Conquest Vacations
Conquest Vacations was a Canadian tour operator that pioneered low-cost travel options for Canadians from 1972 to 2009. Conquest was an independent operator, not linked to any major corporation or airline.
History
Founded in 1972 in Toronto, Conquest had been a leading travel retailer in Canada. In 1976 Conquest offered train tours to the Olympic Games in Montreal. In the later years Conquest moved their business to an internet focus as the travel business moved from travel agencies to internet bookings.
The company was founded before in the internet age and failed due to tough economic times and increased competition from internet travel sites.
On April 15, 2009, Conquest abruptly ceased operations and requested travellers to contact credit card companies for refunds.[1] The company was still advertising for Spring related travel on their web site (See ).
Departure hubs
Hubs for most airline flights booked by Conquest were three key Canadian airports:
Operations
- North York, Ontario (Toronto) (85 Brisbane Road) - Headquarters
- Richmond, BC (YVR) - Western Canada operations
Destinations
Destinations Conquest Vacations covered during its operational period:
- Arizona:-
- Grand Canyon, Phoenix, Scottsdale, Sedona, Tucson
- California:-
- Anaheim, Los Angeles, Palm Springs, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Santa Monica
- Caribbean:-
- Aruba, Bahamas, Montego Bay, Punta Cana, San Juan, St. Martin, St. Thomas, Holguin, Cayo Coco, Varadero, Havana
- Florida:-
- Clearwater Beach, Daytona Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Key Largo, Key West, Melbourne, Miami, Orlando, Sarasota, St. Petersburg, Tampa, West Palm Beach
- Hawaii:-
- Honolulu, Kauai, Maui
- Mexico:-
- Acapulco, Los Cabos, Cancun, Cozumel, Guadalajara, Huatulco, Ixtapa/Zihuatenejo, Manzanillo, Mazatlan, Mexico City, Puerto Vallarta
- Nevada:-
- Las Vegas
Partners
Rivals
In the early years Conquest's main rivals were large and small travel agencies in Canada. After the 1990s, Conquest's rivals were large, American-based operations:
- Travelocity - American-based operator (owned by Sabre Holdings) with Canadian website
- Expedia - American-based operator with Canadian website and call centre in Ottawa
- Air Canada Vacations - owned by Air Canada
- Sunquest Vacations - Toronto-based travel operator
- Netholidays.ca - Canadian-based OTA (Online Travel Agency)