Destinations
Holland America Is Back In Canada
Holland America Line will be the first cruise line to return to Canadian cruising following a more than two year industrywide pause due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. Koningsdam will call at Victoria, British Columbia, Saturday, April 9, restarting the cruise industry in Canada. The following day the ship will end its current seven-day cruise at Port of Vancouver, its homeport for the summer Alaska season. Gus Antorcha, president of Holland America Line, said: “We are thrilled to be the first cruise line back into Canada after such a long absence, and we look forward to...
The Road Back
An overall theme of “Build Back Better” was a guiding priority at the recent National Indigenous Tourism Conference in Calgary, as attendees come to grips with post-pandemic business conditions, reports Ted Davis in the latest issue of Canadian Travel Press. The conference was characterized by a comprehensive agenda that broached topics ranging from strategic marketing partnerships to sustainability strategies to the impacts of the ongoing reconciliation process. These were all presented within a hard-working schedule that filled two-plus days of oration, explanation and panel...
Lynx Takes Off From Calgary
Lynx Air took to the skies yesterday (April 7) with its inaugural flight from Calgary to Vancouver. The carrier operates a fleet of three brand-new Boeing 737 aircraft and will ramp up quickly over the coming weeks. Its next destination will be to Toronto, with its inaugural Calgary-Toronto flight taking off on April 11; and it will add Kelowna to its network starting April 15; Winnipeg starting April 19; and Victoria starting May 12. Lynx will add two more aircraft to its fleet in the coming months, allowing it to further expand its network in the lead up to summer, including...
Budget 2022 Fails To Address Support For Agencies, ITAs
In a statement, ACTA president, Wendy Paradis said the association is disappointed that the 2022 federal Budget failed to address the ongoing need for support for travel agencies and independent travel agents, who are still far from recovery. Paradis points out that all temporary financial support programs are being phased out, despite the impact of the Omicron variant and the delayed revenue model of our sector. Through ACTA’s pre-budget submission, political engagements, partnership with the Coalition of Hardest Hit Businesses, and member grassroots work, there was intense...
Ontario Tourism Sector Gets Support From Feds
The Honourable Helena Jaczek, Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario) announced a total investment of $68.5 million through the Tourism Relief Fund for Indigenous Tourism Ontario and 11 Regional Tourism Organizations (RTOs) across southern Ontario on April 6. The investment will help tourism businesses and communities safely welcome back visitors, recover from the impacts of the pandemic and prepare for future growth. In making the announcement, Minister Jaczek said: “The Government of Canada investment announced...
Don’t Miss Today’s Responsible Travel Webinar
Recent surveys consistently show that today’s consumers want to travel responsibly. To help equip travel advisors to respond to the growing interest in environmentally and socially responsible travel, Baxter Media is teaming up with industry experts for a virtual session that will help them understand what they need to do to satisfy their clients demand for a responsible vacation. Featured speakers include Angela Nagy, CEO, GreenStep Solutions; Nico Nicholas, CEO & Co-founder, Trees4Travel Ltd; Stéphanie Bishop, Managing Director, Canada, Globus family of brands; Genevieve...
Zagreb Celebrates The Return Of Air Transat
Zagreb is celebrating as it prepares, once again, to welcome service by Air Transat. Air Transat will resume nonstop flights to Croatia after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic. The nonstop seasonal flights to Croatia will commence on May 7 between Toronto and Zagreb and continue to Oct. 29. The airline will offer flights once a week from May 7 to June 4 and twice a week from June 8 to Oct. 29. Air Transat's inaugural nonstop flight from Canada to Croatia was first introduced in June 2016 and continued in 2017, 2018, and 2019 and was gaining momentum until it was postponed in...
Goway Launches Qatar Product Line
Goway is expanding its Middle East travel options with the launch of travel products in Qatar. The operator has been a long-time supporter of Qatar Airways and is excited to extend its offerings to include vacation packages throughout Qatar. Goway is ready to help travellers explore this oasis on the gulf with a range of travel products, including city tours of the rapidly-growing capital, Doha, which combines historic charm with man-made islands and towering skyscrapers that befit a rising star of the 21st century. Travellers can go dune bashing through the desert and visit the...