Sunwing partners with Wiarton Willie to bring warmth to winter

Sunwing launches Groundhog Day Getaway contest and winter vacation sale

TORONTO, Jan. 30, 2017 /CNW/ - Sunwing is proud to announce that they are platinum sponsors of the Wiarton Willie Festival in support the Groundhog Day festivities that take place in Wiarton, Ontario on February 2, 2017. The star of the Wiarton Willie Festival is Canada's most famous groundhog who will emerge at 8:07am to offer his weather prediction for the weeks to come. Canadians across the country will be watching to see if Willie sees his shadow; those unable to sit by their TV screen can also take advantage of a special Facebook Live broadcast beginning at 7:15am on Sunwing's Facebook page.

The Wiarton Willie Festival kicks off at 7:00am with a fireworks display followed by a morning full of entertainment on the Wiarton Arena outdoor stage. Festivities will include a tropical-inspired performance by the Sunwing dancers that will get the crowd warmed up before Willie's appearance. After the prediction, visitors can have their photo taken with the star of the show and be instantly transported to a Sunwing resort beach.

To bring an extra dose of warmth and sunshine to the local community and weather watchers across Canada, Sunwing has launched the Groundhog Day Getaway Contest. Canadians are invited to enter online for a chance to win a one week all-inclusive vacation for a family of four at the elegant Royalton Riviera Cancun Resort and Spa which combines an incomparable situation of a private stretch of beach with a host of  amenities including an on-site splash park, kids and teen clubs, opulent spa, tennis courts and varied a la carte and gourmet dining options at over 10 different restaurants. If Willie sees his shadow and winter is extended, Sunwing will also reward all entrants with a $100 travel voucher to ensure that they can escape winter too.

"The Town of South Bruce Peninsula is thrilled to partner with Sunwing," said Mayor Janice Jackson. "It seems Wiarton Willie and Sunwing were made for each other. They both strive to escape the cold winters but thrive in the warmth of the sun."

Andrew Dawson, President of Tour Operations for Sunwing also welcomed the news adding,"As Canada's #1 to the sun, we love helping travellers from coast to coast escape the winter chills, and offer vacation packages from up to 34 local gateways. Our research has shown¹ that just even just planning a winter getaway can help Canadians enhance their happiness and wellbeing so we're delighted to be part of this event that celebrates the hope of warmer temperatures in the middle of the coldest months of the year."

Sunwing will make it easy for all Canadians to get into #SunwingMode this winter by launching the Groundhog Day Sale on February 2. For more information, customers can visit www.sunwing.ca or contact their travel agent.

¹ Sunwing commissioned a survey of 1514 Canadians was conducted between December 14^th and December 17, 2015 using Leger's online panel, LegerWeb. For information on the results see: http://www.sunwing.ca/newsstory.asp?id=707

About Sunwing

As Canada's #1 to the sun and North America's largest vertically integrated travel company, Sunwing has more flights to the south than any other leisure carrier with convenient direct service from over 34 airports, including many in small cities, across Canada to over 50 popular sun destinations. This scale enables Sunwing to negotiate the best deals and exclusive offers at all of the top-rated resorts across the Caribbean, Mexico, and Central America. Renowned for its award-winning service, Sunwing is consistently voted the #1 leisure airline by travel agents and is the perennial winner of the Consumer Choice Award. Customers can look forward to starting their vacation off in style with Champagne Service, which features a complimentary glass of sparkling wine, tea and coffee and non-alcoholic beverage service; together with a buy on board menu of light meals and snacks (including kids' choices) inspired by Food Network Canada Celebrity Chef, Lynn Crawford. Sunwing customers also benefit from the assistance of the company's own knowledgeable destination representatives, who greet them upon arrival and support them throughout their vacation journey.

About the Wiarton Willie Festival

For the past 60 years, the Town of South Bruce Peninsula, or more specifically, Wiarton has celebrated the Wiarton Willie Festival and is the home of Canada's most famous prognosticating groundhog, Wiarton Willie. Each February 2^nd, dark and early, towns' folk and fans come out to hear Willie's prediction. Enjoy festivities and entertainment emceed by Kevin Forget, Travel Promotions Officer/Ontario Travel Information Centre.  See Willie's 2017 Shadow Cabinet, the Queen of the Festival and her court, the McLaren Pipe and Drum Band, Dave Nixon and Brooklyn Hewton, the Town Crier, and of course Wiarton's own weather prognosticator, Willie. Enjoy a free pancake breakfast which will be prepared by the Wiarton Propeller Club, the Wiarton Optimists and the Wiarton Forget Me Nots (Red Hat Ladies).  Breakfast will be served in the upstairs of the Wiarton Arena.

SOURCE Sunwing Vacations Inc.

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