Victoria Clipper/Clipper Vacations has sponsored a highly successful travel show in Seattle with more than 80 exhibitors from the “Cascadia” area – Victoria, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Alberta, Vancouver, Washington State, San Juan Islands, Portland and Alaska. Travel Agents, Media, Tour Operators and Meeting Planners with an interest in the area attend the show to learn more about regional travel options. The shows average about 200-250 well qualified attendees at each show. Some sales calls have also been incorporated into the itinerary to maximize our time in the market. Team Canada Tourism Working Session, Winnipeg, March 20-23 As a member of the board of directors for Team Canada, Christie will attend the annual Working Session to discuss and plan Team Canada activities for the 2010/2011 year. This will be a big year as the NTA Marketplace will be taking place in Montreal and Team Canada has been asked to assist with the airport meet and greets.
CTC OTA (Online Travel Agency) Program – Upcoming for Spring/Summer 2010 Edmonton Tourism has confirmed it’s participation in the OTA program for 2010 – here is some background; While consumers continue to shift towards the internet for their travel plans, 2010 represents a great opportunity for industry to work in collaboration to harness the power of online travel agencies (OTAs). A collaborative approach will maximize Canada’s exposure and sales production to destinations across the country on these relevant travel sites and leverage Canada’s recent media exposure provided by the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. There is the opportunity for us to collectively target online consumers and convert interest in Canada into travel intentions with a focus on “closing the sale.” In this down economy, OTAs are benefiting from the ongoing shift in transactions from traditional points of purchase towards the internet; with consumers using the sites for both research and purchase of travel. We need to maximize our exposure on the OTA sites and minimize the duplication of efforts and messages. Online consumers are more resilient to barriers and economic challenges; US consumers are still booking travel but booking shorter vacations, shorter lead time and shorter distances of travel which bodes well for travel to Canada. With our collective resources we can overall enhance content penetration on the OTA websites and convert sales to Canada as an appealing, and cost-effective getaway destination for the US consumer. Upcoming Fams
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