CRAZY FOR QUÉBEC
MY CANADA Welcome to Diverse and different
KATHY FARAHAT Product Manager
Thomas Cook Signature and Thomas Cook Tours
As the product manager for one of the UK’s leading tour operators, Kathy Farahat has visited Canada several times – but there’s always plenty of reasons to go back
MY
Canada is…a country I love because it has
so much exciting product – from city breaks to a two-week self-drive itinerary through the Rockies.
HOW DO YOU KNOW CANADA SO WELL? I am the Canada Product Manager for Thomas Cook Signature and Thomas Cook Tours and have been to Canada several times over the years – I now know the country pretty well. The thing that really appeals to me is that it is so diverse and has so many experiences to offer – from soaking up the atmosphere and culture of Québec City on one trip to admiring the beautiful mountain scenery from the Rocky Mountaineer train on another and watching beluga whales in Manitoba on a third visit.
FIRM FAVOURITES My absolute favourite, and one of the most beautiful places in the world, has
to be Sonora Resort on Vancouver Island. It's in an idyllic setting and so relaxing. Although the resort is luxurious it is also casual, so you can really feel at home. The wildlife spotting on offer there is truly amazing – on the same day I saw dolphins, bald eagles and bears.
CANADIAN MEMORIES One of my most exciting trips ever was seeing the polar bears up in Churchill, Manitoba. They are such beautiful creatures and you get to see them in a natural environment and up very close. That was most definitely the trip of a lifetime.
WISH LIST? I would like to spend a bit more time touring around Atlantic Canada. Although I have travelled to some parts of the eastern provinces I still haven’t made it to Newfoundland and that’s a destination I would like to explore at leisure.
"My absolute favourite, and one of the most beautiful places in the world, has to be Sonora resort on
Vancouver Island. It's in an idyllic setting and so relaxing. On the same day I saw dolphins, bald eagles and bears"
CANADA CHALLENGES It can be difficult for agents who haven’t visited Canada to appreciate the sheer size and scale of the country, so the planning of itineraries can be challenging for them. A second difficulty can be that the
cost of a trip to Canada compared to many other destinations can be off putting. We encourage agents to seek expert advice to help them secure their sales. It is all about selling the experiences, the quality and the value- for-money experiences.
TRADE SUPPORT We offer support in several ways. Firstly, we have a specialist call centre team dedicated to Canada. The staff are well trained on Canada, have visited the destination on several occasions and are there to help. Secondly, to develop agents’
knowledge we supply quarterly training sessions which include interactive online quizzes to help agents understand the destination, the transport options as well as the wide range of tours, hotels and activities that are available. Thirdly, there are opportunities to attend fam trips throughout the year
which are linked to selling performance. Fam trips are invaluable to the agents as they get first-hand experience which really inspires them to sell the product.
SALES TIP Canada is a vast destination with a wealth of interesting product and one of my recommendations would be to take an escorted tour. These are easy to sell as all the planning of the itinerary has been done in advance. They are also incredible value for money and with our Thomas Cook Tours even the worry of getting to the airport is taken care of for you.
LEARN MORE
For Canadian holiday ideas see www.
thomascooktours.com
For assistance contact the Thomas Cook Call Centre team on 0844 871 0677. For Thomas Cook Signature Canada product 0844 692 6761.
Selling Canada • winter 2012/13 23
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