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6TruTravels now selling through Canadian agents
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 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.’
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
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 TruTravels, a G Adventures subsidiary, offers adventure travel for Millennials and Gen Z in four travel styles: Classic, FitVENTURES, SailVENTURES, and Flashpacker
more comfort and style, upgraded accommodation and less travel time between destinations. SailVENTURE is for people who prefer to unpack once but still explore by boat. And Classic is our OG product offering.”
The new trips will join TruTravels’ ‘Classic’ tours in destinations like Vietnam, Thailand, Bali, Mexico, Sri Lanka and Colombia. The new tours include:
FitVENTURES: The nine-day ‘Thailand Energize,’ priced from $1,610 per person and including Muay Thai classes, bike rides in Koh Phangan and sunset paddleboarding; and the eightday ‘Bali Energise,’ priced from $1,530 per person and including beach boot camps, a boxing masterclass and hiking volcanoes.
SailVENTURES: The eight-day ‘Croatia Sailing Adventure’ is priced from $1,610 per person and includes visits to Split, Mljet National Park, Dubrovnik, Brac Island and Plitvice Lakes. Guests will also hit up party central at Zrce Beach on Pag Island.
FLASHPACKER: The nine-day ‘Thailand Escape,’ priced from $1,790 per person, visits Bangkok, Railay, Phuket and Phi Phi and includes highlights like a spicy cooking class and rock climbing; the 10-day ‘Bali Bliss,’ priced from $1,790 per person, visits Seminyak, Ubud and Nusa Lembongan and features a toast atop Mount Batur, a traditional cooking class, a surf lesson and paddleboarding.
To ensure the health and safety of guests, TruTravels has implemented a number of new measures, including enhanced hygiene training for tour guides and avoiding major tourist destinations during peak times. The company has also shifted away from large, shared dorms to avoid unnecessary close contact. WHO TO SELL TO – AND HOW
It’s no secret that backpackers have typically booked travel on their own, without help from travel agents. So what advice would Pope give agents looking to tap into this market now?
Lean into the safety of small group settings, he says.
“For both travellers and parents of younger adventurers, the safety net of a group tour will be a huge selling point as we emerge from this pandemic. Travellers will be looking to agents to offer their expertise on all the different tour options that are available to make sure travel is easy and safe,” adds Pope.
Agents would do well appealing to their ‘boomer’ clients with children and grandchildren who are looking for an adventure. Plus, TruTravels’ action-packed itineraries are ideal for “time-poor, budget-conscious travellers, says Pope. “There’s a lot of value at a low price – think getting a Ferrari for the price of a Ford. All itineraries offer ‘TruExclusives,’ unique experiences that can’t be booked anywhere else such as dinners on a private beach and ‘live aboard’ boat trips.”
Pope encourages Canadian travel agents to contact TruTravels directly at agents@trutravels.com or by visiting trutravels.com/agents to discuss contract options. Once they’re signed up, they can either connect their site to TruTravels’ API or book through its booking system. THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TRUTRAVELS AND G ADVENTURES
With both brands catering to a younger demographic and specializing in small-group adventures, G Adventures’ acquisition of TruTravels back in 2018 made complete sense. But now with TruTravels’ entry into Canada, a market where the G brand has been firmly established, does the smaller operator run the risk of being overshadowed?
“It’s really important for agents to know that we operate as a completely separate entity to G Adventures, though we do have the benefit of tapping into some of their ‘awesomeness’ in terms of expertise,” says Pope.
Adding that all agency relationships will be directly with TruTravels, Pope says the U.K. brand is much more inclusive than G Adventures and has a “serious focus” on having fun with fellow travellers, whereas G trips offer more flexibility to tailor the group experience with optional activities.
“We have more of a ‘one price, one experience’ approach, meaning everyone on the tour gets the same experience. This takes the burden of budgeting away and also enhances the group’s bond,” says Pope. “Travel isn’t just about the destinations, it’s the people you meet along the way, and as all our group tours place a focus on the social element of travelling together, we guarantee our travellers will make friends for life.”
For more information or to book email agents@trutravels.com or check out trutravels.com/agents.
