PORT CREDIT, ON — A large delegation of Transat Tours Canada staff descended upon the shores of Lake Ontario in Port Credit, (Mississauga), Ontario last week and launched its 2015-2016 Sun destination tour program to key retail partners.

Transat is offering its most comprehensive program ever featuring 495 properties with 55 of them exclusive to Transat in 35 sun destinations. The programs are available under the Transat Holidays, Nolitours and TMR holiday brands.

After reducing capacity and looking at cost efficiencies the past couple of years, Annick Guérard, General Manager for Transat Tours Canada, told attendees, “We are adding capacity in the market and adding new tours and destinations.”

Guérard indicated, “More and more consumers are trusting the Transat brand,” in the feedback the company has received from consumers and agents. “It’s the quality of product and quality of service and they know we will be there for clients.”

Nicole Bursey, Transat Tours Canada’s Commercial Director, outlined the 2015-2016 program with its multiple holiday options for travellers. Under the various Exclusive Collections new this year is the Solo Collection. This is available at 17 resorts and features no single supplement and unique to the program is a communal table for sharing meals so singles have the opportunity to dine with others. The Sun Savvy Collection offers resorts exclusive to Transat and new destinations like Roatan, Managua and San Andres and the Adults Collection exclusively for clients 18 and over are also new collections this year.

Families are a big generator of business for Transat and under the Family Collection the company has introduced new Multigenerational and Single Parent categories reflecting new trends in travel.

Transat is branching out beyond the all-inclusive packages and will be offering a variety of holiday options: coach tours in Costa Rica, Cuba and Nicaragua; four exclusive Caribbean island cruises with Costa, Croisière de France, MSC Cruises and Star Clippers; long stays in homes and apartments in Varadero, Riviera Maya, Riviera Nayarit and Orlando while in Europe now offering long stays in Lisbon and the Algarve in Portugal and the Amalfi Coast in Italy.

Transat will be offering a number of early booking promotions for travellers if they book by Sept. 15, 2015.

Bursey says there will be more emphasis on an air only strategy as well as targeting group business in the coming year with a new Agent Guide-Group Sales brochure that will be available in August.

Transat Academies will be launched in September 2015 with trade shows and educational sessions for agents in 22 cities across Canada. Bursey says this year there will be very specific product and program sessions with agents.