Air Transat and GoTürkiye have hosted a group of Canadian trade partners on a familiarization (FAM) trip to Türkiye, the two organizations confirmed in an item published by PAX News.

The program brought Canadian travel advisors, tour operators and industry partners directly into the destination, a distribution play aimed squarely at the people who sell Türkiye to Canadian leisure travelers.

FAM trips remain one of the cheapest and most durable levers in travel distribution: a supplier and a tourism board split the cost of putting sellers inside the product, and the return is measured in what those sellers book for the following seasons.

Who is behind the trip?

Air Transat, the Montreal-based leisure carrier, carried and co-hosted the program alongside GoTürkiye, Türkiye's national tourism promotion body. The pairing pairs the airline's Canada–Türkiye capacity with the destination's marketing budget — a standard but effective structure for co-op campaigns in the Canadian market.

What does a FAM trip actually buy?

For airlines and DMOs, the economics are straightforward. Agents who have walked a property, tasted the product and met the ground handlers sell it with more confidence, and they prioritize it when clients ask for recommendations. In competitive sun-and-culture markets, that shelf position matters as much as price.

Air Transat's interest is clear: filled seats on Canada–Türkiye routes depend on advisors and packagers pushing the destination. GoTürkiye's interest is equally direct: Canadian arrivals growth requires a trade channel that knows the product.

Why does the carrier-DMO split matter?

Joint FAM programs let both parties share costs while each captures a different part of the revenue. The airline fills the aircraft over the long term; the destination captures hotel nights, ground services and spend. Neither party could buy the same trade influence as cheaply on its own.

For Canadian advisors, the trip functions as product training that no webinar replicates. Sellers return with first-hand knowledge of properties, transfer times and seasonal conditions — the details that drive which destination wins the booking when a client is undecided.

What comes next?

Neither Air Transat nor GoTürkiye disclosed participant numbers, itinerary details or booking targets tied to the program, so any measurable uplift in Canadian bookings to Türkiye remains to be seen in the carriers' and the destination's future reporting. The two organizations are expected to keep investing in the Canadian trade channel as Türkiye continues to court North American leisure demand.