01 MAY 2018: On a night so foul as to make a weatherperson blush, and with five Toronto sports teams beckoning (either live or on TV), Sunwing still managed to attract close to 500 travel counsellors to a gala dinner presentation and trade show at Woodbine Race Track last Wednesday night.

Such is the profile and clout of the tour company that close to 5,000 agents in total will be hosted at 21 events across the country through the end of May. The Woodbine event was the second of the series after Stoney Creek/Hamilton, Ont., the night before. Dubbed the “Every Step of the Way” tour, the events focus on new offerings, services and products, including a new web site and app designed to help agents and their clients throughout each stage of booking and travel.

“We want to show agents that we’re with them every step of the way,” Sunwing director of sales for Ontario and Atlantic Canada, David Wright told Travel Industry Today. “We’re with them pre-travel, during travel, and post-travel,” he added, alluding to the road show theme.

Integral to this commitment are the recently launched sunwingcares.ca web site and a new app available for mobile devices, which enable Sunwing clients, or agents on their behalf, to access a wealth of information during the travel process, including facilitating room or seat upgrades, booking excursions, finding exclusive deals on local attractions, or contacting a Sunwing agent or destination rep. The app also allows travellers to call home for free.

“When either of the services is engaged by entering a booking number, a message is sent to the appropriate department and handled immediately,” Wright said, “In a destination it’s like a triage centre.”

In other services news, agents learned that booking excursions with the tour company now earn STAR agent reward points and that soon excursions will be able to be booked as a standalone product that doesn’t depend on having an air or hotel booking first. Also, soon to be introduced will be actual booking capabilities in the sunwingagents.ca portal.

As for product, Sunwing highlighted new 2018-19 brochures for Sunwing, Signature, Cruises and Groups, with many of the featured suppliers on hand for a pre-dinner trade show, including both local and out-of-country reps. Ranging from RIU Hotels & Resorts, Barcelo and Blue Diamond, to Cuba, Jamaica, Miami and St. Petersburg, Fla., southern sun and sea were front and centre for the next winter season. More than 80 suppliers in total will man tabletops across the country during the road show series, Wright said.

For its part, Sunwing will feature close to 50 destinations across the Caribbean, Mexico, and Central America with departures from 33 Canadian gateways. New resorts include the Royalton Antigua, Royalton Cancun Resort and Spa, Planet Hollywood Beach Resort Costa Rica, Grand Memories Punta Cana and PlayaBachata Resort, while new destinations include Antigua, Bonaire, and Playa Mujeres and Riviera Diamante, Mexico.

The Signature Collection, meanwhile, features six resort chains: RIU, Karisma, Excellence, Hard Rock, Krystal, and Jewel – the latter in Jamaica for the first time. New hotels openings include Riu Dunamar, Riu Palace Costa Mujeres, Riu Palace Baja California, Riu Sante Fe, Hard Rock Hotel Los Cabos, Krystal Grand Nuevo Vallarta, and Sensatori Azul Beach Resort.

Featured in the 11th edition of the Sunwing cruise guide are three cruise lines: MSC Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, and Marella Cruises, the latter a TUI vessel sailing Caribbean itineraries aboard the Marella Discovery II, a former Royal Caribbean ship. Air and sea packages are also offered from Toronto, Montreal, Quebec City, Ottawa and Vancouver for cruises aboard the MSC Seaside and Divina (including 10- and 11-day itineraries), and the Norwegian Getaway and new ship, Norwegian Bliss. All packages include transfers between airport and port.

Not to be forgotten are groups and destination weddings which continue to “soar,” along with increasingly popular vow renewals and anniversaries. Various group discounts and incentives continue to be in effect and agents making bookings through Aug. 28 will qualify for the popular STARmillionaire promotion.