Few people appreciate how much Canada has to offer travellers like Wolf Paunic. Having journeyed extensively across the country for over 30 years, the Trafalgar/Costsaver Canada president is so eager to share his insights that he has personally helped create a new line of tours exclusively for Canadians.
Paunic points to a visit last winter to Halifax, for example, and his “elation” at discovering the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia – a venue that had eluded him despite having visited the city “50 to 60 times over the years.”
“I still have a practice that whenever I go on a business trip, I always look for something that I haven’t seen before. There are so many things to see in Canada,” he told Travel Industry Today. “I consider it a real privilege to have had an opportunity to have seen so much of our beautiful country.”
To that end, Trafalgar’s new ‘Near Not Far Limited Series’ of guided vacations in Canada is designed to “help Canadians discover that beauty and immersive and interesting travel experiences in Canada.”
Moreover, Paunic says the team at Trafalgar, like him, has “the experience to help deliver these rich cultural, unique-connection-with-people travel experiences in our own backyard.”
Launched as “a point of pride” just before the nation’s national holiday, July 1, the fall tours comprise three different itineraries that were “passionately created by Canadians for Canadians” and specifically at a time when travellers in this country are looking to stay closer to home in 2020 due to pandemic fears and restrictions.
Trafalgar points to a recent study conducted by Leger 360 in which 51 percent of Canadians stated they would feel comfortable travelling regionally within two months of the COVID-19 protective measures being lifted.
As such, Trafalgar created three tours: the nine-day “Maritimes Adventure” trip; seven-day “Escape to the Rockies,” and nine-day “Enchanting Châteaux of Ontario and Quebec,” each with select departure dates starting in September (all Trafalgar tours are currently cancelled through Aug. 31).
Paunic says the tours were based in part on existing Canada programs, but “with a very different twist – because attracting Canadians to see and experience things in Canada is a little bit different than attracting an international guest.”
An international guest, he explains is driven by iconic sights and research they’ve done online, whereas Canadians are largely familiar with the iconic sights, may have travelled to major cities on business, and may want to return to see and do things they’ve haven’t experienced.
Such as:
• Maritimes Adventure (Sept 13 and Oct. 2 from Halifax): Tour participants can learn to embrace a simpler way of life and enjoy traditional East Coast cuisine on a visit to the oldest farm and inn on P.E.I. – owned and operated for four generations by the Shaw family in Brackley Beach, Prince Edward Island. Also, visit Peggy’s Cove and Hopewell Rocks.
• Escape to the Rockies (Sept. 17 and 28 from Calgary): Learn the art of playing hockey like a pro in Canmore, Alta., then travel to the Guinn family ranch and ‘Connect with Locals’ in Kananaskis Village over an exclusive ‘Be My Guest’ dinner and line dancing session. Stops include Banff, Jasper and Lake Louise.
• Enchanting Châteaux of Ontario and Quebec (Sept. 24 and Oct. 9 from Toronto): At the Canadian Museum of History, guests watch an exclusive traditional Pow Wow, followed by a guided visit to the onsite Indigenous village by cultural ambassadors, beading workshop, and more. Other highlights include at stay at the Royal York in Toronto, sipping wine in Niagara and eating cheese in Quebec.
More detailed itineraries are available online.
Beyond immersive Canadiana, which includes Trafalgar’s signature Be My Guest experiences, ‘Near Not Far’ tour participants will travel only with other Canadians, can avoid air travel if they live near departure points, are not subject to possible quarantine when returning from a foreign country, will share a coach with only 20-26 passengers (down from 48) and will be accompanied one of Trafalgar’s newly introduced Wellbeing directors, whose job is ensure tours meet all health and safety standards.
At the same time, Trafalgar has also updated its ‘Book With Confidence’ policy for consumers with a no-risk deposit and flexible change options for clients.
Paunic says Trafalgar is seeing strong interest from its retail partners about its domestic offerings and they are very eager to be able to council clients to start exploring “their own back yard.”
The Canada program is also a great way, he says, to give back to the community. “It’s an important part of us as brand and a company in helping our partners on a local level… people who are dependent on the travel industry for their livelihood.”
And to that end, and all levels, he adds, “We are looking at domestic travel as being an integral part of the recovering of tourism and travel.”