Nine Indigenous tourism businesses across Canada are receiving grants of $10,000 as part of a strategic partnership between WestJet and the Indigenous Toursim Association of Canada (ITAC).
For the nine businesses, the grants come at a time when the Indigenous tourism industry has been devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The grants were originally earmarked through the WestJet/ITAC strategic national partnership, signed in November 2019, and the 2020/2021 grant recipients include:
Feast Café Bistro: Winnipeg, Manitoba
Moonstone Creation: Calgary, Alberta
Talaysay Tours:...
ATPCO has added two new executives to its leadership team, with Ellen Lee joining as Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) and Maya Bordeaux as Chief People & Culture Officer (CPCO).
Both Lee and Bordeaux will bring fresh perspectives and decades of experience spanning multiple industry sectors to ATPCO and will help shape and drive the company’s ongoing transformation following the recent appointment of Alex Zoghlin as President and CEO.
Alongside other senior leadership at ATPCO, both Bordeaux and Lee will be focused on executing Zoghlin’s vision of modernizing and...
If you were wondering what the long-term holds for air transportation, a new forecast released by IATA and Tourism Economics demonstrates that post-COVID-19, people will be eager to travel in both the short-term and the long-term.
In unveiling the details, IATA points out that in order to ensure that aviation can sustainably deliver its social and economic benefits as it meets this long-term demand, it is critical that governments step-up their support for more efficient operations and foster an effective energy transition.
Highlights of the IATA/Tourism Economics forecast...
IATA has made it clear that it supports unrestricted access to travel for people who have been vaccinated and it is applauding countries that are “making data and evidence-driven decisions” to allow them to open their borders to vaccinated travellers.
The global airline industry association notes that the latest data that it has collected – including its Timatic service – indicates that over 20 countries have either wholly or partially lifted restrictions for vaccinated travellers.
And it IATA states that in cases where vaccination is not possible, access to quarantine-free...
Following the European Union Council’s announcement that it will recommend that restrictions on travel be adjusted, including enabling fully vaccinated travellers to enter the EU, Canada’s major air carriers are repeating their call for the federal government to move forward with the development of a clear re-start plan for aviation and the treatment of vaccinated passengers.
Mike McNaney, president and CEO of the National Airlines Council of Canada, said that the “announcement in Europe demonstrates that the EU continues to take a science-based approach to the development of its...
For those living in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area, Sunwing has announced that it is returning to John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport for the 2021-2022 winter season.
Flights begin at the start of December 2021 and will operate until mid-April 2022, serving Cancun, Punta Cana, Montego Bay, Varadero, Cayo Coco and Cayo Santa Maria.
Andrew Dawson, president of tour operations for Sunwing, said: “We are excited to be resuming operations from John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport. The airport offers residents of Hamilton and the surrounding GTHA with...
Air Canada – collaborating with the Toronto Business Development Centre (TBDC) and the Ontario government -- is supporting India relief efforts, operating a cargo-only flight to Delhi, providing urgent medical supplies to the Indian population which has been severely hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jason Berry, vice-president, cargo at Air Canada, said: “We are all deeply saddened by the devastating situation in India, and no one can remain indifferent to what is happening now in that part of the world.”
Berry continued: “When flights to India were suspended on April 22, the...
Flair Airlines has launched a new mobile application to improve the passenger experience.
The new app handles everything from trip planning to in-flight entertainment, and is available on both Android and iOS platforms.
The launch of the app marks the beginning of a multi-year plan to bring new features and capabilities to Flair’s customers and can be downloaded from the App Store or Google Play.
Sarah Riches, vice president, marketing and customer experience, said: “As non-essential travel begins to return this summer, Flair has been preparing to meet the needs of our...
Porter Airlines says it will tentatively restart its flights for July 20.
Michael Deluce, president and CEO of Porter Airlines, commented: “It’s encouraging to see the recovery of the aviation industry in the U.S.”
Deluce continued: “As vaccination rates in Canada increase, we are hopeful travel restrictions and public health measures will ease, so we can recall our team members, welcome back our passengers and begin to rebuild the airline.”
Previously, Porter had set June 21 as its tentative restart date.
Operations were temporarily suspended on March 21, 2020, due...
Air North has picked APG as its General Sales Agent (GSA) in Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany, Austria, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Netherlands, Philippines, Switzerland and the UK.
Through the new deal, APG will provide sales and marketing services throughout the countries to bring greater awareness of Air North and the Yukon region to travel agents and customers alike.
Air North also signed with APG to join its interline e-ticketing solution allowing over 100,000 travel agents worldwide to issue Air North tickets on APG’s own validating code,...