Top tips for selling Canada from an expert agent
Travel Counsellor Suzanne Barney was the lucky winner of a trip to Canada in October with Destination Canada. Here she discusses some of the highlights of her trip.
Suzanne’s trip included two nights in Quebec, staying in the famous Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac. She then travelled in business class to Montreal on Via Rail, and spent two nights in the Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth hotel. Here she shares her favourite moments from the trip and her top selling tips:
What were the highlights of your trip?
It had to be staying at the Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac. It’s listed in the Guinness World Records as the most photographed hotel in the world, and I have to say it is so beautiful, especially at night when it was lit up with lights. I felt very special staying here.
Quebec is so beautiful and I loved how compact it was, and it was so easy to find everything as we were right in the centre. A walking tour was included with our stay which was perfect, as we only had 48 hours, so it meant we got to see all the best features of the city. We now know which locations to go back to when we have more time.
Travelling on Via Rail was another highlight of our trip. We purchased business class seats as it was a three-hour journey, and we had lots of space, comfortable seats and received great service. Food and drink was also included, making it incredible value. Plus, the journey was quite scenic, crossing the St. Lawrence River several times.
In Montreal, a highlight was the spectacular view from Mount Royal Park, and the wonderful fall colours.
What selling tips or new knowledge did you gain from the trip?
There were not that many UK tourists in this part of Canada. You could be in France; the locals were friendly and did speak English, but signage is in French. The food is really French-influenced, with lots of bistros and patisseries.
Montreal was a little tricky to navigate as it was a much bigger city. But once we discovered the Montreal Metro it was pretty easy to get around.
You really need to head to the old town (Old Montreal) in the evening. It’s safe to travel on the Montreal Metro and there is a good selection of restaurants. It’s a little more touristy in the old town, as I found where we were staying, which close to the Via Rail station, had more of a corporate feel, with high-rise buildings, and there wasn’t anywhere we could walk to. I think if we had travelled when there was a festival on it would have been a completely different atmosphere.
We flew to Canada with Air Transat from Gatwick. Air Transat was great and there was plenty of legroom in economy. You need to bring your own earphones, but there are movies on board. The airports in Canada were clean, efficient and everything was on time. Plus, taxis from the airports offer a fixed rate.
Public transport is excellent, and there was very little traffic in both cities. The Montreal Metro was clean and it wasn’t crowded. It’s not expensive, costing £15pp for three days. That included our transfer to the airport, which was a metro/bus combination. VIA Rail is an excellent way to travel between cities, offering great value for money.
What’s advice do you have for agents new to selling Canada?
Canada is safe to walk around, but advise customers to take comfortable shoes or trainers, especially in Quebec, as it has cobbled streets. In both Quebec and Montreal there is a lot of walking involved, and both are hilly.
You need to plan ahead if you are staying for such a short time to get the benefits. We did two tours in Quebec; the city tour and the Chateau Frontenac tour, and both were excellent. The guides knew their stuff, with a sense of humour thrown in.
And the weather was hot – despite it being the end of October!
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