An Elite Canada Specialist's tips for selling Canada Day
When it comes to the intricacies of selling holidays incorporating Canada Day, who better to advise than an Elite Canada Specialist? Madeleine Barber speaks to Sarah Watson for her top tips
Red-and-white parades, backyard barbecues and fireworks can only mean one thing: Canada Day. Since 1867, the annual festivities have taken place in cities, national parks and homes across the country on 1 July to celebrate the confederation of Canada.
While clients might feel uneasy attending the scheduled celebrations this year due to Covid, a visit to Canada during Canada Day could be a recommendation for a client considering a 2022 booking.
Sarah Watson, director and Elite Canada Specialist at Travel Impressions in Tring, has had various clients visit Canada during the celebrations, one of whom was a solo traveller exploring Newfoundland. Other clients have celebrated at Emerald Lake near Banff or in Victoria, while Watson herself experienced Canada Day in Halifax during a Destination Canada fam trip in 2018.
“It was lovely to see people in Canada T-shirts, and everyone celebrating their shared national pride – it was a great atmosphere,” she says.
Top takeaways
Watson has plenty of tips for agents who encounter a booking for this period. “If the dates fall over Canada Day, you must mention it to clients and adapt itineraries, depending on whether they want to experience the celebrations or not,” she says.
“Ensure they have accommodation as everything gets booked up, and there’s often a minimum-night stay as Canadians go away themselves, especially in Banff and Jasper.”
Watson suggests agents send Canada-Day-keen clients to the cities and ask local tourist boards to recommend the best shows and parades to book.
“You don’t want clients to get there and find they can’t get in,” she explains, adding that historic sites, national parks and museums often waive their entry fees for the day.
Although Canada Day is likely to look different this year given the impact of the pandemic, Watson has clients planning to spend the national celebration in Ottawa, and is feeling positive about the booking.
“If you get the chance to experience Canada Day, do it,” she says. “Personally, I got emotional – we need to celebrate like this more in the UK.”
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