Destinations
TreadRight Partners With Lakota Youth Development
The Travel Corporation’s (TTC) non-profit foundation TreadRight has announced a new partnership with Lakota Youth Development, a non-profit located on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota. Established in 1992, the grassroots organization’s mission is to reclaim Lakota language, culture and spirituality by promoting education and healthy lifestyles for youth through culturally based strategies. This support and empowerment of Indigenous youth is accomplished through programs that provide a safe drug- and alcohol-free environment and the opportunity to develop leadership...
Lynx Air To Link Canada
Dubbing itself an ultra-affordable airline rather than an ultra-low cost carrier, Lynx Air has big plans for the Canadian market. During an event in Toronto yesterday (March 17), CEO Merren McArthur announced a major expansion out of the Toronto region, adding four new destinations and five new routes to its network. “By the end of July, we will be flying 92 flights per week in and out of the Toronto area, which is more than 17,000 seats per week,” said McArthur. “We're offering really great prices and that's what we want to do to attract people to our airline, but then we want to...
UPDATED – Canada Ends Pre-Arrival Testing
For the Canadian travel and tourism industry, there is good reason to celebrate today. News that the federal government is dropping the requirement of a pre-arrival COVID-19 test (either a PCR or Rapid Antigen test) for arriving travellers has long been called for by the industry and those calls have finally been heard. The announcement of the removal of the pre-arrival testing requirement was made by federal health minister, Jean-Yves Duclos, transport minister, Omar Alghabra and tourism minister, Randy Boissonnault. While travellers arriving in Canada will no longer need to...
A Little Luxury From CAA
CAA South Central Ontario (CAA SCO) has unveiled a new set of luxurious travel packages designed for travellers who are ready to embark on an iconic Canadian adventure. As part of each package, travellers will be flying on a CAA chartered jet with all business class seating, offered in partnership with Air Canada. They will be joined only by those travelling on a Premier Collection tour. Itineraries are curated with affordable luxury in mind. Susan Postma, Regional Manager, CAA, explained that: “Our research has shown us that Canadians are looking to experience travel in a more...
Time To Get Back To Business
The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) is calling on governments in Europe, the U.S. and Latin America to end COVID-19 testing requirements for vaccinated travellers. Clearly, Canada was listening as the GBTA’s call came just as Canada was announcing that it was doing just that. In other jurisdictions, however, the GBTA points out that although entire segments of the global economy have successfully reopened, business travel is still lagging far behind in recovery. As a result, corporations are reluctant to send people back on the road in large part due to the complexity...
Air Canada Expands Its South Pacific Network
Air Canada is taking off with a strategic expansion of its South Pacific schedule with the return of daily service to Sydney and resumption of services to both Brisbane and Auckland. The carrier’s Australia and New Zealand flights operate from its trans-Pacific hub at Vancouver International Airport which the carrier has built to conveniently connect its international network to its vast North American network. Seats are available for purchase now at www.aircanada.com. Mark Galardo, Senior Vice President, Network Planning and Revenue Management at Air Canada, said that: “Air...
ACTA Advocates For Independent Travel Agents
Independent travel agents have been without direct financial support since the end of the Canada Recovery Benefit (CRB) in October-- despite being among the hardest-hit entrepreneurs on a long road to recovery. ACTA is launching a new advocacy campaign -- www.helpita.ca – that will provide a platform for independent travel agents to record a video detailing their personal story and why immediate financial support is necessary. These videos will be shared widely on social media and with politicians in a national advocacy campaign. And ACTA is encouraging all independent travel...
Brand USA Boss Celebrates Congress’ Support
Good news for the US travel industry following President Biden’s signing of the 2022 omnibus spending bill that – among other things – includes the Restoring Brand USA Act. In a letter to the industry, Brand USA’s president and CEO, Chris Thompson writes: “Today marks a new milestone in the U.S. travel and tourism industry’s recovery from COVID-19. President Biden signs the 2022 omnibus spending bill, which includes the Restoring Brand USA Act. The international segment of the travel economy is the most lucrative and has been the slowest to return to pre-pandemic...