TORONTO — A ‘behind the scenes’ event hosted by Collette at Little Portugal’s Chiado restaurant featured insights from Paul Vieira, the company’s Sr. Global Contracting Manager for Portugal, Spain, France & Morocco.

In Toronto to meet with travel advisors and Collette’s business development team, Vieira took time to sit down with Travelweek to talk about how Collette designs its unique tours – and his own personal recommendations for Canadian travellers right now.

Vieira’s team is part of Collette’s product development group, tasked with curating tours and contracting the partners and suppliers that go into the tours, handling all the details behind the scenes.

“This means selecting destinations, building out the tours and determining which partners to work with to create a seamless product for travellers,” he explained.

Having worked with Collette for the past 10 years, Vieira is responsible for 25 tours in Collette’s portfolio of 170.

“Our product design team is based in-destination, something Collette does well,” he said. “Being ‘boots on the ground’ really allows us to be able to react to find new experiences, sometimes just by talking with locals. Being in-destination allows us to react and solve issues faster should they arise. It’s a great advantage that maybe some of our competitors don’t have. If something’s not working, we can make changes to itineraries immediately. I seek out creative partners that are flexible and looking to work with groups.”

When asked what destination he would recommend to Canadian travellers at this current moment, Vieira suggested the Azores. “It has a European feel with an exotic touch. It’s as if Ireland and Hawaii had a baby. Clients will be wowed by the natural beauty like beaches, volcanic craters and thermal springs.”

He added: “Since it’s in the Atlantic, it’s much cooler than mainland Europe. June through October is the ideal time to visit with less rainfall and consistent weather. Local culture is abundant as this spot is kind of set back in time. There’s not as much overtourism as you may see in mainland Europe.”

One new tour that is trending very well at the moment is ‘Flavours of Portugal and Spain,’ a small group exploration. “The group may be small, but the experiences are big,” Paul quipped. The tour uses experience hotels. For example, one is a ranch hotel with a private tour of the stables and horseback riding.

“We can bring more intimate experiences for our travellers. We try to focus on local cuisine and flavours,” he added.

Central-northern Portugal and northern Spain are really trending right now. Within Collette’s portfolio, Portugal and Spain experienced the largest percent growth last year with almost a 50% increase in passenger counts to the two destinations.

“Many are starting to discover Portugal more and these two countries are more affordable compared to some of the other destinations in Europe. When you combine the price of flights and packages that we offer, Portugal is the best value right now. This is one of the reasons why we’re introducing a new tour called ‘Portugal’s Old World Charms,’ an exploration small group tour just in Portugal. It’s nine nights with three nights each in three different hotels and minimal drive times, about two hours maximum,” said Vieira.

Another destination travellers may wish to give more consideration is Morocco. One interesting fact: 70% of travellers to Morocco are women with a great number travelling solo.

“We’re the only company to do two nights in the desert,” explained Kateryna Havrylova, Partnership Marketing Manager for Collette, adding “the desert is one of the most transforming experiences I’ve had in my many travels. Two nights are needed to embrace the desert experience. There’s too much to enjoy to even sleep.”

Vieira added that Collette gets results immediately after tours are completed, with digital guest surveys. “We live and breathe the feedback of travellers,” he said. “If something is resonating as a highlight, we definitely keep it. We’re not relying on Google, we’re visiting and vetting every hotel, every meal, firsthand.”

Collette’s small group tours have a maximum of 24 participants, with an average of 18 to 20 people. In total, it has close to 60 small group tours worldwide that include plenty of free time for exploration and choices for some activities.

“Collette provides the local knowledge you wouldn’t have without hitting the streets,” explained Ron Lonsdale, Collette’s VP Canada, adding “we’re giving travellers that wow moment and connecting them with the local culture.”

To learn more, visit Collette.com.