Destinations
Direct Travel, Crisis24 Team Up
Direct Travel, Inc. and Crisis24, have announced they are establishing a strategic partnership. Through the strategic partnership, Crisis24 will continue its mission of addressing the needs of organizations and individuals to provide duty of care programs and ensure business continuity. By combining Direct Travel’s access to clients in the middle market with Crisis24’s intelligence and technological resources, the partnership will allow middle market clients to access the best and most advanced actionable risk management solutions. Stephan Malvoisin, senior vice president at...
I Stand With Ukraine
Editor’s Note: In a powerful commentary, Bruce Poon Tip makes it clear where he stands on Ukraine, observing that: “Travel is the most powerful way we can open our hearts, minds and eyes to the beauty of the world, especially in the darkest of times” and he urges everyone to stand together for peace. Poon Tip writes: “It’s as though we’ve learned nothing in the past 75 years -- I would have hoped we had learned from our collective experience. The past two years we have been living through a global pandemic that has caused physical separation for millions around the...
Unique Vacations Promotes C.J. Smith
Maureen Barnes-Smith, Vice President, Sales & Marketing Canada, Unique Vacations Canada has announced that C.J. Smith has been promoted to Director of Sales. Smith’s promotion is effective immediately. He has been an indispensable member of the Canadian sales team for Sandals and Beaches Resorts since 2008, and was most recently Senior National Sales Manager. He first joined the Sandals family in 2001 with various on-resort roles at Sandals Montego Bay and Sandals Negril before moving to Canada in 2008 to assume the position of Business Development Manager, Alberta. After...
Another Award As Best Ski Hotel For Pan Pacific
The Pan Pacific Whistler Mountainside has once again earned the title of Canada’s Best Ski Hotel at the World Ski Awards. That makes it nine years in a row for this Pan Pac property. The World Ski Awards is the premier awards program in global ski tourism, with hundreds of thousands of travel professionals, skiers, hotel guests and media casting their votes for their favourite ski destinations and brands. Categories include best ski resort, best ski hotel, best ski boutique hotel and best ski chalet. This winter, Whistler is open to fully-vaccinated US and international visitors,...
Barbados Rolls Out New Travel Protocols
Travellers to Barbados now have more options as the island is accepting Rapid Antigen tests for entry, once administered by a healthcare provider no more than one day prior to arrival in Barbados. Rapid Antigen Tests are widely available in Barbados’ primary source markets and results are typically returned within one hour. The changes took effect on Feb. 26 and see Rapid Antigen Tests joining the list of approved tests for entry in Barbados. Also accepted are COVID-19 PCR tests taken no more than 3 days prior to arrival in Barbados. The COVID-19 tests can be taken using samples...
TL Network Canada Continues To Grow
TL Network Canada added 47 new Canadian member agencies to its network in 2021. In making the announcement, Christine James, TL Network’s Vice President in Canada, attributed the continued increase during another very unpredictable year to innovative training opportunities and enhancements to award-winning tools, which are important for attracting new members and driving high quality leads. James said that: “Even as the pandemic persists, we continue to provide our member agencies with industry-leading technology offerings, booking tools and training available to help them...
Sunwing Taking Off From Halifax To Varadero
Sunwing is expanding its flight service from Halifax to Varadero, Cuba. Beginning in March, Sunwing will be offering East Coast residents another weekly flight on Thursdays starting on March 10, 2022 until April 28, 2022. Andrew Dawson, president of tour operations for Sunwing, said: “As the only Atlantic Canada gateway offering flights to Cuba this winter, we’re thrilled to be introducing another flight from Halifax to Varadero for our customers in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island to enjoy.” And Dawson added: “As a Canadian favourite and easy entry...
Remove The Roadblocks
At an event in Calgary, the Canadian Travel and Tourism Roundtable continue to call on the federal government to remove pre-departure testing entirely. It was joined in its call by medical and local business leaders to urge the removal of the restrictions for fully vaccinated travellers on or before April 1 when the regulations will be updated. And it notes that continued testing targeted at solely the travel sector is both unnecessary and not rooted in science. While the federal government took a step in the right direction by altering the testing regime around travel, its...