Last night, January 29th, 2019, the Air Canada Vacations Group invited members of the press to Café Ferreira to announce the recent association between the vacation specialist and the Portuguese restaurant group. Since November 15th, travelers wishing to discover Portugal from an authentic and gourmet point of view can select amongst two “Portugal Gourmand” itineraries, cleverly chosen and designed in collaboration with the Ferreira family and the Air Canada Vacations team.

“Our challenge as a vacation maker is not to build an itinerary or holiday package, but to sell it, to make it attractive to the customer and to get them to book, explained Luigi Iannello, Senior Strategy Director at Air Canada Vacations. In this context, to collaborate with the Ferreira group and propose turnkey itineraries that cannot be bought elsewhere is a winning and innovative strategy.”

The “Taste of Portugal” tours is for a duration of 12 days and 10 nights and the “Flavors of Portugal” consists of 10 nights and 8 days, both offered from Toronto to Lisbon which introduce, among other things, a visit of the olive field that belongs to the Ferreira family in the Alentejo region, hotel and restaurant reservations—all Ferreira favorites—as well as many exclusive activities.

Let’s not forget that Air Canada offers numerous weekly flights from Canada to Portugal, including: six direct flights per week from Toronto Pearson to Lisbon and four flights per week to Porto, as well as three flights per week from Montreal to Lisbon.

“It is the first time we partnered with another brand to design customized vacation packages for our customers, but this is exactly where we want to go in the future, says Iannello. We do not want to develop itineraries that anyone can book on their own, we want to be able to offer what consumers cannot buy; exclusive and authentic itineraries that they will not find elsewhere.”

The “Portugal Gourmand” packages have been on sale since November 15th and include: flights, car rental, accommodation, meals and all activities indicated on the itinerary. The customers are then free to explore Portugal at their own pace, as “locals” and discover the hidden gems recommended by the Ferreira family.