The CDC has indicated that a possible, though with limited capacity, return to cruise ship sailing out of U.S. ports could be in the works for summer 2021. The hints came after Carnival posted its latest cancellation update on its website. The cancellations came with what amounted to a veiled threat from the company to potentially restart with sailings out of non-U.S. ports as the months waiting for the CDC to lift its Framework for Conditional Sailing Order (CSO) drag on. CDC spokesperson Jade Fulce said: “CDC is committed to working with the cruise industry and seaport partners to resume cruising following the phased approach outlined in the Conditional Sailing Order. The goal aligns with the desire to resume passengers operations in the United States expressed by many major cruise ship operators and travellers; hopefully, by mid-summer with restricted revenue sailings.” Avengers Campus, an entirely new land dedicated to the next generation of Super Heroes, is set to open June 4 at Disneyland Resort inside Disney California Adventure Park. Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure officially reopen to the public on April 30, 2021, with limited capacity. Disneyland will initially only open to California residents, and the Canada-U.S. border remains closed. Information about health and safety measures, including mandatory temperature screenings and required face coverings for guests ages 2 and older, can be found at Disneyland.com/ update.
RAIL
VIA Rail is resuming the Toronto-Winnipeg portion of the Canadian starting next month. This will allow one full roundtrip per week (Vancouver-Toronto) starting May 17, says VIA, which adds that the resumption was made possible following a thorough evaluation of protocols that include physical distancing, enhanced air ventilation and improved measures for passenger access and the protection of employees. One weekly full trip from Toronto-Vancouver will start May 23. To facilitate cancellations and refunds, VIA Rail has extended its cancellation policy to include all travel through Sept. 15, 2021, to allow passengers to cancel their upcoming reservations autonomously online, at any time prior to departure, and receive a full refund in addition to not incurring any service charges, regardless of when the ticket was purchased.
DESTINATIONS
Anguilla has revised its entry protocols as it continues to work towards the revitalization of its economy. Starting on July 1, Anguilla will remove the fee and quarantine requirements for visitors who are fully vaccinated at least three weeks before arrival. The entry protocols will be further revised in phases, leading to the elimination of all requirements by Oct. 1, 2021. For more information go to https://beatcovid19.ai/.
Porter Airlines
AIRLINES
Porter Airlines’ restart date has been tentatively set for June 21, 2021. The airline was last targeting May 19 to resume operations. Flights have been temporarily suspended on March 21, 2020, due to COVID-19. “In recent weeks, there has been open discussion by government officials about easing travel restrictions based on expectations that vaccination programs will be well advanced in the U.S. and Canada by early summer,” said Michael Deluce, President and CEO of Porter Airlines. “We recognize that short-term public health measures have been enhanced recently in certain jurisdictions. At the same time, we are looking ahead to summer and preparing for the possibility of some travel restrictions unwinding. We will begin the process of rebuilding our operations as soon as conditions allow based on government decisions.”
Even in a pandemic, people are launching new airlines. The latest is Connect Airlines, which looks to offer flights out of Toronto Billy Bishop City Airport to destinations in the northeast and midwest U.S. starting in October 2021. In normal times Porter Airlines, operating out of YTZ since 2006, already flies to several U.S. destinations including Boston, Chicago (Midway), Newark and Washington-Dulles, as well as more than a dozen Canadian destinations. The company behind Connect Airlines is based in Boston as a jet charter operator called Waltzing Matilda Aviation (WMA). WMA says Connect Airlines will use Canadian-built Q400 turboprop aircraft, the same aircraft used by Porter. Connect Airlines is geared to “day-tripping business travellers” looking for direct flights into Toronto’s downtown core. The airline’s operations are still subject to regulatory approvals.
John C. Dunn, President Floor13, TIAC Board of Directors; Beth Potter, President and CEO of TIAC; Marsha Walden, President and CEO of Destination Canada
“Our businesses were the fi rst hit, the hardest hit and will be the last to recover”: Insights from TIAC & Destination Canada
by Cindy Sosroutomo
TORONTO — In case you’re doubting the importance of domestic tourism, consider this: if Canadians spent just two-thirds of their typical outbound travel budget in Canada rather than internationally in 2021, it can speed up the travel industry’s recovery by an entire year.
