ACV brings star power to Toronto sun launch

Gala event attracts close to 1,000 agents

GREG COATES

Pictured above: Air Canada Vacations’ George Platanitis (l) and Nino Montagnese during last week’s big Sun launch in Toronto.

It was a night to remember as Air Canada Vacations (ACV) brought a little star power – in the form of singer Shawn Desman – to the official launch of its 2017/18 Sun Collection in Toronto last week.
It was a also night of “more, more, more” as ACV hosted nearly 1,000 travel agents in a spectacular event that featured a trade show, assorted food stations, presentations, prizes, and live entertainment.
From a product point of view, Air Canada Vacations’ new Sun Collection features flexible getaways from three to 29 nights, 40 destinations and more than 700 resorts, 60 of which are new to the ACV lineup.
The brochure also includes 19 resorts exclusive to Air Canada Vacations, 30 semi-exclusive resorts and 26 resorts with exclusive categories, sections and meal plans.
New for the upcoming winter season is Cartagena, Colombia, where ACV will offer 11 hotels designed to suit every budget and travel preference. New non-stop Toronto-Cartagena flights will be operated by 136-seat Air Canada Rouge Airbus A319 aircraft offering two classes of service – Premium Rouge and Economy.
In the US, the tour operator features Florida, California, Hawaii, and Las Vegas.
“We are so thrilled about the launch of this new Sun brochure”, says Nino Montagnese, managing director at Air Canada Vacations. “It is filled with excellent products, exciting inclusions and great perks. For our travel agents, we believe it will be an amazing tool – comprehensive, clear, easy to use, and fun to look at.”
Getting clients to their destination will also be easier, with Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge offering an overall 17% increase in capacity. (It’s a whopping increase of 250% from Calgary!)
And to help agents wade through the impressive lineup, ACV has created a 58-page Agent Handbook.
Also announced was a new Sandals deal in which agents booking a Sandals holiday with ACV by Sept. 30 will earn 15% commission.
Other perks and tools designed to help agents seal the deal include an assortment of Early Booking Bonuses and the tour operator’s CareFree Plan, now available for $49 per person (it’s normally $79) and commissionable to agents.
Also announced is a new partnership with Park ‘N Fly (Park ‘N Jet in Calgary). Travellers booking an ACV package by the end of October for travel Nov. 1 through April 30, 2018 will receive eight free days of parking.
For agents selling groups, ACV has a new deal with Air Canada Jetz in which groups can book private charter flights.
“This is our year,” Dina Bertolo, vice-president, product development, said to Travel Courier. “We’re on a roll.”
Coming up for ACV is a new luxury brochure in November and its Europe campaign in December.
www.aircanadavacations.com/agents