TORONTO — A clear indication that travel is back: the return of a robust offering of Black Friday deals from tour operators, airlines and more.
After laying low for Black Friday in 2020, just as the worst of the pandemic and new travel restrictions were about to severely impact the industry, suppliers have come roaring back with timely deals for Canadians eager to finally get away.
One tour operator says the Black Friday promotion has grown to become the company’s biggest weekend of the year.
Mark Pope, who co-founded TruTravels (which was bought by G Adventures in 2018), says he’s expecting the response to the 2021 Black Friday sale to be epic. “We’ve extended the sale to two weeks to enable more time for all those travellers who have been desperate to get away to secure the trip of their dreams,” says Pope.
“With so much pent-up demand and borders opening up every month, we’re appealing to our agent partners to take advantage of this amazing opportunity and help travellers – who are likely looking for some hand holding to navigate the current climate – lock in some amazing trips,” he adds.
Here’s a roundup of more than a dozen Black Friday deals now available for the trade and their clients. More deals will be added in the days to come as new promotions launch.
AIR CANADA
Air Canada’s Black Friday deals for Aeroplan Members include savings deals on flights and travel, hotel stays and car rentals and more. Through Nov. 28, Aeroplan members can save up to 20% on all destinations, plus get their share of 20 million bonus points for every booking. The travel window is Nov. 18, 2021 – June 30, 2022. Blackout dates are from Dec. 16, 2021 to Jan. 6, 2022, and from Feb. 26 to March 20, 2022. See aircanada.com/en-ca/black-friday#flights.
AIR CANADA VACATIONS
ACV is offering up to 40% off winter sun packages to Mexico, the Caribbean and Central America and flight and hotel packages to Hawaii, Fort Lauderdale and Orlando. The deals are available through Nov. 25, 2021 for travel February – October 2022. ACV also has Black Friday deals for Europe. See vacations.aircanada.com.
AMERICAN QUEEN VOYAGES
Select voyages in 2022 are available with up to 45% savings, when booked between Nov. 15 to Dec. 3, 2021 using the code FRIDAY at time of booking. The offer is applicable to new bookings only and cannot be combined with any other promotions. All-inclusive fares include shore excursions at every port (premium shore excursions available at additional cost), on-cruise entertainment, enrichment programs, and a one-night, pre-cruise hotel stay with free ground transfers between the hotel and vessel. See aqvoyages.com.
BRENDAN VACATIONS
Brendan Vacations, part of The Travel Corporation, is offering Cyber Sale savings of up to $200 off per person on Ireland and Scotland independent trips, for travel in 2022, when booked with deposit by Nov. 30, 2021. Brendan Vacations offers Chauffeur and Lux Self-Drive holidays in Scotland and Ireland that are fully customizable and include accommodations. Also available are Self-Drive and Locally Hosted Rail journeys. For more information go to brendanvacations.com/activity/black-friday-travel-sale/.
CELEBRITY CRUISES
Celebrity cruises booked by Nov. 30, 2021 will receive 50% off a second guest’s fare, as well as up to US$300 onboard credit (tiered to the length of the cruise). This Black Friday/Cyber Monday offer can be applied to sailings (excluding Galapagos) departing Dec. 18, 2021 – March 31, 2023. The cruise line also has an additional offer for Caribbean sailings between Dec. 18-27, 2021: if clients book an ‘always included’ sailing within the above Black Friday window, they are eligible for up to an additional $200 onboard credit.
CLUB MED
Club Med’s Black Friday offer includes savings of up to 60% at a selection of all-inclusive sun and ski resorts. The sale applies to booking made through Nov. 29, 2021 at participating resorts that include Punta Cana, Michès Playa Esmeralda, Cancun, and Turks and Caicos. Blackout dates apply. The offer includes 55% off Superior Room bookings and 60% off Deluxe and Suite Room bookings. Kids under four years old can stay for free at Club Med family destinations. Children 4-11 can stay at 50% off the adult price, while kids 12-15 can stay at 20% off the adult price. Club Med’s flexible cancellation policy allows guests to cancel for free.
