Bermuda checks in with its Canadian trade partners
Representatives of the Bermuda Tourism Authority (BTA), along with some of its stakeholder partners, were in Toronto this week for the Canadian Meetings + Events Expo, continuing the initiative to re-engage with the Canadian market that the BTA launched here last year.
“We’re here to really reinforce our investment in the Canadian market,” Kiwan Anderson, Director of Global PR & Brand Partnerships for Bermuda Tourism Authority, said.
In conversation with Travel Press Today (TPT), Anderson noted that the arrival of BermudAir on the scene has generated a lot of excitement for the destination as it offers service from both Toronto and Halifax and that has definitely been a positive development.
The BTA’s increased presence on the Canadian scene certainly seems to be working, with Anderson telling TPT that the Canadian market is doing well and that “in 2023, we hit all of our numbers – so, we were up … and right now things are looking good [for 2024] … and the projections are steady.”
As for travel agents and tour operators, Anderson said that the message “is that we are here to service whatever they need.”
He continued: “We’re really having conversations with them to understand what their customers are looking for, particularly in our Canadian and UK markets – because they’re both so unique.”
There was certainly lots of opportunity for that conversation to continue as the BTA and its partners hosted key members of the travel trade to dinner at Toronto’s Soho House during their visit.
That conversation with agents and operators is critical in Anderson’s view as he explained that as “travel habits and behaviours shift, we depend on [travel agents and tour operators] to really give us guidance and the ability to understand what’s happening.”
And he added that agents and operators are “the ones that have direct contact and links with travellers and they understand their travellers the best. So we really value them and want to make sure we continue those relationships.’
Stay tuned, there will be lots more from Bermuda in 2024 and beyond.
