TORONTO — RIT Vacations is riding the momentum of its blockbuster 25th anniversary year with record sales to wrap up 2026 and a strong start for 2027.
Industry friends and suppliers – both here in Canada and abroad, with 17 of the company’s UK and Ireland partners making the trip – heard all about it at yesterday’s event, the kick-off for RIT’s four-city sales mission and roadshow.
Family was in attendance too of course, since all four kids of co-founders Ian Duffy and Patricia Sexton work at RIT too.
The road show headed to Brampton last night, then Ajax today, followed by Kingston and Ottawa. More than 300 advisors are expected to attend.
“BEST YEAR EVER”
Duffy called 2026 “a brilliant year.”
“Numbers, volume, sales, everything, it was our best year ever. We’re delighted,” he said.
Looking ahead to 2027, it’s good times to be selling Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales. “It’s complicated times with everything that’s going on in the world, but we’re glad to say that Ireland and the UK seem to be ticking along nicely. So it’s looking very, very good for us,” said Duffy.
RIT has 230 scheduled departures to fill in 2027. “We have a great team behind us and great support, and hopefully we’ll fill those and be as successful as we were in 2026,” he said.
RIT’s Toronto event, hosted by Ian Duffy and the RIT team, included a performance by the Choir of St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin
MORE SPECIALTY TRIPS INCLUDING ‘JOURNEY TO WALES’ WITH THE BBC’S JULES HUDSON
In addition to its long-time favourites RIT has been adding new one-off specialty itineraries in recent years.
Those special trips include UK Legends of Rock, with legendary Canadian radio personality and music historian Alan Cross. Duffy said that trip sold so well that RIT is looking at adding Irish Legends of Rock or Scottish Legends of Rock tours too.
Another new tour in RIT’s portfolio is Journey to Wales, with Jules Hudson, best known for his work with the BBC’s Escape to the Country.
No doubt this one will be coming back for future instalments, as the 2027 edition sold out in just one day.
Air Canada’s Shabnam Esfahani and Sunspots Holidays’ Christy Kurian
Conor Duffy told Travelweek that RIT knew there would be interest in travelling with Jules, “but to sell out the 2027 departure a full year in advance exceeded our expectations. The response from our Canadian travellers has been incredible and really shows the appetite for something a little different, particularly when you combine a great destination with a host who has such a genuine personal connection to it.”
Travelweek connected with Hudson earlier to talk about Journey to Wales.
“The key thing to understand about Wales is that whilst it borders England, it remains a very proud and distinct country in its own right,” said Hudson. “From its language, legends, culture and humour, it will always hold a unique place in my affections, not least because it was my home for over twenty years of my life. I often refer to it as my spiritual home, yet every time I return, I find something new. It is a nation that is as beguiling as it is beautiful.”
Duffy said Wales is still relatively undiscovered for a lot of Canadian travellers compared with some of the other parts of Britain, “and that’s part of what makes this so exciting for us. Canadians are increasingly looking beyond the traditional highlights and want those more immersive, regional experiences. Wales has the history, scenery, culture and character that our travellers are looking for.”
He added: “What we loved from the beginning was that this wasn’t about simply putting Jules’ name on a tour. He has a real connection to Wales and the places we’re visiting, and that comes through immediately when you speak with him. We’ve worked closely together on the itinerary, and I think guests are going to feel like they’re seeing this part of Britain through the eyes of someone who genuinely knows and loves it.”
Other specialty trips coming up for RIT include, for the very first time in September 2027, a women’s-only tour called Scottish Spirit. There’s also the Celtic Halloween Experience. RIT’s many tourism board partners including Tourism Ireland, VisitBritain, VisitScotland and Visit Wales were also in attendance yesterday.
RIT isn’t just about coach tours, of course. The company has a substantial FIT program, which includes driving holidays in Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales, chauffeur-driven tours and rail tours.
Speaking of RIT’s coach tours, Canadian clients on these trips will almost certainly find themselves travelling with other Canadians. Not only is RIT a Canadian-owned and family-owned company, it also sells primarily to Canadians, and 95% of its travellers are Canadian. “So when somebody books one of our tours, the people sitting on the coach with them are probably going to be from Ontario, B.C., Alberta or down east,” said Duffy. “We don’t really sell anywhere else except for Canada.”
Hay Festival 2017 Hay On Wye Monmouthshire South East Wales
SCOTLAND HOTEL OPTIONS
Jules Hudson
Travelweek also had a chance to connect with two of RIT’s hotel partners in Scotland.
Alison Clancy, Senior Sales Manager, representing voco Grand Central Glasgow by IHG and Kimpton Blythswood Square Hotel & Spa, also in Glasgow, said the Canadian market performs “incredibly well” for her properties. “It’s probably one of our highest-tier markets in Glasgow city centre, and in Scotland. My Edinburgh properties benefit from Canadian business as well,” she said.
She added that the 233-room voco Grand Central is a four-star hotel in the luxury market. “We were built in 1883, we have tons and tons of history,” she said.
Tracey Milton, Sales Manager, The Kingsmills Hotel Group, represents Kingsmills Hotel and Ness Walk, both in Inverness. The four-star property Kingsmills has 147 bedrooms, four acres of grounds, including a conference centre, and several private meeting spaces. Meanwhile the five-star boutique property Ness Walk, right in the heart of Inverness, just opened in 2019. “It’s proved hugely popular because there was a big demand in the market for five-star properties,” said Milton, adding that Ness Walk is particularly popular with the North American market.
LOTS OF LIFT – INCLUDING AIR CANADA’S NEW SHANNON ROUTE
Travelweek also connected with Air Canada’s Shabnam Esfahani. The carrier’s new 3x weekly Shannon service is set to kick off June 10, 2027, running through October. “We’re very excited about the new route to Shannon,” said Esfahani. The seasonal service will operate out of YYZ on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
One reason for the excitement – the YYZ-SNN route, brought back from a few years ago, will now operate on one of Air Canada’s brand new A321XLRs. “This is an opportunity to rebuild demand [from a past offering] with a more capable, long-range narrow-body aircraft and stronger network connectivity,” Esfahani told Travelweek. “We’re opening another gateway to Europe, while also capturing inbound Irish traffic to Canada and supporting connecting traffic through Toronto.”
She added that the A321XLRs are “perfect for destinations that are six, seven or eight hours away. It’s a narrow-body aircraft, but it gives you the feeling of a wide-body aircraft. It’s one of those aircraft that you’ll love, especially for these types of routes.”
Jonathan Sargeant, RIT’s Director of Sales, thanked Air Canada for reinstating the YYZ-SNN route. “That’s the gateway to the west coast of Ireland, the Wild Atlantic Way and the southwest,” said Sargeant.
He also thanked Air Transat, offering UK gateways including Manchester, Glasgow and Gatwick, plus seasonal service to Dublin, and WestJet, with its many UK and Ireland routes including new this year, Cardiff from Toronto.
Lead image caption: RIT’s Ian Duffy with Tracey Milton, The Kingsmills Hotel Group (left) and Alison Clancy, Voco Grand Central and Kimpton Blythswood Square (right)
