Air Transat recently partnered with GoTürkiye to bring a small delegation of ten Canadian travel-industry representatives on a familiarisation tour of Türkiye. Leaving from Toronto and Montréal, the program highlighted the country’s abundant cultural legacy, celebrated cuisine and varied tourism products, and helped deepen connections between tourism professionals from Canada and Turkey.
Exploring Istanbul and Industry Connections
Visitors were fully immersed in Istanbul, a city that bridges Europe and Asia and ranks among the globe’s most fascinating urban centers. The program’s thoughtfully crafted schedule blended cultural tours, authentic local activities, and purposeful business networking. Delegates visited several of the metropolis’s famous sites such as Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace and the Grand Bazaar. Additionally, a Bosphorus boat trip offered sweeping panoramas of the city’s distinctive skyline and historic shoreline.
In addition to the tours, attendees joined a private B2B networking session that gathered Turkish tourism providers such as hotel operators, destination-management firms, attraction managers and other industry figures. This gathering offered Canadian travel agents a chance to forge contacts with Turkish counterparts, share market intelligence and identify fresh commercial prospects to market Türkiye to travelers from Canada.
Throughout the visit, participants sampled Türkiye’s renowned hospitality via genuine food tastings, cultural activities and meetings with local tourism executives. Such engagements gave a richer perspective on the country’s attractiveness and showed the broad spectrum of travel options open to Canadians.
Jhadyd Gonzalez, National Sales Manager, Air Transat, said: “We are delighted to have provided our partners with the opportunity to discover Türkiye, an exceptional destination renowned for its rich history, lively culture, outstanding cuisine, and warm hospitality. This journey allowed participants to experience firsthand the incredible potential of the destination for Canadian travelers while building valuable connections with local industry partners.”
The familiarisation tour shows Air Transat’s ongoing expansion within Turkey. The carrier began offering direct flights from Toronto to Istanbul in December 2025 and plans to introduce a nonstop Montréal-Istanbul service in October 2026, further enhancing Canadian access to one of the planet’s most intriguing locales.