TORONTO — Woodbine Racetrack served as a fitting locale for Sunwing’s 2018 Every Step of the Way Tour, which made its Toronto stop last night as part of a coast-to-coast road trip across 21 cities.

The tour operator has raced out of the gates in 2018 with new brochures and an array of special offers and products in a wide range of sun-soaked destinations. And as the name of the tour suggests, Sunwing is assuring agents that it will help ensure a seamless travel experience for their clients ‘every step of the way’.

Supporting Sunwing in this endeavour are the 85+ suppliers who were in attendance at last night’s show. These included the company’s ‘Gold’ partners, including: AMResorts; Barcelo Hotels & Resorts; Be Live Resorts; Melia Cuba International; Playa Hotels & Resorts; Oasis Hotels & Resorts; Sandos Hotels & Resorts; and Seadust Cancun Family Resort. ‘Platinum’ partners RIU Hotels & Resorts and Blue Diamond Resorts were also on hand to not only lend its support but also share what’s new at their respective properties.

Over the course of the tour, which spans from Stoney Creek, Ontario to Coquitlam, B.C., over 5,000 agents learned firsthand what Sunwing has in store for 2018/2019. Here are a few highlights:

Sunwing Brochure 2018/2019:

• Features over 50 of the most popular destinations across the Caribbean, Mexico and Central America from 33 gateways coast to coast
• New resorts include Royalton Antigua, Royalton Cancun Resort and Spa, Planet Hollywood Beach Resort Costa Rica, Grand Memories Punta Cana, and PlayaBachata Resort
• New destinations include Antigua, Playa Mujeres and Riviera Diamante in Mexico, as well as Bonaire
• Exclusive perks for families include unlimited access to waterparks, and Kids Stay Play and Eat FRE deals
• Couples perks include unlimited à la carte dining and spa discounts

New Signature Collection by Sunwing brochure:

• Evolution of previous Signature Vacations’ collection of resorts
• Brochure features six leading resort chains: RIU Hotels & Resorts; Karisma Resorts; Jewel Resorts; Excellence Group Luxury Hotels & Resorts; Hard Rock Hotels; Krystal Hotels and Resorts
• Includes Jewels Resorts in Jamaica for the first time
• New hotel openings include: Riu Dunamar; Riu Palace Costa Mujeres; Riu Palace Baja California; Riu Santa Fe; Hard Rock Hotel Los Cabos; and Krystal Grand Nuevo Vallarta and Sensatori Azul Beach Resort Jamaica

Sunwing app:

• Allows travellers to call home to Canada for free, plan their next vacation, book excursions, confirm flights, gain exclusive deals on local attractions and more

Groups:

• The 2018-2019 Groups Guide is what Lorraine Brisbois, Corporate Manager, Sunwing Travel Group, refers to as “your Bible to Groups”
• Brisbois also notes that “destination weddings continue to soar”, but that the company has also seen a rise in groups celebrating vow renewals and anniversaries
• Groups Plus Premium promotion: once a minimum of 10 adults book together, the 8^th person travels free
• Group discounts are also available now on Sunwing Experiences; private tours available for groups of 12 or more and the 21^st adult travels free
• Group pricing is also available for cruise packages with MSC Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, and Marella Cruises where bookings of a minimum eight double cabins will have the 16^th adult travel for free
• STARmillionaire promotion is returning, whereby agents can qualify for booking a group of 10 adults or more between March 28-Aug. 28, 2018

Sunwing Experiences:

• For the first time ever, Sunwing will now offer agents the chance to earn STAR Agent Reward Points that convert to cash on Sunwing Experiences bookings across the Caribbean, Mexico and Central America
• Agents will be able to book and earn commission and rewards points as these excursions can now be added as standalone purchases, regardless of which tour operator the vacation package was booked with
• Sunwing Experiences bookings are confirmed under the category ‘Activities’ on SIREV and will soon be available on Amadeus Tours, Galileo Vacations, and Sabre Vacations
• Clients benefit from pre-paying in Canadian dollars

New cruises:

• New cruise brochure features fly & cruise packages departing form Toronto, Montreal, Quebec City, Ottawa and Vancouver
• All packages include roundtrip flights on Sunwing Airlines with transfers include between the airport and the ship’s port
• Cruise lines offered include MSC Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line and Marella Cruises

Domestic flights:

• Sunwing’s popular summer flight service resumes for its 13^th consecutive season
• Daily flights are available between Toronto-Vancouver (May 15-Sept. 5, 2018), and Toronto-St. John’s (June 13-Sept. 5, 2018, Monday-Friday)
• Twice weekly flights to Gander on Tuesdays and Fridays (June 15-Sept. 4, 2018)
• Weekly Wednesday flights to Stephenville (June 13-Sept. 5, 2018)

Sunwingagents.ca:

• Agents will soon be able to book via the platform and collect STAR points from anywhere in the world (more details to come)