ANDREW DAWSON: Sunwing president looks ahead to winter 2023

Andrew Dawson

 

Sunwing released its winter sun schedule last week, offering an overall capacity boost over the previous winter season, including more options in particular from The Prairies and Atlantic Canada, plus over 700 hotels and a couple of new destinations. We checked in with Sunwing President of Tour Operations Andrew Dawson for a quick-hit three-question Q&A to find out what’s trending, and why the tour company is so confident about the season ahead.

1. It seems that Sunwing is confident Canadians will continue to travel this winter, despite inflation and high interest rate headwinds. Why do think that is?

The demand for leisure travel to sun destinations is very strong, despite inflation, and we have seen strong demand for travel this summer with impressive bookings for upcoming travel and last-minute summer getaways. I expect customer demand will only intensify as we approach our peak winter season and the temperatures begin to drop.

We offer a wide range of options for all budgets, and often find in times of economic uncertainty that travellers will gravitate towards the certainty of the fixed price which an all-inclusive vacation offers.

2. At this point, are any of the destinations “trending” more than others – e.g. Cuba?

Cuba is always a popular choice among our customers – between the price point for packages, pristine beaches and rich local history and culture, Cuba is a no-brainer that has long been a favourite among Sunwing Vacations customers.

Notably, we have 23% growth in capacity for Cuba this winter. We are excited to continue offering flights to Cayo Largo (including the addition of a second weekly flight from Montreal), along with the new additions this year of Cienfuegos and Manzanillo de Cuba, available to Canadians flying from Toronto and Montreal.

We’re also seeing growing demand for travel to Pacific Mexico and are excited to offer more flights and packages to Los Cabos, Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta this winter, along with increased service to Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic.

3. So, is the first full and real “normal” winter since pandemic?

Yes, we are nearly at pre-pandemic travel levels for this winter and are excited to be growing in capacity by 15% from last winter. We look forward to a successful winter program and bringing more packages and travel options to Canadians from coast to coast, with the support of our valued travel advisors who we are immensely grateful for.