TORONTO — Come early November in Canada, consumers can count on seeing Christmas ads rolling out on TV, Christmas decorations at the stores, and increasingly, Black Friday deals.

Long an American phenomenon timed for the day after U.S. Thanksgiving, Black Friday promotions (and their online counterparts on Cyber Monday) started popping up in Canada several years ago. During the pandemic, the travel industry’s Black Friday deals were naturally few and far between. But as travel’s recovery continues unabated, they’re back and bigger than ever.

And just as the start of the holiday season seems to come earlier and earlier, Black Friday – Nov. 24 this year – is getting traction way ahead of the actual day. This time around travel agents began seeing a cascade of Black Friday deals more than two weeks out.

It’s a crowded and competitive marketplace, and all it takes is one airline or tour operator to release their Black Friday deals for others to follow suit.

The first two days of this week alone saw news of Black Friday sales from Sunwing Vacations (with its Pre-Black Friday Sale), Transat, Collette, Scenic Group, Globus, Karisma, Rocky Mountaineer and many more. Even before that, G Adventures had launched its month-long Cyber Sale on Nov. 1. Intrepid Travel’s Cyber Sale starts Nov. 20 and runs through Dec. 4.

Along with the exposure, Black Friday can deliver big revenues. In Canada, Black Friday has gone from a fun novelty to a can’t-miss on supplier calendars.

“A SUBSTANTIAL REVENUE GENERATOR”

“Black Friday has proven to be a substantial revenue generator for Blue Diamond Resorts in recent years. Over the years, we have seen remarkable success with the Black Friday promotions, particularly in the family-friendly experiences through our Royalton Luxury Resorts and Planet Hollywood Beach Resorts brands,” says Blue Diamond Resorts’ Director of Marketing & PR, Alejandro Rodriguez del Peon.

The hotelier’s Black Friday deals are available at properties in Mexico, the D.R., Costa Rica, Saint Lucia, Jamaica, Antigua, and Grenada until Nov. 26, 2023, for travel Nov. 16, 2023 through Dec. 23, 2024.

Over at Sunwing Vacations, Black Friday is consistently the company’s biggest selling season year over year, says a spokesperson. Sunwing Vacations’ Pre-Black Friday Sale, on now through Nov. 19, 2023 for travel Dec. 14, 2023 – April 30, 2024, offers savings on select Mexico packages. Meanwhile the company’s upcoming Black Friday Sale will feature more discounts across many Sunwing Vacations destinations.

Sunwing Vacations says its all-inclusive packages to Mexico and Cuba tend to sell very well around Black Friday: “They’re two of our most popular vacation destinations and offer a great variety for our customers, from family-friendly to adults only and budget-conscious options.”

Another Canadian travel company, Scenic Group Canada, says Black Friday sales can also boost revenues down the line, thanks to increased visibility: “They drive incremental sales growth and increase awareness and consideration for future travel. Scenic Eclipse is not something we usually discount heavily due to it being an ultra-luxury product and offering world-class experiences, however we recognize that this is an opportunity to offer a bit above and beyond what is currently in market.”

Scenic Group Canada’s deals, good on new bookings from Nov. 13 all the way through Dec. 7, 2023, apply to both Emerald Cruises and Scenic.

Ensuring that travellers have plenty of opportunities to save on travel in 2024, Globus is offering ‘12 days of deals’ in the spirit of the season. Headlining these deals are discounts of $1,300 per couple on 70 different 2024 departures to some of Globus’ most popular destinations, including Italy, Ireland and Greece.

Steve Born, chief marketing officer for the Globus family of brands, tells Travelweek: “There’s no doubt that our Black Friday sale generates action among travel shoppers. During last year’s sale, the pace of sales doubled compared to previous weeks. Consumers seem to have a high awareness that this is a good time to both shop and purchase. Not to mention that travel is the only thing they can buy on Black Friday that will make them richer.”

Along with the converts, some companies are joining the fray for the very first time.

Rocky Mountaineer’s first-ever Black Friday sale, good through Dec. 4, offers up to $2,000 off per couple for all 2024 travel dates on select Rocky Mountaineer routes of six nights or more. “People love a good Black Friday deal, including those who are seeking travel deals,” says Nicole Ford, Rocky Mountaineer’s VP, Communications and Sustainability.

“DESIGNED WITH OUR ADVISORS IN MIND”

All say they’re committed to working with travel advisor partners. “Our Black Friday sales are designed with our advisors in mind, with a goal of generating demand that advisors can capitalize on,” says Globus’ Steve Born. “Our sales team gives agency partners notice about promotions like this. In fact, they have been working with our agency partners in the weeks leading up to [the sale’s] start to ensure that details and marketing are in the pipeline.”

Karisma’s Black Friday deals, available in Mexico, the D.R., Jamaica, and Belize for booking Nov. 16 – Dec. 7, 2023 for travel Nov. 16, 2023 – Jan. 2, 2026, are available to travel agents booking through tour operators, “and tour operators have received the same offers that Karisma has available. We want Black Friday to be a success and that success definitely includes travel agents and tour operators,” the company tells Travelweek.

Scenic Group Canada says it makes sure travel agents receive its promotions in advance and have an ‘exclusive sneak peek’ for their clients. “Every promotion is accessible via our travel partners and commissionable. All marketing activity will always have a call-to-action option of booking with your travel advisor. Currently, we have a gift card incentive (until Dec. 17, 2023) where travel advisors can earn MasterCard gift cards on every new deposited booking. We are very much appreciative of our travel advisors and look to grow the partnership together.”

MANY CLIENTS HAVE ALREADY LOCKED IN TRAVEL PLANS

Travel agents tell Travelweek that while some clients are asking about Black Friday deals, the off-the-charts demand for travel this year means that many travellers have already locked in their travel plans.

With this in mind, a long lead time on the travel window, like Karisma’s Black Friday savings good all the way until Jan. 2, 2026, might be the way to go.

And marketing that supports a ‘book and save now, travel later’ message might also help close more sales, if clients are under the impression that Black Friday travel windows are short.

“I find my clients are booking earlier than ever so the winter season is almost already fully booked,” says Cambridge, ON-based travel advisor Caitlin Lajeunesse, part of the Independent by Flight Centre network. “I don’t have too many clients taking advantage of Black Friday promos as they have already secured their travels for the year.”

Jennifer Trofimuk with Planes, Trains & Kids Travel in Calgary says many travellers “wait for the Black Friday deals to see what pricing is like for travelling over the Christmas holidays or spring break, not realizing that by that point, availability at many resorts is already lacking, and pricing is higher than normal just due to supply and demand.”

Other agents drive home the ‘book early and save’ mantra to clients, and that’s ultimately good news for the travel industry, even if it doesn’t always dovetail with perceptions around Black Friday deals. Says Kathleen Penner with Hamilton, ON’s Plenty of Sunshine Travel: “I don’t get much movement with the Black Friday deals. The value isn’t there compared to having my clients book early. In my opinion, booking in advance is the best way to secure the lowest price possible.”

That’s not to say that Penner doesn’t maximize Black Friday opportunities – or, for that matter, social media opportunities. “I usually post some of the Black Friday promos and use a specific hashtag for those specials to make it easier for my clients and potential clients to see everything in one place. I might put #BlackFriday2023TravelDeals, or I might put #BF2023POSTdeals. I make it easy for my clients to click on the hashtags and see all my posts with those promos. They can see all the travel pricing in one place at one time.”

This story ran in the Nov. 16, 2023 issue of Travelweek; click here