Transat Discoveries' Sales Representative, Sherry Brown with Transat Holidays & Nolitours' Carmen Wakileh and Steve Brown
Transat Discoveries' Sales Director, Dan Prior with Berenice Ayala, General Manager, Gaston-Sacaze
Uniglobe's Cindy Bolychuk and
Angeli Casuga
Centre Holidays' Ismael Pan and Lyn Tan with Flight Centre's Ludy Pasilabban
Travel Up's Celine de Sa Buckley
Transat Discoveries is a newcomer to the scene having launched in October. As a member of the Transat family and the Quebec based operator formerly known as Rêvatours, the newly expanded tours division offers soft adventure product to Africa, The Middle East, Asia, Europe and Latin America.
Last week, Transat Discoveries held a training event in Mississauga for approximately 125 agents. On the curriculum: Peru, Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands. Dan Prior, Ontario Sales Director for Transat Discoveries, headed the session that included a special visit from Berenice Ayala, General Manager of Gaston-Sacaze, the tour operator’s partner in Ecuador.
Guests helped themselves to a buffet of hors d’oeuvres that included shrimp cocktail and a Latin American favourite, empanadas. While some guests munched away, others eagerly took notes as Prior thoroughly explained the product. “We are not your traditional coach tour experience,” he said. According to Prior, some features that differentiate Transat Discoveries from their competitors is that scheduled round trip flights are included in the package price, they offer higher levels of accommodation, from 3 star to 5 star properties, and the majority of the meals are included throughout the tour. Prior led agents through the brochure and highlighted important tools that would assist them in selling.
Prior spoke with enthusiasm and agents appeared to be engaged throughout his entire presentation. Although the event focused mainly on Peru and Ecuador, Prior urged agents to showcase all of South America to their clients. “Each country in South America has a different culture, indigenous people, landscape,” he said. “You haven’t seen South America if you’ve only been to one country.”
