DAYTONA BEACH — The World's Most Famous Beach has long been a favorite winter haven for visiting Canadian snowbirds and they may soon have a new way to wing their way here.
Toronto, Canada-based Sunwing Airlines is considering adding service to Daytona Beach possibly as soon as this coming February, an airport official confirmed.
"It would be nonstop flights to and from Toronto," said Jay Cassens, the airport's director of business development. "It would probably be nine months a year, a couple times a week."
Cassens confirmed that the airline recently requested a formal proposal from the airport after one of its executives met with him and toured the area on April 13.
No decision has been made as of yet. "At this point, it's just discussion, but it's discussion at another level," Cassens said.
"There's no guarantee at any point in the (courtship) process until the airline officially announces it and it's all subject to approval by the (Volusia) County Council," he added.
Cassens disclosed the talks with Sunwing at last week's meeting of the Halifax Area Advertising Authority tourism board.
"The CVB and the airport have been working with Sunwing for a while and it's a strong partnership," said Lori Campbell Baker, the visitors bureau's CEO. "With this potential new service, we'll be providing targeted, strategic marketing and public relations support" to attract more tourists from Toronto.
Daytona Beach International Airport currently offers daily service by three airlines: Delta Air Lines, which offers flights to and from its hub airport in Atlanta, Georgia; American Airlines, which offers flights to and from Charlotte, North Carolina; and JetBlue Airways, which offers flights once a day to and from John F. Kennedy International Airport.
The interest in Daytona Beach by Sunwing comes as tourism visits locally continue to rise to record levels.
Volusia County last year drew an estimated 10 million visitors, the most in its history, according to local tourism officials.
Daytona Beach airport in 2017 saw passenger traffic rise to a 20-year high and is on pace so far this year to exceed last year's total.
Canadians currently account for approximately 5 percent of the tourism visits to Volusia County, according to Evelyn Fine, president of Mid-Florida Marketing & Research, which tracks the local tourism industry. Of those Canadian visitors, roughly two out of five come from the Toronto area, with another 40 percent coming from the Quebec area, she said.
But the Daytona Beach area isn't just attracting Canadian tourists. It is also attracting investors and developers. Four Canadian companies have sizable projects in the works locally: The Minto Group, whose U.S. subsidiary Minto Communities is developing a Jimmy Buffett-themed Latitude Margaritaville 55-and-older community on the north side of LPGA Boulevard, just west of Interstate 95; North American Development Group, which is developing a "power lifestyle" retail center across from Tanger Outlets; Geosam Capital, the master developer of the Venetian Bay and Coastal Woods communities in New Smyrna Beach; and Bayshore Capital, which is developing a 12-story luxury condo tower in Daytona Beach Shores called Max Daytona.
Cassens took an executive from Sunwing during his visit here last month to the new sales center for Max Daytona. Bayshore is based on the Toronto area, as is North American Development Group.
"We think it would be terrific," said Bayshore Capital CEO Henry Wolfond of Sunwing's interest in offering nonstop Toronto-Daytona Beach service. "It would introduce a lot more Canadians to the destination. Daytona Beach is really seen now as an up-and-coming market. ... I think Daytona is an unpolished gem."
The News-Journal was unable to reach Sunwing officials for comment.
Sunwing on its website describes itself as a low-cost airline that "offers Canadians more direct flights to the sunny south than any other leisure carrier." It currently offers flights to three Florida destinations: Orlando, Fort Lauderdale and St. Petersburg/Clearwater/Tampa.
"As this area continues to grow with all the new developments including (the 6,600-home) Latitude Margaritaville and ICI Homes' communities (including its 1,200-home Mosaic "full life" community), that's only going to benefit us," said Cassens of Daytona Beach airport's chances of convincing more airlines to offer service here. "The more population you have, the more demand there's going to be for air service."
Cassens said he also submitted a formal proposal earlier this year to a U.S.-based airline, but declined to identify it. "I'm always hopeful," he said, adding that he is scheduled to meet with officials from JetBlue as well in the coming weeks.
"Out of all the international destinations, Toronto by far has the most potential for us," Cassens said. "There's a lot of Canadians here. You see them everywhere in the spring."
Baker agreed. "The Toronto area is an important one for us," the Daytona Beach area tourism chief said. "We're excited about the prospect of joining the community in welcoming this airline (Sunwing) to DBIA's offerings."
Cassens said convincing an airline to offer service to a new destination, particularly smaller markets, such as the Daytona Beach area, can take years. In the case of JetBlue, Daytona Beach airport officials began courting the New York-based airline in 2000. It finally began offering daily flights here in January 2016.
The airport's proposal includes a waiver of certain fees for the airline, which Cassens said is standard, for smaller market airports. "They're looking for offsets to their startup costs," he said, adding that Toronto was one of the "premium markets we had approved (by the County Council) in 2016 for fee waivers."
"The bigger story is the potential of securing nonstop service to Toronto, whether it's Sunwing or another airline," Cassens said.