TORONTO — ACV’s cross-country 2025 Dream Makers tour went out with a bang last night as the tour operator celebrated its 2025-2026 product launch with the biggest crowd yet.

The Toronto launch, taking place at the beautiful Universal Event Space in Vaughan, was the last stop on the Dream Makers tour, and things wrapped up in style.

There was a real sense of optimism in the room as hundreds of travel advisors – there wasn’t an empty seat in sight – cheered on ACV’s Sun Collection for winter 2025-26, as well as new Europe routes, a BOGO deal, cruise news and more.

ACV’s cross-country 2025 Dream Makers tour wrapped up in Toronto last night at Universal Event Space in Vaughan (all photos courtesy Annie Cicvaric)

The future of travel is looking bright indeed for the travel community, especially as the Canadian market pivots to more and more international destinations and seek the sound advice of travel agents.

The evening’s hosts checked in a number of times during the night with a noise contest, encouraging the audience to yell their loudest to compete with the other roadshow cities. Whether it was thanks to the big crowd or the energy of the finale show, Toronto was dubbed the winner.

ACV’s VP Nino Montagnese gave a shout-out to all of the 2025 Dream Makers tour’s supplier partners, more than 100 in all, including Elite sponsors Bahia Principe Hotels & Resorts, and Sandals and Beaches Resorts. “All of our supplier partners have followed us from city to city carrying all their banners and booths. We know we tire them out and we thank them so much for being our partners,” said Montagnese to applause. “I want to thank every single one of our supplier partners because without them we wouldn’t be here, and neither would you.”

With the BOGO deal, clients who book an ACV package get up to 50% off the second traveller. The deal applies to Groups too. The deal is good for Mexico, Caribbean, Central America, Cartagena, California and Hawaii. Plus, clients who book a Flight & Cruise package get 50% off the second traveller’s flight. The promotion must be booked by Sept. 28, 2025 for departures Jan. 1 – April 30, 2026.

One of the biggest announcements of the night was the soon-to-arrive new booking option, allowing travel advisors to hold bookings for 24 hours (and for Europe and beyond, for 48 hours). It’s something the industry hasn’t seen in decades.

1,500 TRAVEL ADVISORS CELEBRATE ACV

ACV’s Dream Makers Tour officially launched in Halifax on Sept. 3 and made its way to Edmonton, Vancouver and Montreal before last night’s Toronto stop. The event drew some 1,500 registered travel advisors, making it a powerful start to ACV’s 50th anniversary celebrations.

Air Canada Vacations wrapped up its #DreamMakers roadshow in style

This is the fourth consecutive year for ACV’s Digital Sun Brochure, first launched in August 2025. This latest edition features 620+ hotels, including 42 brand new Sun properties and 32 new U.S. additions. ACV’s Sun program has expanded to 64 destinations, with five newcomers: Cartagena, Miches in the D.R., Palm Springs & Napa Valley, CA and San Juan. ACV’s expanded Play Collection includes 92+ resorts and 24 Play hotels across the U.S.

For cruise clients, ACV’s already robust cruise portfolio now also includes new Virgin Voyages itineraries and the addition of CroisiEurope.

Long stay packages are available in Spain, Portugal, Thailand and Indonesia, plus of course clients can opt for a World Cruise.

New and diverse products include new routes: Budapest, Catania, Palma de Mallorca, Shanghai, Rio de Janeiro, Santiago (Chile), Guadalajara, Guatemala City, Naples, Tepic, Puerto Escondido, Lima, Belize, Porto, Prague, China, plus year-round service to Bangkok, and new experiences like campervan adventures and rail journeys.

Special experiences on offer with ACV include: Chill Out Event; Fitness Retreat; Wellness at Sea; and Judy’s Kitchen Party.

For Groups, ACV is promoting an updated GQT platform, plus a new groups loyalty program is launching soon. And dedicated Groups workshops and FAM trips are in the works.

Coming in November, ACV will debut revamped CareFlex & CareFree programs plus new options.

Also coming soon, travel advisors will have a chance to try their luck at the new ACV&ME game, with a booking incentive offering a chance to win 50,000 prizes.

ENHANCED BOOKING TOOLS, TOP TRAVEL PICKS & MORE

ACV’s 2025-2026 Digital Sun Brochure comes with enhanced self-serve tools via Manage Your Booking (seat selection, payments, traveller info, Aeroplan numbers and special requests). New cruise booking tools include airfare price drops, loyalty number updates and special requests. As ACV notes, “all digital initiatives are designed around the evolving needs of travel advisors.”

More highlights from the Winter 2025-2026 Collection include …

• Enhanced ePackages: Flexible flight + hotel combinations across Air Canada’s network, checked bag + carry-on included. Available for Asia, South Pacific, Canada, Europe, U.S. (including San Juan)
• Car Rentals: Exclusive 16% commission launch promo and competitive pricing
• Vacation Promise, Cruise Promise, programs: Built-in peace of mind

Expanded product lineup: Europe, Asia, South Pacific, U.S., Canada

• ACV&ME Loyalty Program: Currently offering the ability to earn and redeem for Aeroplan points, travel vouchers, Visa gift cards, and more, “with a full program revamp coming soon to deliver even greater rewards, flexibility, and value for ACV’s travel partners”
• ACV@HOME initiatives supporting advisors remotely
• Travel Agent Advisory Board continues to guide ACV strategy and initiatives Earn Aeroplan points on all flight-inclusive packages

ACV’S TRAVELLERS’ TOP PICKS AWARDS

Travel advisors at last night’s event also heard about ACV’s very first Travellers’ Top Picks Awards, a celebration of Canadian wanderlust that drew 100,000+ entries. Travellers voted across 10 categories curated by ACV experts.

Bali emerged as the ultimate dream destination with over 21,500 votes, winning the Wellness category and topping the overall list. Santorini followed closely in second place by dominating the Bucket List category. Rome came in third.

Here’s a look at the top 10 winners by category …

• Beach Vacation: Grace Bay, Turks and Caicos
• Bucket List: Santorini
• Foodie Favourite: Naples, Italy
• Adventure Travel: Kauai
• Arts & Culture: Rome
• Wellness: Bali
• Romance: Paris
• City Break: New York City
• Hidden Gem: Singapore
• Family: Honolulu

Check out ACV’s 2025/2026 Digital Sun brochure here.

Playa Hotels & Resorts’ Amanda Morris, Andi Bacho and Rose Cosentino