The following Travel Trade Familiarization Tours were hosted in the Region recently:
Beijing International August 27-29
This tour operator from China is known for influential and wealthy clientele. Following a tour in Vancouver and to the west coast, a representative of the company embarked on a Tourism BC initiative – an extended stay to research new products in some of the regions that the company is not familiar with. We were lucky enough to be chosen for a quick tour of our higher-end products. Similar to the Indian market, the stories you hear about the growing middle and upper class in China – and their growing penchant for travel abroad – are true. We’re a tiny speck in the world market among many competitors, but our diversity of safe, unique and affordable products puts us at the top – so we are happy to have tour operators check us out as potential future products for their clients.
Mazda Travel Sept 6-8
As you may know, India has been identified as an emerging travel market to Canada by the Canadian Tourism Commission. Currently, Canada receives 130,000 Indian visitors per year, and has experienced double-digit growth in the past year. Several receptive tour operators have entered the India market over the past two years, but one operator, Mazda Travel, has been involved in the India and Middle East market for the past dozen years. This Langley-based receptive operator works with most of the key travel agencies in India, and is a key contact for the Indian market. TOTA was fortunate to host the two owners of Mazda Travel for two days of touring, from Kelowna to Kamloops, in an effort to familiarize them with the region and its position as a potential multi-day stop between the Rocky Mountains and Vancouver.