ETC and CATO Put on a Show to Promote ‘Europe Invites the Curious’

CATO’s Executive Director Jean Hébert and Chair Brett Walker

In a glitzy and charmed setting, members of the CATO, the European Travel Commission and an array of suppliers convened to welcome agents and the media at The Symes in west-end Toronto on 21NOV.

The event was themed Europe Invites The Curious and participating suppliers and guests met face to face in a trade show setting where many participants offered nibbles ranging from German gingerbread to oysters to Swiss cheese. Later, participating suppliers gave individual presentations during a sit-down dinner.

Working to promote the ETC in Canada: Sandra Moffatt of Tourism Ireland and Marco Frank of Visit Flanders

“We have always collaborated with CATO but this is the first time we have been so engaged in working together on an event,” Sandra Moffatt, Chair of the ETC Canada and Country Manager, Canada for Tourism Ireland told Open Jaw. Now in 75th year, ETC has 35 members including 8 with a presence in Canada.

Oh la la! Oysters courtesy Atout France and (left and right) Carole Laroque and Melanie Paul-Hus

Earlier this month, the ETC released its latest year-to-date data on post-COVID recovery, revealing that international travel arrivals are just 3.2% below 2019 levels. The recovery is being driven mostly by Southern Europe destinations including Serbia, Montenegro, Portugal, Turkey, Malta and Greece.

Spain’s Barbara Couto enjoying the flamenco music

Interestingly, Canadians visit, on average, 2.3 countries on a trip to Europe.

Anja Brokjans and Andrea Frankiss of the German National Tourist Office

In chats with the participating suppliers, Open Jaw learned that:

Airfares to France are currently incredibly affordable – as low as $600 roundtrip to CDG from YUL
G Adventures’ National Geographic Journeys include 11 itineraries in Europe to destinations as diverse as Iceland, the Balkans and Italy
Spain’s diversity can be seen in the variety of some of its most popular destinations such as Malaga (“with its museums, perfect for the culture-seeking client”), Valencia (“great for a family vacation”) and the Balearic Islands in the Med: Majorca, Menorca and Ibiza (“great climate and beaches”)
Longstays to Portugal out of YYZ are very popular, according to TS, with many pax staying several months And in a wonderful myth-busting exercise, during dinner Oliver Weibel of Switzerland showed a film starring comedian Trevor Noah and tennis superstar Roger Federer experiencing Swiss train travel. Not a single mention of cheese, skiing, banks or chocolate. Just a delightful way to show that wow, Switzerland can be hilariously funny.