Destinations
Get Ready For Growth
With the tourism sector rebound strongly from the global pandemic, the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) is calling on the region’s “bread and butter” industry to ramp up efforts to be adequately staffed to meet the impending surge of arrivals and continued growth. Pointing to a recent statement from the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) that predicts “a massive increase in global international inbound travel,” CHTA President Nicola Madden-Greig noted that the Caribbean’s tourism sector must do more to source and train its own people to meet the...
Europe Tourism Remains Resilient
The European Travel Commission (ETC) is predicting that European tourism will demonstrate resilience despite risks on multiple fronts. In the ETC’s latest ‘European Tourism Trends & Prospects’ quarterly – which monitors the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as current economic and geopolitical headwinds -- anticipates that European tourism will continue recovering in 2022, albeit at a slower pace than previously hoped. In 2022, international tourist arrivals to Europe are forecast to be 30% below 2019 volumes, supported by domestic and short-haul travel....
Future Outlook Encouraging For Tourism Innovators
Day One of the IMPACT Sustainability Travel & Tourism Conference was characterized by an urgency to tackle tourism agendas in a new world economic order, reports Press Today’s Ted Davis, who’s attending the event. Post-pandemic hindsight is allowing tourism stakeholders and thought leaders to reassess the effects of Covid-19 on the industry, said western Canada editor Ted Davis, who is attending the conference. They brought their methods and theories to the conference, which is being held in Victoria until May 11. There were some positive effects of the pandemic, said Marion...
Spotlight On Ireland
Tourism Ireland is back to in-person sales missions, kicking off its efforts in Toronto and then heading to western Canada to showcase the island of Ireland to travel agents in Alberta and British Columbia. A delegation of 15 tourism enterprises from Ireland and 3 Canadian partners are taking part in the targeted sales mission focusing on the cities of Toronto, Calgary, Vancouver, and Victoria, highlighting the direct gateways from Canada to Ireland. The events are designed to help advisors sell Ireland by targeting key consumer passion points of adventure and experiences,...
ACTA Says Airport, Passport Delays Need To Be Addressed
With Canadian travellers experiencing significant delays at airport security and customs & immigration check points and long wait times for Canadians renewing passports in-person, ACTA is calling on the government to urgently address the situation. The association notes in a statement that these delays are caused by several factors, including labour shortages and increased administrative burdens due to legacy COVID-19 policies, as well as absenteeism. Wendy Paradis, president of ACTA, said: “Canada’s travel industry, including travel agencies and independent travel agents,...
Transformative Experiences That Are Travel Agent-Friendly
Paul Melhus makes it clear that ToursByLocals has been working with travel agents from the start and recognizes them as an integral part of its business. In fact, says ToursByLocals founder and CEO, agents bring top quality clients in search of truly unique travel products. And he also makes it clear that: “When it comes to the return of travel, I have no doubts. People want to travel. They have never stopped wanting to travel. Once the barriers are lifted and once people feel safe, we’ll all be out there again.” For the full story, check out CANADIAN TRAVEL PRESS. In the...
Israel Ends PCR Tests For Travellers
Israel’s Ministry of Health has confirmed that Israel is dropping its final COVID-19 curbs by removing on-arrival PCR tests. Under the new guidelines agreed by the Ministry of Health and the Airports Authority, passengers landing at Ben Gurion airport from May 20 will no longer be required to perform a PCR test. The news was announced via a statement on Israel’s Ministry of Health’s Twitter, which when translated from Hebrew to English, reads as such: “Passengers landing at Ben Gurion Airport starting on May 20, 2002 will no longer be required to perform a PCR test. The...
RLV, Merit Appoint Hamre
H.I.S.-Red Label Vacations Inc. (RLV) and Merit Travel have appointed Lora Hamre as the new Director of Retail and Independent Consultant Program. An experienced business leader, Hamre started assuming responsibilities on May 2, 2022. Her role is primarily focused on growing the retail and independent travel divisions with finesse and forward-thinking while fostering new business development activities that drive greater engagement and opportunity. She has over 20 years of industry experience, most recently working as Business Development Manager for Trafalgar Travel. Her sales,...