Texas trade mission delegates were tickled to be back in Canada this week – Toronto on Tuesday, Montreal on Wednesday – not least with the memories of fleeing Vancouver last time they were here and in March 2020 as the border slammed closed behind them on their way home.
It was a fraught experience that presaged dark days to come as the pandemic took hold and no one knew that it would be two-plus years before the Texas team would be able to return to their No. 2 international market (not surprisingly after bordering Mexico).
“This is my first international mission,” Travel Texas’ Debra Bustos told Travel Industry Today in Toronto, ahead of a Texas-themed barbecue lunch at the Carbon Bar on Queen Street. “It is so good to be back.”
Bustos was joined by tourism colleagues from Houston, Lubbock, Fort Worth, San Antonio (which is preparing to host a Canadian “reverse” trade mission in a couple of weeks), along with Air Canada and the state’s Canadian representatives, Lorenzo Campos and Rosalyn Hunter of VoX International.
Hunter offered up a quick post-pandemic “refresher” on a state that welcomes upwards of 500,000 Canadians a year, including a significant “snowbird” niche, and had been on roll in 2019 with arrivals increasing to close to 10% over the year previous. From the panhandle to prairies, and the Gulf Coast to hill country, not to mention vibrant urban centres like Houston, Dallas, Austin and San Antonio, there is no shortage of places to discover and experiences for visitors to have, she said.
Air Canada’s Bradley Sutherland noted that the airline’s service to Texas has expanded from a lowly one flight at week at the height (depth) of the pandemic, to 126 a week out of Toronto (Dallas/Ft. Worth, Houston, and Austin), Montreal (Houston and DFW), and Vancouver (DFW, plus new service in June to Austin. “It’s been a huge recovery,” he understated.
There are also direct flights from Calgary and Edmonton and service from WestJet, American and United.
With so much to discover in Texas, not least “epic” adventure options, from dark sky preserves to activities like hiking and rock climbing; to the unique culinary scene, including wineries, craft breweries and distilleries; as well as golf, spas, and traditional cultural events like rodeos, the state’s tourism department has introduced a new custom online planning tool, dubbed “Get Your Own Trip to Texas.”
And San Antonio communications director Dee Dee Poteete pointed out that next year’s IPW travel trade show, US tourism’s biggest, will be held in city May 20-24 and will feature a gala evening at the Alamo.
Meanwhile, all of the presenters reminded that visitors will truly find that everything is bigger in Texas. As the state tourism slogan goes, they say: “Go big, or go home.”