Destinations
TICO Updates Registrant Reinstatment Policy
In a message to the industry, the Travel Industry Council of Ontario (TICO) says that it recognizes the difficulty that many registrants have faced resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic; observing that the prolonged industry downturn has led to great financial strain and uncertainty, forcing some registrants to make the difficult decision to voluntarily terminate or allow their registration to expire. Now TICO is pleased to share that effective Dec. 6, 2021, it has updated the Registrant Reinstatement Policy in order to encourage registrants considering reinstatement to do so without...
Beth Fleeton Joins CAA Niagara
Beth Fleeton has joined CAA Niagara as its Associate Director of Travel Sales & Experience. In a social media post, Fleeton wrote: “I can't wait to dive in and help in the recovery efforts we have all been dealing with during the pandemic, in particular my beloved travel industry.” She added that: “In my 30+ years working in this business, I have been fortunate to have already developed relationships with this amazing organization.” And Fleeton concluded her post: “As a Niagara native, I hope to bring both local insight and global knowledge from all the experiences...
TTI Buys MeritBiz From H.I.S-Merit Travel Group
TTI Travel has bought MeritBiz from H.I.S Merit Travel Group. MeritBiz is the corporate travel management division of H.I.S-Merit Travel Group and the purchase was jointly announced by Rocky Racco, CEO of TTI Travel and Frank DeMarinis, CEO of H.I.S-Merit Travel Group and H.I.S-Red Label Vacations Inc. With its focus on servicing discerning business travellers with high-touch personalized service, TTI’s acquisition of MeritBiz makes a lot of sense. Rocky Racco, TTI’s CEO, said: "For over a quarter of a century, MeritBiz has built a well-earned reputation of providing leading...
Hope For The Best, Prepare For The Unexpected
Ask Joel Ostrov if 2021 has gone the way he’d expected it would go and Direct Travel’s president – Canada East Region will tell you: “I am afraid not. The Delta variant caused many corporations to slow the restart of their travel programs. As a result, the borders between Canada and the US (and rest of the world) reopened much later than anticipated.” And Ostrov continued: “Some believed I was overly optimistic, but had the Delta variant not have transpired, I would have been right on with the predictions I made the last time you canvassed industry leaders for their...
Start Your Engines With New TravelBrands Incentive
Travel Brands Car Rentals is revving up its engines with a new incentive campaign for agents this holiday season. The company’s ‘Tis the Season for Giving’ campaign gives agents the opportunity to receive a 2% bonus commission and 2x the Loyalty Rewards Points on all car rental bookings. Agents will also have one of two chances to win their entire car rental back. This promotion applies to any new car booking with Hertz, Dollar, Thrifty, Avis, Budget, Alamo, Enterprise, and National and runs from Dec. 8 to Dec. 31, 2021. Go to www.travelbrandsaccess.com for...
Take Off To Myrtle Beach With Porter Airlines
Porter Airlines has announced that its seasonal service to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina will return on March 9, 2022 and continue until May 28, 2022. Michael Deluce, president and CEO of the carrier, said: “Relax with a trip to sandy beaches and sunshine. We’re looking forward to returning to another seasonal destination. Myrtle Beach is only a short flight away and is perfect for a short getaway.” Direct flights from Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport will operate twice weekly on Wednesdays and Saturdays, with connecting service from various Porter locations. Go to...
Romance Makes A Comeback
In any given year, 350,000 destination weddings take place with Mexico and the Caribbean being top choices for North American travellers. However, like the rest of the travel industry, those figures plummeted to non-existent levels since the onset of the pandemic. But over the past few months, travel advisors across the country finally got to see many long-awaited destination weddings come to life and are back to planning memorable occasions that may actually see the light of day. For a look at some recent real agent booked weddings, check out the latest issue of TRAVEL...
Interest Is Rising, Virginia Is Ready
The reopening of America’s international borders on Nov. 8 has brought a flurry of renewed interest in travel to the United States. Along with that increased interest comes many questions from travellers, as well as from travel professionals themselves, on what to expect when visiting their destination of interest. To meet that need, Virginia Tourism has created a comprehensive web-based resource to help answer the top questions on travellers’ minds as they plan a trip to The Commonwealth. “Our goal was to make it easier for our international visitors and travel partners to...