Livin’ La Vida Local

As many Canadians seek to explore closer to home, and ongoing restrictions make it virtually impossible for international travel to resume for Canadians for the foreseeable future, many in the travel industry are setting their sights on the world of domestic travel. But is selling Canada the answer to business woes? Hear from The Travel Corporation, Anderson Vacations, Guided Toronto and Guided North, as they navigate the challenges and opportunities of going local.

Although The Travel Corporation has been in business in Canada since 1968 with the opening of its Trafalgar office, the company’s president Jeff Element says they recently decided to offer trips for Canadians as a means to revitalize local economies and support businesses from coast to coast.

“Despite this challenging time, as a guided holidays operator, we felt it was important to create local immersive experiences throughout this incredible nation of ours,” Element tells Travel Courier.

For example, Contiki launched a range of affordable local adventures in Whistler and Banff with the first trips departing in early December, Trafalgar will offer a trip to experience Canada’s Northern Lights trip in Churchill, Manitoba in February 2021 and clients can explore the east coast on Insight Vacations’ Landscapes of the Maritimes journey with departures beginning in June 2021. And if early bookings are an indication, Element says the decision is already paying off.

“We are so pleased to see that Contiki has already started receiving bookings for their Whistler and Banff trips, which indicates that young people would like to explore the great outdoors in Canada and hit the slopes before the end of the year,” he says. “As the lockdown restrictions were eased this past summer, we have seen the emerging travel trend of clients wanting to explore our own backyard and it started in each province with local trips. We have seen across social media, Canadians sharing their domestic holiday experiences and discovering local places and sights for the first time. So, we are hoping that in the coming months that the travel bubbles will open up and Canadians can visit other provinces for leisure trips.”

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