Destinations
VIA Rail Union Issues 72-Hour Strike Notice
With a 72-hour strike notice now issued by the union representing some 2,400 VIA Rail Canada (VIA Rail) employees working in its stations, on board its trains, in its maintenance centres, the VIA Customer Centre and administrative offices, VIA Rail may be forced to suspend its services across its network at 12:01 a.m. (ET) on July 11, 2022 should no agreement be reached by that time. As part of the usual collective agreement renewal process and with the assistance of conciliators, VIA Rail and Unifor will continue to negotiate. VIA Rail remains committed to holding these negotiations...
The JTB Hosts A Special Evening With Bob Marley
The Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) invited its partners in the travel trade to join them for a ‘special’ evening at the Bob Marley One Love Experience in Toronto on July 7. The experience showcases never-before-seen Marley photographs and memorabilia, while immersing visitors in a journey through Marley’s life, passions, influences and his enduring legacy. Travel agents and tour operators attending the event were guided through the interactive Bob Marley exhibit. And at the end of the experience, the gathering learned of the upcoming plans to celebrate Jamaica’s 60th...
Reconnecting With Friends
A large cross-section of the Toronto-area travel industry got together for some much-appreciated meeting and greeting Thursday night. Pat Probert of TravelOnly agency Bob Family Travel joined Baxter Media in restarting evening travel industry get-togethers last year, and last night, they again used the lawn of the waterside Mimico Cruising Club, a venue that enabled social distancing. "It's time to make sure you're vaccinated and spend time with family and friends," Probert said, adding, "We appreciate what Baxter Media does for us." The event provided a welcome opportunity...
St. Kitts Names Lange CMO
The St. Kitts Tourism Authority has appointed Mia Lange as its Chief Marketing Officer (CMO). This is a new role at the tourism authority and was created to further strengthen the destination’s presence in key international source markets. Lange will oversee the strategic direction and implementation of all global marketing and branding efforts and will manage St. Kitts’ various international agencies. She will also lead the on-shore public relations and marketing team in St. Kitts to ensure the seamless promotion of the island to citizens and residents. Most recently,...
Talking Challenges With Clients
ACTA has developed a bilingual letter template and social media content that travel agencies and independent travel agents can share with clients to help explain long wait times and travel delays, schedule changes and cancellations. Wendy Paradis, president of ACTA, said that: “Travel disruptions are significantly impacting travel agencies, travel agents, airlines, and customers. The pandemic, continued government restrictions, and economy-wide labour shortages are causing distressing wait times in nearly all aspects of the travel experience.” Paradis continued: “While the...
Emirates Kicks Off Canadian Recruitment Initiative
Emirates is looking for candidates to join its multinational cabin crew team. The Dubai-based airline is holding a Cabin Crew recruitment open day from July 6 to July 24, 2022 across major Canadian cities, including Calgary, Vancouver and Toronto. July 6, 2022 starting at 9:00am MDT — Calgary Open Day at Hilton Garden Inn Downtown July 8, 2022 starting at 9:00am PDT — Vancouver Open Day at Hilton Vancouver Metrotown July 24, 2022 starting at 9:00am EDT — Toronto Open Day at Pan Pacific Toronto The airline is looking for individuals who are passionate about delivering...
Fiji Airways Says Bula Canada
Fiji Airways has announced it will fly direct from Nadi to Vancouver from November 2022. The destination will be the 20th direct international service provided by Fiji Airways. From November 25, 2022, Fiji Airways will fly direct to and from Vancouver twice a week on Mondays and Fridays. The carrier’s managing director and chief executive officer, Andre Viljoen said the airline has managed to introduce a new market because of the company’s strong rebound since the country’s borders opened on December 1, 2021. Viljoen said: “This is a very exciting development as we...
Jamaica Celebrates 60 With Agents
Jamaica is celebrating the island’s 60th anniversary of independence this year and the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) invites agents to join in the celebrations. The “60 Nights of Surprises” and “60 Days of Fun Prizes” activations are running between July 1 and August 31 with daily prize giveaways and 20 trip giveaways to Jamaica. Each Jamaica booking during this time gives agents one entry into the draws. Go to www.visitjamaica.com/canada/jamaica60 for...