Sunshine state savings
Florida entices Canadians with new Power Play campaign
VISIT FLORIDA says a program it introduced last week means Canadians can look forward to smaller credit card bills when booking Florida vacations. Florida Governor Rick Scott and VISIT FLORIDA CEO Ken Lawson were in Toronto Nov. 1 to announce the Canadian Power Play Program, designed to make it more affordable for Canadians to holiday in the sunshine state… Read >>

This Thailand resort is fit for a kingdom
No one can seriously suggest that the building of northern Thailand’s Dhara Dhevi resort was a rush job. The sprawling Chiang Mai retreat was five years in the making, with the owner committed to providing a distinct vacation experience that recalls the region’s long past… Read >>

Making music for all ages
The parent company of Hard Rock Hotels says those who stay at that brand’s resorts will neither be at a loss for things to do or having to continuously reach for their wallets.
Ashley Gibbs told a recent Toronto AIC Hotel Group event that Hard Rock resorts – found in parts of the Caribbean and Mexico – provide an “all-day, all-night, all-included” experience for their guests, who can expect a “fun time from beginning to end.”.. Read >>

Ka’anapali Beach Hotel is very Hawaiian
School isn’t out for Ka’anapali Beach Hotel guests wanting to brush up on their Hawaiian language skills or other aspects of Hawaiian culture… Read >>

explora Valle Sagrado
Challenging guests in a different way
Jose Rosemberg is inviting people to truly take the high road.
Or rather the high trail. Rosemberg is general manager of explora Valle Sagrado, found in Andean Peru’s Sacred Valle, and the property is happy to help people reach some lofty Andean settings… Read >>

Cuba’s Jardines del Rey eager to again host visitors
‘Exceeding expectations’
Sunwing’s senior Cuba-based official says Quebec and Ontario travel agents who visited Cuba’s Jardines del Rey region last weekend left believing it is deserving of a clean bill of health following Hurricane Irma, which battered the islands found off Cuba’s north coast in September… Read >>

Sea-ing is believing for restaurant visitors
The Maldives Hurawalhi Island Resort hasn’t lowered the bar.
It’s lowered a restaurant. The island retreat has three restaurants, among them 5.8 Undersea Restaurant, billed as the “world’s largest, all-glass undersea restaurant,” and is 5.8 metres beneath the sea surface, hence its name… Read >>

All About access
Peru upbeat about upcoming Air Canada route
Peru is getting ready to bring a new tourism message to the world about a country on the verge of becoming more accessible to a growing number of Canadians.
Elisabeth Hakim, incoming tourism coordinator for North America and Britain for Peruvian tourism board PromPeru, told a Toronto audience last week that the upcoming campaign will be launched Nov. 6 in London at World Travel Mart,.. Read >>

What a team!
Toronto, New York launch cross-border cooperative tourism initiative
Tourism Toronto and its New York City counterpart are undertaking some cross-border cooperation expected to boost the tourist trades in both cities.
Tourism Toronto president Johanne Belanger told an Oct. 18 Toronto gathering that a two-year “city-to-city partnership” is a first for Toronto and will see advertising promoting each city and the sharing of marketing assets and expertise in attracting visitors to the largest cities in both Canada and the United States… Read >>

U by UNIWORLD targets millennials
UNIWORLD is U-pbeat about a new offering for those in the 21 to 45 years-old age bracket.
Michelle Palma, UNIWORLD’s vice-president of sales for Canada, says U by UNIWORLD has two dedicated ships – named the A and the B – that will offer European river sailings specifically for millennials… Read >>

Turkey’s past receives another accolade
The UNESCO World Heritage Committee clearly loves ancient Turkish ruins named after the ancient Greek goddess of love.
The committee added the ancient Greek city of Aphrodisias, found in what’s now western Turkey and named after Aphrodite, to its World Heritage List this year, one more example of weighty recognition for a country that has seemingly endless reminders of its long past for tourists to visit… Read >>

Trafalgar takes it up a notch
Trafalgar has announced an arrangement with Air Canada Vacations on vacation options that will truly be uplifting for clients flying to Europe.
Trafalgar president Wolf Paunic told a recent Toronto gathering that 16 Trafalgar Europe itineraries will be found in an Air Canada Vacations’ 2018 brochure, with Air Canada Vacations providing the air travel to and from Europe, and other “perks,” while Trafalgar will provide the actual land programs… Read >>

Cuba Awaits
Tourism minister Marrero says island is ready to welcome Canadians
Cuban tourism officials say Cuba’s tourism infrastructure will have fully recovered from damage created by Hurricane Irma by mid-November, and they’re asking Canadians to help fill reopened hotels that they insist will have never looked better… Read >>

Cusco remains a showcase for the Inca empire
Erich von Daniken’s suggestion that extra-terrestials might have been responsible for Cusco, Peru’s massive Inca complex of Sacsayhuaman is now scoffed at by archeologists, but a basic question remains: How did the Incas slot massive, asymmetrical boulders that at times weighed over 100 tonnes so carefully together that, in the words of one visitor, “you couldn’t slide an envelope in between them.”.. Read >>

Africa may benefit from being hurricane-free
Could Africa and the Middle East look increasingly attractive to Canadians seeking hurricane-free havens?
Just possibly, say some of those on hand for a recent Goway Travel event in Toronto showcasing those two regions… Read >>

Yucatan promotes its colonial attributes
Rosa Elena Vermont Ricalde wants to dispel any confusion Canadians may have over her Mexican state and resort destinations on Mexico’s Caribbean coast.
Vermont Ricalde, with the state’s tourist board, notes the state of Yucatan makes up part of the Yucatan Peninsula, as does the state of Quintana Roo, home to hugely popular Cancun and the Riviera Maya… Read >>

Bahia Principe offers distinct vacation choices in Punta Cana
Bahia Principe says it has built an unrivalled presence in Punta Cana, with the Spanish hotel chain noting it arrived there in 2004, and now has seven upscale all-inclusive resorts for its sun-seeking guests to choose from… Read >>

Where will your clients go?
As Canadian airlines and tour companies recommence service into key Caribbean destinations following Hurricanes Irma and Maria – making it clear that the region was open for business – Canadian Travel Press spoke with a number of travel agents who told the publication that right now it was unclear where their customers would choose to travel this winter… Read >>

Lofty seating a high-light of tours on Thai island
Talk about taking the high road…
Tour companies on the Thai island of Koh Samui offer backroads tours that enable passengers to ride on cushioned benches in the backs of pickup trucks or, if they’re more daring, sit on makeshift seating that’s literally atop the roof… Read >>

Canadian travellers “coming to expect responsibility”
Shannon Guihan is praising what she says is a growing number of Canadians interested in sustainable travel, while rapping the knuckles of some of those they choose to book their travel with… Read >>