A Sandals Dinner for Canadian Travel Agents and Air Canada Vacations = The Perfect Pairing

A Sandals Dinner for Canadian Travel Agents and Air Canada Vacations Adds a Non-Stop Flight to Great Exuma...

Recently, the Chairman and I, as well as a team of top management, headed up to Toronto to show our support for Sandals’ fastest growing market—Canada—with an incredible Travel Agent Appreciation Dinner.

Even though there was a snowstorm on the night of the event, that didn’t stop 500 travel agents and industry partners from coming out and attending the function. Some people even came from as far away as Calgary, Alberta and Halifax, Nova Scotia. Now that’s dedication! And we didn’t disappoint. We shared the very latest and always exciting Sandals news and caught everyone up on the great things that lie ahead.

Although the travel agents were definitely thrilled with all Sandals’ happenings and plans, I have to admit that there was a conflict of interest. You see the Vancouver Olympics were still in full swing and that night was the finals of the Women’s Hockey between the Canadian national team and the USA. So, I’m pretty sure that there was some score-watching going on—and who could blame them? The Chairman and I even got into the spirit by putting on some hockey jerseys from the local team. (I guess we must have brought them luck, because Canada won that evening.)

It was a great night and a really unbelievable event. We even gave away a Sandals co-branded Honda Element to the lucky grand prize winner of our “We Believe in Travel Agents” incentive! With all the enthusiasm and excitement in the room that night, it was easy to see why the Canadian market continues to grow exponentially year after year after year. We can’t say enough about how much we appreciate our Canadian travel agent partners!

Another sign of just how much Sandals believes in and is committed to the further expansion of the Canadian market, I headed down to Great Exuma in the Bahamas, just one week later, to help welcome the very first weekly, non-stop flight from Toronto! This flight, which is the latest result of a longstanding and valued partnership between Sandals and Air Canada Vacations, will give passengers from Toronto—and those who connect through Toronto from 65 Canadian cities—direct access to Georgetown, Great Exuma, the site of the brand new Sandals Emerald Bay! I can’t tell you how happy we are that Air Canada Vacations chose to make Georgetown their newest destination. Now, it’ll be that much easier to introduce so many guests from the north to the unspoiled natural beauty of the Exumas and to the amazing features and luxuries of Sandals Emerald Bay.

The Chairman and I show off our hockey jerseys and help the Canadian travel agents cheer on their Olympic team.

A big smile from the Chairman, as he models his team jersey for the appreciative Canadian travel agents.

Here the Chairman and I congratulate Janice Bell, from Carlson Wagonlit/Youlten Travel in Timmins, Ontario, who was the lucky winner of a Sandals co-branded Honda Element.

A water salute greets the very first Air Canada Vacations non-stop flight from Toronto to Georgetown, Great Exuma.

It was a great privilege to be able to say a few words of welcome to this new service, as the aircraft sits on the tarmac behind me.

Zeina Gedeon, the CEO and President of Air Canada Vacations, and I pose onboard the plane that will be bringing so many Canadians to the Exumas.

Members of the Bahamian Ministry, the Air Canada Vacations crew and the Sandals team all get together for a group photo in front of the plane.