It’s a tough time to be selling a U.S. destination to Canadians. It’s probably tougher when the President of the U.S. has a home in that destination.
But the folks from Discover the Palm Beaches said they came to Toronto this week to fly the Canadian flag – literally in the case of president and CEO Milton Segarra – and to keep their important relationships going with advisors, airlines, tour operators, meeting planners, and the media.
Speaking in a one-on-one chat with Open Jaw during a swanky downtown party on 19MAR, Segarra said he fully understands that the Canadian-USA tariff spat is the elephant in the room, or perhaps given he’s from Florida, “the whale in the room.”
But he said there’s no point in pretending it’s not taking up most of the oxygen. Segarra said this week’s Toronto session was booked six months ago. When the tariff situation became heated, and, boy, is it heated right now, there was an office discussion about whether they should cancel.
“I said, ‘No, now is the time when we really have to demonstrate how committed we are’ to our Canadian partners,’” Segarra said.
“I wanted to be here for our friends in Canada to talk to me,” he added. “Sometimes you have to walk the walk.”
Later, speaking to a good-sized gathering on a night when Toronto temperatures were in line with Florida, Segarra pointed to a Canadian flag pin on his suit jacket lapel.
“With your permission, I’m very proud to wear this pin,” he said to loud applause before he thanked Palm Beaches partners, including Air Canada and Porter Airlines.
“Today’s not about the business,” he said. “That will come eventually. Today is to say ‘thank you,’ and to demonstrate we are partners in the good times and in the not-so-good times.”
Segarra said nearly 370,000 Canadians – a new record – visited The Palm Beaches last year, and that spending reached an economic impact of half-a-billion dollars. “For more than 20 years Canada has been our number one international market. It’s in our DNA, and it’s generation after generation.
“It’s an honour for us to be here,” Segarra said. “Thank you for your support. And thank you for all you have done to make The Palm Beaches one of the favourite destinations for Canadians.”
In addition to mingling with the Canadian trade, Segarra and his team handed out four prizes of round-trip tickets and hotel stays for visits to their little corner of Florida.
