March/April 2009
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International Leisure Vakantiebeurs 2009 – Utrecht, Netherlands – January 13-18, 2009  In January of this year, we teamed up with Travel Alberta and attended the Vakantiebeurs - the Netherlands’ top trade and consumer travel fair. Our mission was to meet with Dutch trade officials and consumers to provide tips and travel advice for a holiday in Edmonton, Alberta. Additional goals were to increase Travel Alberta awareness to industry partners and to strengthen trade relations. Vakantiebeurs 2009 had a small decrease in visitor numbers in comparison to 2008. In total, they welcomed 132,961 visitors versus 135,233 in 2008, which is less than a 2% decrease. However, the Trade Day attracted 11% more visitors than last year. We also discovered that the average planned holiday expenses this year per person is estimated to be € 2.700, which is only € 100 less than last year. Alberta leads and FAM trip requests were abundant. Overall this show was a great success. Dertour Agent Training – Lake Louise, Alberta – February 7, 2009  Dertour is Germany’s number one tour operator selling North America. For the past 3 years, they have put a large emphasis on selling Canada and have expanded their product into Alberta. One of their major objectives in winter 08/09 was to increase their sales of Canadian ski products. They therefore produced a North America only brochure. Dertour’s objectives are both consumer and trade oriented. One of their most successful activities is a special destination FAM trip for selected travel agents. In winter 08/09, they planned a Mega Ski FAM into Canada’s West. In addition to ski activities during this FAM, Dertour had requested a workshop to be held on one day, where Alberta DMO partners present their region to the agents directly. Overall, the presentations were successful and there is new interest and energy for the Edmonton region. Their ski FAM to Alberta was memorable for all agents and positive feedback was given by many. However, for 2009 the main concern and challenge is air access into Edmonton direct as it is limited to seasonal Air Transat flights. WestJet, Air France and KLM Announce Signing of Memorandum of Understanding Great news for Western Canada – February 4, 2009 CALGARY, PARIS, and AMSTERDAM- WestJet, Air France and KLM announced they have signed a memorandum of understanding to build a new commercial relationship between the three airlines. This memorandum of understanding allows the airlines to begin working on building a code-sharing agreement in late 2009 or early 2010. Prior to this, the carriers will contemplate additional opportunities including an interline agreement, namely acceptance of each other's e-tickets, and through check-in of baggage and passengers, technology permitting. Possibilities for future frequent flyer program cooperation will be explored as well. A code-sharing agreement would involve the Canadian gateways of Calgary, Montréal, Toronto and Vancouver where guests of the three airlines would connect with each other's networks. This memorandum of understanding is another step in WestJet's strategy to increase connectivity, bringing additional travellers to its network as well as offering more access for its guests to new destinations. For Air France and KLM, it is a great opportunity to strengthen their position in services to Canada and increase the number of destinations offered.
If you would like more information on any of these initiatives, please contact Natacha Fudem at nfudem@edmonton.com or (780) 917- 7621.
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