The leading ladies of
Transat l-r: Nicole Bursey, Commercial Director; Genevieve
LeBrun, Senior Marketing & Communication Executive; Debbie Cabana,
Director, Social Media & Public Relations; Denise Heffron, V.P. National
Sales & Commercial; Erin Oddleifson, Director, Commercial Marketing
& Catherine Pleau, Social Media Community Manager.
The garden was being watered at the Transat Garden Party in
Toronto’s Distillery District this week, but a wet, chilly night was an ideal
reminder of why Canadians require Transat’s prescription of ‘Sun for Everyone.’
Moved indoors to the welcoming confines of Balzac’s
attractive coffee shop, industry members and media got the update on winter
plans during a mix-and-mingle with Transat execs.
Denise Heffron, V.P. National Sales & Commercial, and a
fixture with the company for 22 of its 28 years, got the ball rolling,
introducing a slick new video that shows the scope of Transat’s reach – 5,000
global employees; 23 Canadian gateways; 65 sun; U.S. & Europe destinations;
3 million clients per year and $3.8 billion in annual revenues.
Nicole Bursey, Commercial Director at Transat Tours Canada
was next up, tightening the focus to Transat’s winter sun program,
well-documented in a brochure the size of a Sears catalogue.
Again, the big numbers were revealed: 36 sunny destinations
- 7 of them in the growing market of Central and South America; 500 hotels -
including 55 with Transat exclusively; 20 new routes & 3 new destinations –
La Romana, Rio Hato and Curacao.
Bursey also shone the spotlight on Transat’s Collections,
which help agents and their clients narrow down the vast selection of choices
to the properties that best fit individual needs. There are 2 new Transat
Collections for this winter: the Adults Collection of properties for those seeking
a child-free vacation and the Solo Collection, which features 17 properties
that cater to those travelling on their own with perks such as no single
supplement; a welcoming happy hour; communal table in restaurants for those who
wish to share meals; room service and free Wi-Fi.
Bursey also described increased segmentation in the popular
Transat Family Collection. This one has proved so popular that it is now broken
up into a variety of sub-collections aimed at different types of families –
those with little ones; families with teens; multi-gen family groups and single
parent families.
The Transat execs also described the extensive Air Transat
flight program, which will feature 60 weekly flights from Toronto alone. New
connector flights also make it easier for Quebec residents to access
destinations from Toronto and Ontarians to reach other destinations served from
Montreal.