This is particularly signifi cant since Destination Canada estimates that it will take another four years for the industry to reach 2019 levels, if significant changes and government interventions are not made.
“2020 losses to Canada’s tourism sector are the worst on record; the combined impacts of the global pandemic have actually wiped out 35 years of growth,” said Marsha Walden, President and CEO of Destination Canada during a joint industry webinar with TIAC (Tourism Industry Association of Canada). “So capturing a good portion of that typical outbound travel can have a very positive impact on the fortunes of our industry.”
This year, Destination Canada will be making its largest-ever investment in domestic tourism marketing to motivate inter-provincial travel by Canadians, working with provinces, territories and cities to ensure that an integrated program will be in place to help drive revenue “the minute restrictions are lifted,” added Walden.
“We’ll kick things off by asking our highly engaged social community across the country to share their bucketlist destinations, the places they want to go fi rst when they’re able. We want to turn this question into a national conversation, not just into a media campaign, and show Canadians that all their travel aspirations can and should be fulfi lled right here in Canada,” she said. MORE FUNDING IS NEEDED FOR CANADA TO REMAIN COMPETITIVE
Beth Potter, TIAC’s new President and CEO who co-hosted Friday’s webinar, said that it’s imperative Canada regains its momentum and competitiveness on a global scale, which is why TIAC has asked the federal government to provide Destination Canada with at least $225 million in top-up funding over three years.
“Targeted supports are needed for tourism businesses to ensure that they’re around when border restrictions are lifted,” said Potter. “With the lack of travel in 2020 there’s an opportunity to inject some of this spending into Canada. Converting just 10%-12% of these Canadian expenditures could net an additional $4-$5 billion over and above inter- and intra-provincial spend.”
On behalf of Canada’s tour operators, TIAC is also lobbying for the following: • A tax incentive to Canadians for the 2021/2022 tax years to travel locally or within Canada • The re-introduction of the federally-funded Marquee Tourism Events
Program (MTEP) to support key festivals and events across Canada • The development of a Business
Events and Urban Recovery funding program to help support urban
DMOs replaced business, meetings and events losses • To reinstate the visitor GST program for international visitors • Targeted funding for labour market research and skill and capacity building programs that prioritize jobs in the tourism economy • To extend work visas for a full year and waive fees until 2022, and ensure immigration programs meet future tourism labour demands
“It is important that the industry be able to off er services for these domestic visitors so we are asking for support that allows the sector to survive and regain competitiveness through and following this pandemic,” said Potter. “With extended support we can thrive and survive – without it Canada’s tourism, culture and hospitality industries will be devastated as will our economy, impacting every corner of this great country.
“As we are all too aware, our businesses were the fi rst hit by the pandemic, the hardest hit by closures and will be the last to recover.” SUPPORT FOR CANADA’S HARDEST-HIT BUSINESSES
TIAC’s multi-layered recovery plan focuses largely on programs that are currently in play, all of which have served as lifelines to the tourism sector. Noting how businesses have “lost revenue and cashfl ow while fi xed expenses continue,” TIAC is calling on the government to extend CEWS to 85% for hardest-hit businesses until the end of summer 2021, and CERS until the end of 2021. According to the Coalition of the Hardest Hit Businesses, Potter revealed that 60% of those hardest hit in Canada will not survive if both programs are not extended beyond the June 5 deadline to the end of the year.
TIAC is also throwing its support be-
hind Canada’s aviation sector, calling on the government to provide immediate liquidity to carriers and airports, as well as sufficient funding to government service providers such as NavCan and the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA). It’s also asking to establish incentives for airlines to maintain service to remote communities and eliminate airport ground lease rent.
“Support for the aviation sector is critical for our recovery; every route lost or plane grounded will delay recover,” said Potter. “Without support for the air sector and access to liquidity to stay on top of fixed costs, the sector’s recovery will be prolonged and Canada may lose its global competitiveness.” THE TWO THINGS NEEDED FOR RECOVERY
Potter said two things must happen in order for Canada’s tourism industry to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
“One, we need to get Canadians moving around the country and that’s going to come as they gain more confidence in feeling safe to travel, and residents feel more comfortable welcoming people into their communities,” she said.
