Travel trade bosses hail Virgin Atlantic’s Canada return

Travel agents and tour operators have warmly welcomed Virgin Atlantic’s new service to Toronto, highlighting how it will bolster the strong demand for leisure travel to Canada.

 

A group of 10 trade bosses joined the carrier as it launched daily flights between Heathrow and Toronto last week, the first time in over a decade that it has operated a service to Canada.

 

Lesley Rollo, chief executive at dnata Travel Group UK, said Canada is an “absolutely huge” destination for the company, the parent of B2B brands such as Gold Medal and Incredible Journeys.

 

 

“If you want to book Canada for the summer, you do it a year in advance because the national parks and campervans get fully booked,” she told the webcast.

 

“Over the last few years, [there has been] exponential growth, people wanting those wide, open spaces…often followed by the Alaska cruise at the end.”

 

Dave Whittaker, sales director at Lotus Group/DialAFlight, agreed Canada is “absolutely” an important destination.

 

“People do stop-overs, and then we fly them over to the West Coast after two or three nights in Toronto,” he said.

 

“We specialise in the high-end market with four and five-star properties…and clients flying Upper Class at the front.

 

“Virgin are a great partner of ours. We’ve got a really good relationship with them.”

 

Jacqueline Dobson, president at Internova Leisure, parent of travel agency group Barrhead Travel as well as US-based brands, agreed that the new service is a “game-changer”.

 

“Canada is an important destination,” she said.

 

“It’s a fantastic route for [Virgin Atlantic], and it gives us more uplift in the UK, which is always fantastic.”

 

She also noted how there was scope for flights from Scotland too, as there is a lot of demand north of the border.

 

John Sullivan, commercial director at the Advantage Travel Partnership, highlighted Canada’s importance in the cruise and touring markets.

 

He said many members specialise in touring, working with the Association of Touring and Adventure Suppliers (Atas), while the consortium has also helped to drive interest with its marketing.

 

“We really try to focus on those areas where there is interest and where the touring bit comes alive [such as] Canada, with its mountains, waterfalls and train journeys,” he said.

 

“It comes back to that value piece as well…margins are really good, and the value you get in a destination like this.”

 

He also noted how the country is appealing more to families and younger travellers as well as the traditional older market, and more combinations of cruising and touring are being seen.

 

Claire Stirrup, UK and EMEA managing director of Celebrity Cruises, noted how the cruise line takes thousands of passengers on Alaska cruises, sailing from Vancouver and from Seattle, so the flight element of these holidays is crucial.

 

“Virgin Atlantic is one of our preferred partners. It’s great to see how they have evolved,” she said.

 

“We’ve got two ships that sail out of Alaska. It is something everybody wants to do.

 

“We are on sale now right through to 2027 and it is in high demand, so people need to book early.

 

“[The market] is really mixed: you get people who have never cruised, honeymooners, some who want a something a bit different, people who are counting down to retirement and want a longer trip, and experts who have cruised before. Alaska appeals to everybody.”

 

The direct Boeing 787-9 services also offer connections to India, as well as within Canada via an expanded codeshare with WestJet.

 

Nicki Goldsmith, agency sales director at Virgin Atlantic, said business from the UK is “really strong, especially from our trade partners”, adding: “We’ve seen some great sales coming through in January.”

 

The agents and operators also agreed that the market generally was buoyant.

 

Dobson said: “We have started really well this year. I’m really delighted with performance.

 

“It has been another record-breaking quarter for us.”

 

Rollo said business in general is “really good” and “amazing”, with top sellers being Indian Ocean destinations such as the Maldives and Asian countries such as Thailand, Japan and Vietnam.

 

Meanwhile, Down Under fares are dropping for the first time since the pandemic, which is boosting travel to Australia and New Zealand.

 

Whittaker said Japan, Dubai and Bali were selling particularly well.

 

Main picture: Travel Weekly’s Lucy Huxley with Nicki Goldsmith, Virgin Atlantic, during a visit to Niagara Falls.