Cruise
Celestyal Announces Further Sailing Suspension
Celestyal Cruises, which has sailings to the Greek Islands and the Eastern Mediterranean, has announced the further suspension of its sailings until the previously announced 2021 season, starting March 6, 2021. Celestyal was one of the first cruise lines worldwide to take an immediate decision to temporarily suspend cruise operations out of caution for its guests, crew and the local communities it serves in mid-March. The decisive action resulted in no COVID-19 cases on Celestyal’s ships, and the company was able to repatriate its guests and crew home safely before international...
Emerald Waterways Unveils Europe 2021
Emerald Waterways has opened the books on their 2021 river cruise season with no price increases from the 2021 preview brochure, complimentary or reduced airfare deals on all European sailing. Plus, to celebrate the nation’s birthday, Emerald Waterways is offering a Canada launch bonus of either an on-board credit or additional savings until July 15th. The upcoming season will feature a newly launched Star-Ship, Emerald Luna, new land extensions to Istanbul and Transylvania, and several fresh itineraries on some of Europe’s most popular rivers. All 2021 river cruise bookings...
Let’s Talk About Racism In The Travel Industry
Shalene Dudley can list off too many examples of the times she’s experienced racial discrimination while travelling — like being completely ignored in the check-in line for priority seating for flights or having to provide additional ID to prove her business platinum AMEX truly belongs to her. “A DMC representative in Cancun that I pre-arranged my transfer with, refused to believe that my final destination was the luxury five-star I showed him documentation for. I waited for over an hour until they received a phone confirmation. Even after this, he insisted that I must be a...
Carnival Pauses Through Sept. 30
Carnival Cruise Line is advising that it is extending its operational pause in North America through Sept. 30, 2020. Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line, announced the extension, explaining that: “During this unprecedented pause in our business, we have continued to assess the operating environment and confer with public health, government and industry officials.” In a letter to passengers and agents, Duffy said that following the cruise industry’s announcement on June 19 that it would voluntarily extend its pause in North America, Carnival Cruise Line is now...
CLIA Extends Voluntary Suspension To Sept. 15
In a statement just issued by CLIA, the association has announced that its ocean-going cruise line members will voluntarily extend the suspension of cruise operations from U.S. ports until September 15, 2020. CLIA says that: “Due to the ongoing situation within the U.S. related to COVID-19, CLIA member cruise lines have decided to voluntarily extend the period of suspended passenger operations.” The association continues: “The current No Sail Order issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will expire on July 24, and although we had hoped that cruise...
Whirlpool Jet Boat Ready To Launch
Whirlpool Jet Boat Tours will launch it 29th season on Canada Day (July 1, 2020), allowing passengers to experience one-of-a-kind thrill rides in the scenic Niagara Gorge while staying protected from COVID-19. The company’s president, John Kinney said: “We can’t wait to get back on the water like we have for nearly three decades. We’ve put a number of enhanced safety measures in place to help our guests get outdoors and make the most of summer.” Among the new safety protocols Whirlpool has implemented at its operations on both sides of the Niagara River in Queenston, ON...
Virtual Reality: Key Part Of Booking Process
According to GlobalData, virtual reality may become a key component in the booking process going forward. In its latest consumer survey, the data and analytics company reports that a total 45% of global travellers remain extremely concerned about the outbreak of COVID-19, making it clear that consumer uncertainty remains one of the greatest barriers facing operators. Making virtual reality (VR) a key component in the booking process may act as an additional tool to ease consumer uncertainty, creating an advantage for travel companies that incorporate it. Johanna Bonhill-Smith,...
Join The Movement With #timetotravel
The Canadian Travel & Tourism Roundtable has sent an open letter -- signed by 130 senior travel and tourism executives -- to Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau and the provincial Premiers urging them to reopen this country’s travel and tourism industry as soon as possible. The letter begins by telling the country’s leaders: “As a society, we have faced a threat like no other, COVID-19. And we are still dealing with it. Under the leadership of our governments, we agreed to implement tough decisions to protect our health and safety. We shut down our schools, our businesses, and...