“On the other side of it, we also need time to plan so that businesses can open and this is the conversation we’re having with government. Let’s draw a line in the sand and pick a date, whether it’s in the summer after all Canadians get at least one vaccination shot, or in the fall after Canadians get both doses.
“We’ve got to ramp up and rehire half a million people, we need to com- municate with our clients and guests to tell them what they can expect be- cause we’ve had to change the way we do business a little bit, whether it’s timed-ticket entry or advanced reser- vations. We’re not an industry that can turn on a dime,” she added. REOPENING BORDERS & PROOF OF VACCINATION
Imperative to the industry’s recovery is the reopening of inter-provincial and international borders, which Potter believes the government can provide guidance on. Noting how “uncertainty is not a plan that ensures a successful recovery,” she added that countries around the world have already amended their entry guidelines using evidence-based data that supportd a reduced quarantine and increased testing as a more effective way to protect populations.
Canada’s 3-day hotel quarantine for international travellers, currently has no end-date though the federal government has maintained that any travel measures will remain in place for as long as necessary. In addition to the hotel quarantine, travellers five years of age or older must get tested for COVID-19 before travelling to Canada, take another COVID-19 molecular test upon arrival (if flying), before leaving the airport, finish out their 14-day quarantine at their place of quarantine, then take a day 10 test.
“We believe that Canada needs to rethink quarantine rules and invest in rapid testing and contact tracing,” said Potter. “Canada needs to function under a united travel approach and have one travel policy for the country as opposed to 13 individual policies.”
On the issue of proof of vaccination, TIAC is recommending that Canada adopts the measure, believing that it should become a common part of travellers’ travel documents moving forward. Potter noted that a system is already in place, used by airlines and border officials around the world to validate either proof of vaccinations or visas, and that the best way to implement this new requirement would be to piggyback on the existing system.
“We’ve been facilitating conversations with the federal government and we’ve been at the table with countries around the world because we want to make sure that what Canada’s solution looks like fits in with everybody else,” said Potter. But we need to understand that not everybody will be vaccinated. So we’re going to need a way for those who aren’t vaccinated to travel as well. A rigourous testing regime and contact tracing are the two solutions that seem to make the most amount of sense, one that doesn’t overly complicate the process and are easily accessible and attainable by travellers.” TIAC’S NEXT WEBINAR WILL HIGHLIGHT NEW FEDERAL BUDGET
Potter invites all TIAC members to support the not-for-profit organization’s lobbying efforts and send a letter to their MP via tourismcounts.ca. If not yet a member, she encourages them to sign up today to receive a host of benefits that include members-only webinars. The next webinar is scheduled for April 20, one day after the federal budget will be tabled, during which members will receive an overview of how the budget will impact businesses moving forward.
“As each wave of this crisis hits us, we want to make sure that we are understanding and communicating with all of the businesses in the industry to know how it’s impacting them,” said Potter. “Please join your peers across the country in fuelling the work we are doing today, tomorrow and in the future for your survival and recovery. Our success begins with your support.”“We’ve got to ramp up, we need to communicate with our clients and guests ... we’re not an industry that can turn on a dime.”
“We have already seen the importance of vaccinations for int’l travel”: Trudeau
OTTAWA — At his latest COVID-19 briefing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was asked about vaccination passports and whether or not the federal government would relax the current travel restrictions for people who have been completely vaccinated.
Talk about vaccination passports has ramped up considerably in recent weeks, and countries including Canada have indicated interest.
But with many parts of Canada including Ontario in the midst a third wave, and cases linked to variants of concern on the rise, Trudeau’s message was, not surprisingly, a familiar one: now is not the time.
“We are still in the middle of a very serious third wave,” Trudeau said, adding that the focus now should be flattening the curve. However he did add: “We all hope to reopen the border so we can start travelling again in the coming months.”
Trudeau has been careful to distinguish between vaccination passports for international travel, and proof of vaccination for use domestically.
