Having operated for 106 years, Collette has stuck it’s toe into Canadian waters on plenty of occasions. But Wednesday’s visit seemed special as the Rhode Island-based tour operator gathered with close to 100 key members of the travel trade members in Toronto for the first time since the pandemic, and to be formally introduced to the company’s new CEO Jaclyn Leibl-Cote.

Of course, meeting the new CEO had a familiar ring, as Liebel-Cote was named to succeed the travel company’s long-time boss Dan Sullivan, her father, last October.

Not that Liebel-Cote hasn’t been associated with the family firm since childhood when she used to “play Collette” at the office on weekends, working her way up the ranks in a more official capacity over the years before taking the reigns last October as the company’s fourth CEO in its history and first woman.

The move in part reflected her involvement in “rebuilding” the company from the pandemic, which she called “the worst time ever,” and a period when the company contracted from 720 employees to 64.

On a sunnier note, Liebel-Cote recounted hers and Collette’s connections to Canada, including her marriage to a Quebecker, Christian (a former CFL player who is now Collette’s executive VP of global business), a family cottage near Magog, Que; and having children who hold both US and Canadian passports.

She also pointed out that Toronto was Collette’s first international office – opened in the 1980s – which now operates with a full country team under Ron Lonsdale in suburban Streetsville, Ont.

Perhaps it’s not surprising then that Canada also ranks as one of the company’s top markets, Collette Sr. Senior Director of Product Marketing Diana Ditto told the audience – particularly for the company’s new Explorations tours, where Canadians currently comprise close to 35% of all bookings, with expectations of that figure reaching close to 65% of business by 2025. “You’re killing it,” she laughed, and that Collette’s US team had a lot of work to do to catch up to Canada..

Explorations was a key theme of the day for the event’s panellists, which also included Collette’s Julie Kelly, Sr. Director of Global B2B Strategy and Development, and Tourism Ireland’s executive VP for the US and Canada Allison Metcalfe, the latter representing Collette’s top-selling destination in Canada.

The small group Explorations tours (average 18 guests, max 24), attendees learned, was devised to offer travellers an alternative to the “classics” product, with a focus on secondary and off-the-beaten-track destinations, featuring authentic experiences, and elevating local people and stories (at the same time not neglecting “must-see” attractions).

The new product line has helped Collette offer nearly 150 itineraries to clients, all curated by the company directly, and designed not to “waste clients’ time,’ such as looped itineraries that needlessly return to their point of origin to conclude.

“We would never do that to ourselves, so why we would do it to our travellers,” stated Ditto, who added that Collette’s philosophy is that the tours are contrived “by travellers for travellers.”

And while the growth of the Explorations line represents the new trend towards more in-depth regional travel and beyond the clichéd “if it’s Tuesday if must be Belgium” multi-destination, one-night stand traditional style of coach touring, Ditto revealed another trend twist: multi-gen travel comprised of adults, usually over 50, travelling with their senior parents (without including a third generation, or skipping the middle gen).

A tendency to travel longer has also brought destinations like Africa, Asia, and Australia to the top of the sell list.

Liebl-Cote also emphasized Collette’s connection to travel advisors, noting that the company’s refund policy for unfulfilled tours – including during the pandemic – is just one way the company respects its retail partners. “We don’t want to put you between us and the client (over such matters),” she said.

Meanwhile Kelly noted that Collette has a host of tools and material for agents to utilize and will launch Collette University this summer to further facilitate training and learning about the company’s product. Moreover, she noted, with just one call, agents can arrange air, tours, insurance and more with Collette.

“We try to make things easy for advisors,” she explained.

Collette’s VP for Canada Lonsdale added that the company operates on a B2B level and doesn’t discount or sell through Costco.

“The travel agent is the silver lining,” he said. “The travel industry is a family, and we always say to travel agents, ‘You’re part of the family!”