TORONTO — The European Travel Commission (ETC) has kicked off a new trade campaign in Canada, first aimed at keeping Europe top of mind with the Canadian travel industry and then promoting the destination to Canadian consumers when the time is right to travel again.

The first phase of the bilingual campaign starts today and runs through the end of May. The focus is training travel agents and tour operators on the implementation of European safety protocols and the many new travel experiences in destination.

ETC plans to follow-up the initial phase later this spring with a high-profile consumer campaign to inspire Canadians to visit Europe this summer or fall.

ETC Miguel Gallego

ETC is also working on the development of the ‘Europe Invites the Curious’ global campaign co-funded by the European Union. This portion of the campaign is in partnership with the ETC’s member National Tourism Organizations (NTOs).

“The goal of this Canada-specific campaign is to restore confidence and build a distinctive image of Europe as a desirable travel destination for Canadians,” said Miguel Gallego, ETC’s Head of Marketing. “Our objective is to maintain the European travel market share and better disperse traveller flows in terms of geography and seasons, all the while considering aspirations for sustainability in tourism and its growth. When the time is right, Europe looks forward to welcoming Canadians back to experience our pristine nature, creative cities and historic sites.”

When it comes to out-of-region outbound travel markets for European destinations, Canada ranks third. Some 6.5 million travellers from Canada travelled to Europe in 2019.

Pascal Prinz

“During these challenging times, ETC wants to show its full commitment to support Canadian travel to Europe for when the time is right,” said Pascal Prinz, Chair, Canada Chapter, ETC.

Prinz added: “The pandemic has not stopped the love of Canadians for Europe. If anything, Canadians have missed Europe even more since the border closure last March. Our aim is to show Canadians how Europe has worked hard to implement strict safety travel protocols and can’t wait to welcome visitors back.”

For more information about current travel conditions in Europe, travel agents and tour operators are advised to check out reopen.europa.eu.