The European Travel Commission (ETC) has launched a bilingual trade campaign in Canada intended to help educate travel agents and tour operators on the implementation of strict European safety protocols and the numerous new travel experiences in a lead-up to the resumption of international travel.
The ETC says “numerous” activities are being planned through the end of May and will coincide, later in the spring, with a major ETC consumer campaign designed to inspire Canadians to visit Europe this summer or fall.
Meanwhile, the ETC, in partnership with its member National Tourism Organizations (NTOs), is also working on the development of the “Europe Invites the Curious” global campaign co-funded by the European Union.
“The goal of this Canada-specific campaign is to restore confidence and build a distinctive image of Europe as a desirable travel destination for Canadians,” says ETC head of marketing Miguel Gallego. “Our objective is to maintain the European travel market share and better disperse traveller flows in terms of geography and seasons, all the while considering aspirations for sustainability in tourism and its growth. When the time is right, Europe looks forward to welcoming Canadians back to experience our pristine nature, creative cities and historic sites.”
Canada ranks third among all out-of-region outbound travel markets for European destinations with 6.5 million travellers having arrived from Canada arrived in Europe in 2019.
“During these challenging times, ETC wants to show its full commitment to support Canadian travel to Europe for when the time is right,” says Pascal Prinz, chair of the ETC’s Canada Chapter. “The pandemic has not stopped the love of Canadians for Europe. If anything, Canadians have missed Europe even more since the border closure last March. Our aim is to show Canadians how Europe has worked hard to implement strict safety travel protocols and can’t wait to welcome visitors back.”
Travel agents and tour operators seeking information about current travel conditions in Europe are advised to consult the portal reopen.europa.eu