COLLETTE
With Collette’s Black Friday sale, clients can save up to 20% off tours worldwide. Running from now through Cyber Monday, the offer is valid on new retail bookings only made between Nov. 22-30, 2021, for travel Jan. 1, 2022 – March 31, 2023. Use offer code SAVEBIG21 at time of booking.
The sale is part of Collette’s travel professional incentive program, which runs until Feb. 28, 2022, for departures through 2022. Agents qualify for the program by making five new bookings with a minimum of one Oberammergau booking for 2022 travel (double or single), after which they will receive $500. Those who make 10 total new bookings with a minimum of two Oberammergau bookings and five domestic bookings for 2022 travel, or 10 Oberammergau bookings, will receive $1,500.
These incentives will be paid within 30 days following the quarter that the qualifying bookings have travelled. A booking is defined as a minimum of two full-paying passengers in a double room, or a single passenger in a single room. All payments are payable per agent; bookings cannot be combined with other agency bookings and are not valid on existing bookings.
CONTIKI
As part of Cyber Week, Contiki is offering up to 30% off worldwide vacations for 2022, when booked between Nov. 23-30, 2021. The sale includes trips to all destinations in Europe, Asia, Latin America, Africa, Australia, New Zealand, the United States and Canada. Sample itineraries include ‘Southern Africa Safari,’ ‘European Escape,’ ‘Canada’s West Coast.’ As of Jan. 1, 2022, Contiki will be 100% carbon neutral. For more information go to contiki.com/ca/en/activity/black-friday.
COSTSAVER
Costsaver is celebrating Black Friday with savings of up to 20% off select 2022 departures when booked between Nov. 12-30, 2021. The offer applies to new bookings only. For more details go to www.costsavertour.com/blackfriday.
INSIGHT VACATIONS
Insight is offering up to 20% off select departures for 2022 holidays when booked by Nov. 30, 2021. For more information go to https://www.insightvacations.com/en-ca/black-friday-sale.
SCENIC
Scenic has new Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals for the Canadian market. Clients booking one of numerous selected sailings on Scenic’s most popular 2022 Europe and Russian river cruise itineraries can get flights that range from free to $495 or can fly premium economy for just $695 if booked by Dec. 5, 2021. Scenic is also offering 2-for-1 business class airfare and up to 20% off the cruise fare for sailings along the coasts of North, Central and South America aboard Scenic Eclipse in 2022, when the booking is made and paid in full by Dec. 15, 2021. Additional information can be found at www.scenic.ca/offers/blackfriday for rivers and www.scenic.ca/offers/ultra-luxury-cruising for oceans.
SUNWING
Sunwing’s annual Black Friday Sale is now in full swing, offering savings of up to 40% on all inclusive vacation packages, including popular winter departures, with zero change fees* up to seven days prior to departure and free COVID-19 emergency medical coverage on applicable packages booked by Dec. 6, 2021, for travel Nov. 1, 2021 – April 30, 2022. The tour operator aims to make the planning process as seamless as possible with travel requirements made easy including listing Easy Entry destinations and On-Site PCR Testing icons on Sunwing.ca.
TRAFALGAR
Trafalgar is offering clients up to 20% off select 2022 departures booked through Nov. 30, 2021. For more information and a complete list of deals see trafalgar.com/blackfriday.
TRANSAT
Transat’s Black Friday promotion is valid on new individual bookings made by Nov. 28, 2021. The sale applies to South packages as well as flights to the South, Florida and Europe, for travel Dec. 1, 2021 – April 30, 2022. Exceptions apply. For more details, check out airtransat.com and transat.com.
TRUTRAVELS
TruTravels is offering up to 40% off all departures in 2021 and 2022 with its Black Friday Sale. Departures must take place before Dec. 31, 2022. The sale runs through Nov. 29, 2021 and includes its new travel styles FitVentures, Flashpacker and SailVentures, as well as Classic tours. See trutravels.com/black-friday-weekend.
UNIWORLD
Clients can save up to $7,000 per person on select 2022 voyages with Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection when booked and paid in full by Nov. 30, 2021. For more information see uniworld.com/ca/current-offers/2022-picture-perfect or contact the reservations team at 1-800-733-7820.
