Events in Mexico and Brazil capitalize on Canada’s growing strength in these two emerging markets.
2012-10-1 — /travelprnews.com/ — Tradeshow season is in full swing. The Canadian Tourism Commission(CTC) and its partners have been on the road, leading two important B2B events in Mexico and Brazil.
The doors have just closed on a successful Conozca Canada & GoMedia Mexico at the Sheraton Maria Isabel Hotel & Towers, Mexico City. Over four days, 27 Canadian industry reps spent quality face time with 30 Mexican buyers and 19 media peeps. Learning was the main focus of this year’s Conozca: a series of lectures and seminars brought local operators up to speed on where to best direct their efforts to increase sales of travel to Canada. The traditional 15-minute one-to-one meetings were replaced by a series of 45-minute workshops led by each participating province.
Star of the show: the launch of the CTC’s Signature Experiences Collection® in Mexico, with reps from Nimmo Bay Wilderness Resort, VIA Rail and La Sucrerie de la Montagne explaining to attendees the benefits of membership and how it can boost international visitor numbers.
The Canada a Voces dinner and awards honoured the best tour operator of the year as well the best media work in several categories (photos, online, radio and TV). It was the ideal prelude to GoMedia Mexico, where local culinary, lifestyle, and travel journos met with Canadian industry reps to rack up some story ideas. CTC partners for the Mexican events were Ontario Tourism Marketing Partnership Corporation, Tourism British Columbia, Tourisme Québec, Travel Alberta and VIA Rail.
Back in August, Showcase Canada-Brazil took its turn in the spotlight at the Hotel Tivoli, São Paulo, where 37 Canadian industry sellers joined 42 Brazilian buyers and 12 media reps to build business opportunities and relationships. CTC’s recently-published 2011 Tourism Snapshot Year-in-review shows that the Brazilians are the biggest spenders out of Canada’s international visitors, staying an average 19 days and spending $1,837 per trip.
The Showcase was also the perfect vehicle to introduce CTC’s Signature Experiences Collection® to a market eager for top-notch experiential travel. The launch came with a novel twist, with the experiences depicted as if in an art exhibition.
Day one saw a series of industry briefings with the latest info on the ground from Brazil. These included a broad economic overview, the latest consumer trends and a presentation by the Visa Application Centre. Benoit Fontaine from the Brazilian Consulate also spoke of the trade being developed between Brazil and Canada that has tourism potential.
Day two was jam-packed with speed-dating-style one-to-one appointments between the Canadian contingent and the local buyers and media. A CTC-sponsored lunch and evening cocktail reception allowed attendees the chance for more relaxed networking, too. CTC partners for this year’s Showcase Canada-Brazil were Ontario Tourism Marketing Partnership Corporation, Tourisme Québec and Air Canada.
“Both shows proved effective in keeping a cohesive message for all of Canada top of mind among the local travel trade,” says Charles McKee, CTC vice-president, International. “The leads and business generated bode well for Canadian industry prospects in these markets leading into 2013.”
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