Five tour operating and retail travel brands come together to form the new vacation division of the WestJet Group
TORONTO, Oct. 12, 2023 /CNW/ - Five powerhouse vacation and retail travel brands have been brought together under the newly created Sunwing Vacations Group, the vacation division of the WestJet Group, which will unlock more value for Canadians and provide customers from coast to coast with more affordable vacations to more sun destinations than ever before.
The creation of Sunwing Vacations Group comes on the heels of the WestJet Group's acquisition of Sunwing, which was completed in May 2023, and encompasses the leading Canadian leisure tour operators Sunwing Vacations and WestJet Vacations, the growing United States tour operator Vacation Express, together with the Group's own travel retail businesses SellOffVacations.com and Luxe Destination Weddings. Together they form the largest vacations brands in North America. Each brand within Sunwing Vacations Group will continue to be marketed as a unique standalone brand.
"Our longstanding success at Sunwing has been centred on providing innovative vacation packages to Canadians. With the establishment of Sunwing Vacations Group, we are furthering our commitment and providing Canadians with even greater value and choice on sun travel," said Andrew Dawson, President of Tour Operations for Sunwing Vacations Group. "We are very excited to bring all of these brands together under Sunwing Vacations Group, and unite in our collective purpose of passionate people making vacation dreams come true."
"Sunwing Vacations Group, as a division of the WestJet Group, simplifies the complementary nature of WestJet Airlines and Sunwing Vacations," added Alexis von Hoensbroech, Chief Executive Officer of the WestJet Group. "As the largest packaged vacations provider in Canada, Sunwing Vacations Group will be instrumental in fulfilling the WestJet Group's strategy to provide affordable, year-round leisure travel for Canadians from coast to coast."
The new vacation division was recently unveiled to leaders across all brands within Sunwing Vacations Group. The event brought leaders and people managers across the brands together for the first time to celebrate and learn more about the brand relaunch, hear about the joint vision for the future and how they can be advocates for the positive developments for all employees and customers.
"We're thrilled to introduce Sunwing Vacations Group, and overjoyed that we were able to bring 140-plus leaders across all of these brands together to celebrate the launch of our new vacation division," added Samantha Taylor, Chief Marketing Officer for Sunwing Vacations Group. "Leaders across the business united in person to share brand-specific updates and discuss best practices to help inform the customer experience, and to help propel each of these brands further in pursuit of offering Canadians unparalleled choice wherever they're at in their vacation journey."
Sunwing Vacations Group also recently launched a new corporate website, sunwingvacationsgroup.com, which provides more information on the brands that make up the new vacation division, the company's culture, growth trajectory and North American timeline, the epic employees that drive the business forward, and the employment opportunities currently available across all brands.
Sunwing Vacations Group is home to North America's largest vacation brands, comprised of the leading Canadian leisure tour operators Sunwing Vacations and WestJet Vacations, along with the growing United States tour operator Vacation Express, together with the Group's own travel retail businesses SellOffVacations.com and Luxe Destination Weddings. Sunwing Vacations Group is the official vacation division of the WestJet Group. For more information, please visit sunwingvacationsgroup.com.
In 27 years of serving Canadians, WestJet has cut airfares in half and increased the flying population in Canada to more than 50 per cent. WestJet launched in 1996 with three aircraft, 250 employees and five destinations, growing over the years to more than 180 aircraft, 14,000 employees serving more than 100 destinations in 26 countries. For more information about everything WestJet, please visit westjet.com.
SOURCE Sunwing Vacations Group
Melanie Anne Filipp, Senior Director, Corporate Communications & Media Relations, Sunwing Vacations Group, 1-800-387-5602 | [email protected]
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