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Introducing TruTravels, now selling through Canadian travel agents By Cindy Sosroutomo TORONTO — What’s the best way for a tour operator to get through a pandemic? With help from travel agents. At least this will be the case for TruTravels, a G Adventures subsidiary that has just announced its launch in Canada. Now selling via the Canadian trade for the first time since its inception in 2012, the UK-based small group operator is bringing its range of adventure itineraries – available in four distinct travel styles – to millennial and Gen Z travellers in Canada. Speaking exclusively with Travelweek, co-founder Mark Pope says that the company’s expansion into Canada was a natural progression, considering how passionate Canadians are about travel and in particular backpacking, a travel style that inspired him to launch the company in the first place after an “epic” visit to Thailand. Noting how the pandemic has given TruTravels the chance to pause and rethink its strategy as it looks to rebuild the business in a post-pandemic world, Pope says there’s no better time than now for agents to hone in on a younger demographic. “Now is actually the perfect time for agents to look at what their businesses look like before the surge of demand
Taking in TruTravels’ ‘Bali Bliss’ Flashpacker tour
comes rolling in,” he says. “There’s a big opportunity to be selling to younger travellers and our brand is super fun to sell.” Currently, only around 5% of TruTravels’ customers are from Canada, while the majority are from the U.K. and Australia. But this, adds Pope, is expected to change as the company builds its relationship with Canadian advisors. With much of the travel industry still working remotely due to the pandemic, TruTravels will be hosting online training sessions and utilizing its massive library of online content, which includes training videos and various sales tools. “We are in it for the long haul and see a huge opportunity to grow the market with our inclusive travel styles,” adds Pope. “We are able to provide the trade with a fun new offering for their customers that’s perfectly suited to what travellers are looking for, and we’re 100% committed to providing as much support and content to help influence and inspire people to travel again when the time is right and countries open back up.” FOUR TRIP STYLES Though TruTravels’s operations are currently paused due to the pandemic, when travel does resume it will be ready to welcome Canadians with four
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distinct travel styles, which Pope says allow agents to more easily market to clients. These include ‘Classic’ itineraries as well as three brand new styles – ‘FitVENTURES,’ ‘SailVENTURES and ‘Flashpacker’ – that launched earlier this week. All small-group itineraries can be booked as a standalone trip or as part of a longer independent overseas experience, and are led by a tour guide, also known as a ‘TruNinja,’ who doubles as the group’s ‘social director.’
TruTravels, a G Adventures subsidiary, offers adventure travel for Millennials and Gen Z in four travel styles: Classic, FitVENTURES, SailVENTURES, and Flashpacker On how he would describe each style, Pope says: “FitVENTURES capitalizes on the surge in interest in outdoor exercise, which has been expedited during lockdowns and provides people with the opportunity to see the world while remaining health conscious. Flashpacker is for people wanting
