TORONTO — Agents at Sunwing Vacations’ Winter Launch event last night heard all the details about the tour operator’s new ‘Sunwing Flynancial Advisor’ brand campaign.

The fun evening took place at Woodbine Racetrack’s Trackside Clubhouse, with Jamaican-themed drinks and hors d’oeuvres courtesy of event sponsor, the Jamaica Tourist Board.

Dave Wright, Director of Sales, Ontario and Atlantic, told agents Sunwing’s ‘Flynancial Advisor’ toolkit was in the mail – email, that is.

Sunwing’s Flynancial Advisor campaign

“We’re emailing that toolkit out to you and in there you’ll find assets from logos to images to flyers, all to help with your digital marketing efforts through the winter months,” said Wright.

The toolkit will also be available on Sunwing Vacations’ agent site, added Wright, with more tools coming as the winter season progresses.

THE NEW CAMPAIGN

From Sunwing’s Flynancial Advisory Hub to the Flynancial Tips Contest and Sunwing Loves Advisors Month, October is all about ‘flynancial’ tips, insights and travel inspiration from the experts, says the company.

The multi-year strategic brand initiative backs recent survey research revealing Canadians are taking a savvier approach to travel.

According to the survey’s results, ravellers are realizing that ravelling during off-peak seasons (60%), booking in advance to get early booking rates (56%), seeking out all inclusive vacation deals offering one upfront price (39%) and setting up a vacation fund (39%) are all good ways to save on that all-important vacation.

The survey was conducted in English and French by Sunwing Vacations Aug. 9-13 among a representative sample of 1,512 online Canadians who are members of the Angus Reid Forum.

Samatha Taylor, Chief Marketing and Digital Officer of Sunwing Vacations Group, says: “We know Canadians are savvy shoppers, looking for ways to unlock the potential of their money spent and maximize their vacation budgets, and since the introduction of our new value proposition and brand personality in 2022, we’ve dedicated every effort to proving that with Sunwing Vacations, anything is possible.”

“Through our newly launched, multi-year Flynancial Advisor brand initiative and a wealth of industry expertise from our travel advisor community at our customers’ fingertips, we’re showcasing how all inclusive getaways with Sunwing are the preferred and most flynancially savvy travel option, and that saving more and doing more go hand in hand,” added Taylor.

The ad will be shown across several print and digital platforms and picks up on Sunwing’s ‘Save More, Do More’ mission.

Sunwing has even developed a Flynancial Advisory Hub, “an informative yet approachable tool with one goal: arming advisors and their clients with everything they need to be flynancially savvy and get the most value out of their time in destination, with practical, value-driven travel tips, booking insights and inspirational guides and content, all developed to help them in their planning journey.”

TAPPING TRAVEL AGENT EXPERTISE

As part of the new brand initiative, Sunwing Vacations is looking for value-driven, flynancial tips and tricks “from the true Flynancial Advisors across the country – the valued travel advisor community.”

Travel advisors are invited to share their insights and expertise for the chance to be featured in the national Sunwing Flynancial Advisor campaign and entered for a chance to win a $250 Sunwing gift card.

Here’s the submission form: https://wkf.ms/3XUNk1D

There’s also a promotion for clients: the Flynancial Sale, on now until Oct. 27, 2024, with weekly offers.

‘SUNWING LOVES ADVISORS MONTH’

Sunwing Vacations has also declared October ‘Sunwing Loves Advisors Month’. “Sunwing Vacations determined that honouring advisors in May for Travel Agent Appreciation Day was simply not enough,” says the company.

Throughout October agents can take advantage of exclusive perks. From now until Oct. 31, 2024, advisors can earn 4X STAR Points on bookings for travel Jan. 1 – April 30, 2025.

Travel advisors will also be entered for a chance to win an all-inclusive vacation each week to either Riu Yucatan, Riu Montego Bay, Riu Emerald Bay or Riu Tequila. No entry is required. Advisors will automatically be entered for having made a booking in the last six months.

SUNWING VACATIONS’ ONTARIO OFFERING

At yesterday’s presentation, Wright looked specifically at Sunwing Vacations’ Ontario product offering.

Sunwing’s Dave Wright and Samantha Taylor (photo credit Michelle Zimmer)

From Toronto, the tour operator’s offering “is huge,” says Wright. “We have almost every destination Sunwing flies to, available out of Toronto. That includes convenient daily service to favourites like Punta Cana, Cancun, Varadero and Montego Bay.”

Outside of Toronto, said Wright, Sunwing Vacations’ Ontario program is also strong from gateways including Kitchener, London and Thunder Bay. “We’ve got daily flights from those gateways too, as well as from Windsor and Hamilton,” he said.

Wright added: “Ottawa is also a huge market for us, always has been, and we have multiple flights during the week to several sun destinations.”

Desitnation-wise, Wright highlighted weekly flights on Thursdays to Camaguey from Toronto. “We have a ton of destinations in Cuba,” he said.

Wright also noted that from Kitchener, “in past years we’ve typically had just one sun destination, usually Punta Cana or Cancun. This year out of Kitchener, we have both Punta Cana and Cancun.”

To check out the Flynancial Advisory Hub, click here.