ANN RUPPENSTEIN
While Quebec has long been an established market for Club Med, the brand is actively targeting more Canadian travellers.
“One of the key priorities of Club Med Canada is to gain that marketshare in English Canada,” shares Jacinda Lowry, Associate Vice President of Sales for Canada at Club Med. “Canadian sales are doing really well and I’m happy to say that the Ontario market is responding really well. And we’ve come in with the strategy of going to our travel advisors.”
Notably, current results showcase a + 20% growth over the same period last year, and current sales for 2027 are up +27%.
In less than 10 years, Club Med plans to significantly increase its portfolio to hit 100 global resorts by 2035.
“Today we sit at 60 resorts worldwide and by 2035, so less than 10 years, we want to be at 100 resorts and that’s without neglecting our current portfolio,” she tells Travel Courier.
Known as pioneers for invented the all-inclusive resort concept, this year Club Med Cancun is marking its 50th anniversary. The iconic resort is set to complete major renovations, which includes a new infinity pool and a dedicated pickle ball centre.
Club Med Cancun
“Since 2025 it’s been under renovation and all the Family Oasis section and all the 178 superior and deluxe rooms have been redone,” Lowry adds. “The centre of the village will be completely redone by Oct. 15 and we will have our inaugural from Oct. 20-23, where we’re bringing in a lot of travel advisors and professionals to come and experience it all.”
Enhancements were also completed at Club Med Punta Cana, another big flagship for the Canadian market, last fall after a fire damaged the property, complete with redesigned spaces, new dining concepts, and expanded family amenities.
Following a major multi-phase renovation to modernize its accommodations, public spaces, and amenities, Club Med Buccaneer’s Creek in Martinique will debut an adults-only Zen Oasis with 36 Deluxe rooms and 20 Sea‑View suites and a turquoise pool this fall.
“Other than Punta Cana and Cancun, we don’t have big resorts, the rooms range from 300-350, so part of our training and sales calls messaging is to book early because it’s dynamic pricing,” she shares. “The longer you wait, the higher you are going to pay. The market is seeing that booking early is what is needed with our product.”
Club Med Punta Cana
As for new developments, construction begins at the new build Club Med Tremblant this October, with the proper expected to come online in Dec. 2028.
“So winter 2029, and that will be a four-season resort, 300 rooms from the Suites, Deluxe and Superior rooms,” she adds. “That’s big news.”
Club Med is also returning to the U.S. for the first time since Sandpiper Bay, with a resort opening in St. Croix targeted to open in the fourth quarter of 2027. The resort is bringing new life to the Carambola Beach Resort and is being reimagined as part of the Exclusive Collection.
Recently, Club Med South Africa Beach & Safari opened, marking the brand’s first location in South Africa. Other projects underway include Club Med Borneo (Malaysia) slated to launch later this year, Club Med San Sicario (Italy), marking their second Italian ski resort by 2028, and Club Med Koh Samui (Thailand) & Musandam (Oman), respectively set for 2028.
Notably, Lowry says that travel advisors are key to their growth strategy.
“We would not be able to do it without the travel advisor,” she says. “It is our number one focus. The sales team, our marketing dollars, our partnerships, it’s with the travel advisors.”
Club Med Buccaniers Martinique
As for the target audience, she says it’s multi-generational families and active couples.
“We’re not a mass-market product, we’re very much a niche product,” she adds.
As for key differentiators, she says Club Med is the largest sporting school within the all inclusive landscape as every resort offers between 10-15 land or water sports, with certified instructors.
There’s also G.Os, the resort’s multi-talented staff, known as Gentle Organizers, who live on resort that are “part of our DNA.”
“They’re not just the staff, they’re the hosts, they’re the instructors, they’re part of the entertainment, they’re definitely a key differentiator,” she says. “It’s also our global portfolio. We sit with 60 resorts worldwide—2/3 is our sun destinations and 1/3 is ski. And our ski product is all inclusive, where there’s little to know competition.”
Finally, she says the kids’ club are another standout feature.
“We have something from four months to 17 years old, and every age group has their own category. They’re not just playing video games, they are out, they’re doing activities, sports, cooking classes, theatre programs and they’re meeting kids from other parts of the world because our clientele is multicultural.”
As its own tour operator with most packages sold with flights, she says it’s also a turnkey offering for agents.
“We’re turnkey, we’re our own tour operator, you’re not going to find this with the others,” she notes.
