Travel The Inside Track

Canadian Sales Executive

28 April 2010 447 views No Comment

Billboards, television, radio, travel websites, blogs, newspapers, magazines, — today’s traveller is inundated and overwhelmed by the volume of travel information and advertising one sees each day. How does one have the time to sift through and filter the things you really need to know and what is superfluous information?

In this and future Travel Insights articles, I hope to be your guide to break through the clutter and provide you with some insights on everything from travel trends, hot and emerging destinations, how not to get ripped off by shady travel suppliers, ways to save money, and useful travel tips and resources to get you on your way – whether that be for business or pleasure.

For more than twenty years I have been intimately involved in the travel and tourism industry promoting and marketing destinations, airlines, resorts, and other tourism suppliers. This career has given me the wonderful opportunity to explore the world from cruising in the Galapagos Islands, relaxing on the idyllic Caribbean islands, riding a Harley through the Outback in Australia, trekking through the jungles in Uganda to observe gorillas, bartering with shopkeepers in the bustling markets in Muscat, or visiting centuries’ old towns and villages of Europe. Visiting all these destinations and working closely with travel industry suppliers – airlines, hotels, car rental firms, tourist boards, travel agencies – I’ve learned many things and some hard lessons along the way.

It’s my goal in this column to raise your travel awareness and be your beacon of useful information so you can make informed decisions that will save you time and money when planning your next trip.

Now with a daily media onslaught of bad economic news, your investment portfolio taking a beating, the Canadian dollar losing its value, the last thing you are probably thinking about is travelling. My advice – travel!

This advice is not meant to minimize the real and true hardships that many across Canada are feeling right now in this ailing economy. If you have just been laid off escaping to the Caribbean may not seem like a priority! But it may be the perfect solution in stimulating the economy and here’s why.

The travel and tourism industry is the world’s largest employer. According to the World Travel and Tourism Council, 79,131,000 jobs were directly attributed to the travel industry and another 232,637,000 indirectly in 2007. In Canada, government revenues from tourism activities reached 19.7 billion dollars in 2007 with total tourism spending $70.8 billion. Now that’s economic impact!

If people don’t travel as was evident after 9/11 (remember Canada 3000?), thousands of jobs are lost. It’s not just the big airlines or hotel chains but mom and pop motorcoach operators, the waiter who brings you that tasty dish at your favourite restaurant or the person working the rides at the local amusement park.

So what’s this all mean for you – it’s a golden opportunity if you have the means available to travel. In the past few weeks airlines have launched seat sales to various destinations including Canadian winter favourites like the Caribbean, Florida, Cuba and Mexico. The tour operators are offering incredible bargains and valued added incentives to the sun destinations as well as to Europe, Asia, Australia, and ski destinations. Cruise lines have responded to lower bookings with reduced prices, customer perks, scheduling shifts, and removal of fuel surcharges.

So lots of good news for those travelling in the next few months. This is also a great time since lower demand means less crowds and a more personalized travel experience. This is especially true with more long-haul and personalized trips – like an African safari, or a culinary/wine tour in Tuscany. If you have been waiting for that “dream” holiday this may be the best time to take advantage with lower prices. You also have more power to negotiate some extras – like throwing in a free breakfast, staying an extra night for free, or obtaining a room upgrade. Many travel suppliers are willing to do this with less demand as they want to retain you as a future customer – just ask.

Sunquest/Holiday House/Fun Sun’s(www.sunquest.ca) – launched a RainCheck promotion – hot on the heels from itravel2000’s snow day promotion last year. The RainCheck policy is if your vacation is rained out (eg. rains ½ inch or more each day for 4 days of a one week vacation) you get credit for your next vacation and receive a voucher for an equivalent amount.

Daytona Beach has launched again its Canadian Sand Dollars promotion (www.csd.daytonabeach.com) where Canadians can get discounts on accommodation, dining, activities, shopping, spa treatments, and more at 130 participating suppliers.

Air Canada Vacations (www.aircanadavacations.com) is offering Buy One, Get One Free on select packages to various sun destinations including Cuba, Aruba, Cancun, Jamaica, and Costa Rica. It’s better in the Bahamas (www.bahamas.com) – and for your pocketbook too! Canadians can obtain a $200 US rebate for trips booked to Nassau/Paradise Island – this was a previous promotion but check if they extend it.

Walt Disney World introduced a Buy 4, Get 3 promotion earlier this winter. Stay 7 nights but only pay for four nights as well as the attractions pass. Check out www.disney.ca for the latest.

You can be sure there will be many more offers especially if you travel outside of the traditionally busy March school break periods. There will be some good deals on Barbardos this winter as WestJet has launched new service there. Keep an eye out when airlines launch new service as this means there will be usually be good deals.

For those not needing the warm rays, Europe is a great time to visit – airfares are cheaper, cities and towns are less crowded (in the non-ski popular areas) and hotels are looking to fill rooms. It’s the perfect time to visit London for a theatre and museum cultural escape. Crotia, Poland and the Czech Republic are becoming more popular spots for Canadians. Need a spa break – check out some spas in Hungary. SpaFinder.com is an excellent resource on everything spa or a Canadian based site, www.traveltowellness.com written by spa guru Anne Dimon.

If you can’t venture far check out your own local hotels – many offer special deals especially during weekends when they don’t have the business travellers.

Keep that wanderlust and keep on travelling. You will feel better for it and so will the economy