TRAVELHotNews.com Magazine

THNWEST PROFILE: GERRY ROUSSIN

A conversation with Sunwing Vacations� man in the West
Hilary Genders

Gerry Roussin in his Vancouver office

It�s been a little over a year since industry insiders received the big news that Gerry Roussin was leaving his position as Transat Holidays/Nolitours director of sales in Western Canada for a new role at Sunwing Vacations. THNWest sat down with Roussin late last year to discuss the big move, and his role as Sunwing�s vice president, sales and marketing, Western Canada. �It was a joint opportunity,� Roussin says of the move. �When I looked at it and evaluated it, I thought it was probably a good opportunity. I�ve been in the business for over 40 years and have had numerous jobs and hence you take that either you�ve got a lack of ability to hold a job, or you�re a risk taker. So I�d like to consider myself perhaps to be more of a risk-taker. They were looking for someone to quickly put it on the map in Western Canada, which is what I�d been responsible for the last seven years [at Transat]," he adds. "There weren�t going to be too many surprises as far as I was concerned. It was just a matter of working very hard and diligently to get the name out and the message out as to what Sunwing was in Western Canada." [Full text and pictures]

ACTA BC GOLF TOURNAMENT A BIG SUCCESS

Golfing for good cause at the ACTA-BC tourney
Janice Strong

Scott McBride, BCAA; Errol Francis, Conquest Vacations; Tom Aquiline, BPCPA; David McCaig, ACTA-BC

Despite the grey skies there were plenty of smiles at the ACTA-BC Travel Industry Annual Golf Tournament, held June 10 at Northview Golf & Country Club, once the home of the PGA�s Greater Vancouver Open, in Surrey. The seventh annual tournament was a sell-out, as it has been since its inception, with 160 golfers teeing off on Tuesday morning and 220 diners sitting down to a sumptuous buffet and an evening of prizes, jokes and congratulations in the elegant clubhouse. The golfers weren�t the only winners, though. Participants raised $1,410 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation in the Beat the Pro contest, where 68 golfers out-dueled Northview�s resident pro. [Full text and pictures]

THN HOLIDAY SNAPSHOTS CONTEST

Submit up to three of your best holiday photos for your chance to win a week's holiday on the Riviera Maya

The grand prize: a one-week trip to the Grand Sunset Princess, Riviera Maya

Calling all aspiring photographers among Western Canada's retail travel agent community! It's time to show off your favourite holiday snaps -- both for bragging rights, and for the chance to win a week-long trip to the Riviera Maya. That's right, TRAVELHotNews.com's Holiday Snapshots contest is back for its third year. Agents are invited to submit up to three digital photographs for consideration. All the pictures will be posted online at our Holiday Snapshots Contest Online Photo Album at THNWest.com. One grand-prize winner will be selected to receive a one-week trip to the Grand Sunset Princess in the Riviera Maya, Mexico, courtesy of Sunwing Vacations. Only digital photos sent by e-mail will be accepted; images must be the entrant's own original work. So leaf through your digital photo collection and dust off your favourites for submission. THNWest.com will be accepting your photos for the contest until July 13, 2008, so get started now! Click here to read the contest rules, and click here to submit your snapshots.

ALIO LAUNCHES IN THE WEST

New Vancouver office now open to serve Western Canada

Alio opened its new Vancouver office on Monday, with a full team of local and experienced employees in reservations, management and sales to offer a full selection of tailored product to the company�s travel agent partners in B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. First launched in Montreal in 1981, Alio has over the last three decades become one of Canada�s leading travel wholesaler/ consolidators due to its strong commitment to travel agent partners and an extensive product line featuring the South Pacific, Hawaii, the Western US and Mexico. Alio says packages specifically suited to Western Canadian agents will be available in the weeks to come, and invites suggestions from agents. [Full text and pictures]

BIG SUMMER SAVINGS FROM SUNQUEST

Up to $500 off per couple at select resorts

Sunquest�s latest promotion can save your clients up to $500 per couple on their summer holiday. These savings are available on all new bookings made by Monday, June 30 at midnight (EDT) for travel between July 3 and August 31, 2008 at a selection of resorts. The promotion is valid on group bookings and applicable to seven- and 14-night durations, as well as three- and four-night durations in Nassau. Singles, triples and quads get the same per person savings as the couple offer. [Full text and pictures]

SILK�S VISIT INDONESIA 2008 ROAD SHOW

Five shows in B.C. and Alberta this August; attend for chance to win a trip to Bali with EVA Airways

Silk Holidays is gearing up for its Visit Indonesia 2008 Road Show this August. The company will host five shows across B.C. and Alberta: a breakfast show in Red Deer on Tuesday, August 5; an evening show in Edmonton later that day; an evening show in Abbotsford on Wednesday, August 6; a breakfast show in North Vancouver on Thursday, August 7; and an evening show in Parksville, also on August 7. Silk promises agents the �ultimate in diversity guaranteed�. Attendees have a chance to win a trip to Bali with EVA Airways. For more information, visit the TRAVELHotNews.com calendar of events here.

PRAYING FOR THE WHITE STUFF

itravel2000 brings back �Let It Snow� promotion for 2009

Jonathan Carroll, president, itravel2000.com

itravel2000 kicked off the 2008/2009 edition of its Let It Snow program that will again have Canadians from coast to coast wishing for snow this New Years Day yesterday in Toronto. The Let It Snow program will reward Canadians with a free winter vacation if it snows more than five inches on January 1, 2009. Thousands of Canadians entered the 2007/2008 Let it Snow campaign, the largest travel promotion in Canadian history. Last year, participants in Quebec won free trips when more than 5 inches fell at the airport in Montreal. Participants in Toronto missed out on free trips by about an inch. Participants from Atlantic Canada had lots of snow the day before New Years Day and the day after. Clients who book a qualifying vacation with itravel2000 between June 17 and October 19, 2008 can win their vacation for free � if it snows more than five inches at their regional measuring site on January 1, 2009. If it snows enough, consumers will receive a cheque to reimburse them for the retail price (less taxes and fees), of their vacation upon their return. [Full text and pictures]