Get one-on-one coaching and marketplace support through the EXPORT Travel Trade Program and take the next steps to build your customer-base for years to come. Collaborating with a coach with extensive experience in the travel trade, you will learn best practices, build your sales strategy, and then get to work building partnerships with tour operators and travel agents to attract more national and international customers. The program offers support through two streams: Travel Trade Readiness and Marketplace Support.
What is the travel trade?
The travel trade is the network of travel and tourism services that includes tour operators, travel agents and online travel agents. Working with the travel trade helps get information about your business to more travellers and opens new sales opportunities. It’s also a great way to help showcase the broad range of experiences Nova Scotia has to offer, generating awareness and interest in the province.
Why participate?
Travel agents and tour operators can be a partner in marketing your business. Being included in their packages and product catalogues gives you access to their client network, raising awareness of your business and extending your marketing reach. It also helps you build repeat business, giving you more predictability in your sales. Our research also shows travellers from the United Kingdom and Germany tend to book their travel to Canada through tour operators and travel agents, making these partnerships a great way to attract travellers from those markets.
Who can participate?
The EXPORT Travel Trade program Travel Trade Readiness stream is open to tourism businesses that have been in operation for at least one year and have taken part in the Atlantic Travel Trade Readiness Program or have some experience working with the travel trade. The EXPORT Travel Trade program Marketplace Support stream is open to tourism businesses that have been doing business with travel trade partners such as receptive tour operators, wholesalers, motorcoach companies, etc., for a minimum of two years or have successfully completed the EXPORT Travel Trade Readiness Program and have secured contracts with travel trade partners.
Businesses that successfully complete the Export Travel Trade Readiness program will be able to qualify to participate in the Atlantic Canada Showcase in October 2025 in New Brunswick. There they can expand their sales offerings and increase their customer base through connecting with industry leaders and signing new contracts.
Those who have completed the Travel Trade Readiness stream and have been contracting with travel trade partners for at least two years will be eligible to apply for our Marketplace Support program where we provide support for registration fees so that you can meet one-on-one with national and international tour operators and travel agents. Here are some of the eligible marketplaces for those interested in the Marketplace Support stream of the program:
Bienvenue Québec: October 27-30, 2024 (Québec City, QC)
Ontario Motor Coach Association: November 4-6, 2024 (Windsor, ON)
National Travel Association: November 17-20, 2024 (Huntsville, AL)
Canada Showcase Europe: November 12-14, 2024 (Paris, France)
American Bus Association: February 1-4, 2025 (Philadelphia, PA)
Rendez-vous Canada: May 2025 (Location TBD)
Read the guidelines and apply now!
Applications to the first stream of Travel Trade Readiness will be accepted until June 30, 2024.
Applications to the second stream of Marketplace Support will be accepted until May 31, 2024.
Applications will be assessed when they are received. There is no cost to participate.
For more information, please contact Natalie Shaw, Market Development Coordinator, at natalie.shaw@novascotia.ca.