Destinations
Avianca Set To Take Off From Toronto
Avianca is now selling tickets for its new Toronto-Bogotá route, which begins operation in December. Initially, Avianca will be offering 3 weekly frequencies for the Toronto-Bogotá route and another 3 for the return Bogota-Toronto route. The flights will be operated using Airbus A320 aircraft with a capacity for 150 passengers, which represents an offer of about 4,000 weekly seats available to travellers. Rolando Damas, General Director of Avianca for Mexico, North America, the Caribbean and Asia, said: “Connecting Canada with Colombia is a strategic point for Avianca's...
A Warning On Travel Advisories From CHTA
One of the Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association’s (CHTA) top executives is pointing out that travel warnings, based on COVID-19 positivity levels, can be misleading. Noting that while travel advisories have been placed on several Caribbean destinations due to the increase in COVID-19 cases -- attributed to the highly contagious Delta variant—the tourism executive says that travel to the region is safe because of effective health safety measures and a continued commitment to protect employees and visitors. Vanessa Ledesma, acting CEO and director general of the Caribbean...
IPW Delegates Welcome News Of Reduced Travel Barriers
There was no containing the sense of relief and optimism expressed by delegates currently attending the IPW international travel trade show in Las Vegas, on hearing of new federal rules that will greatly benefit the travel industry, reports Press Today's correspondent, Ted Davis. The announcement that the United States will soon permit the arrival of air passengers from formerly-banned international source markets, including the United Kingdom and countries of the European Union, was welcome news for IPW attendees, reports Davis, who is onsite covering the trade show and...
Time To Get Back To Work
With the election now in the rearview, the Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC) says collaboration across industry and across party lines is going to be critical to moving us forward. Beth Potter, president and CEO of TIAC, observed that: “The recovery of Canada’s tourism industry is key to Canada’s overall recovery. We were encouraged to see tourism-specific pledges mentioned in the party platforms during this campaign.” TIAC’s president continued: “It is vital that this once $105 billion industry be recognized as the important economic driver it is. We look...
Canada Extends India Flight Ban To Sept. 26
As Canada prepares for the return of direct flights from India to Canada, Transport Canada is announcing an extension of the Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) that restricts all direct commercial and private passenger flights to Canada from India until Sept. 26, 2021, at 23:59 EDT. Once the restriction on direct flights expires, travellers eligible to enter Canada will be able to board direct flights from India to Canada with the following additional measures: Travellers must have proof of a negative COVID-19 molecular test from the approved Genestrings Laboratory at the Delhi airport...
GBTA Encourages Government To Support Business Travel
The Global Business Travel Association Canada (GBTA Canada) says it is looking forward to working with Canada’s new federal government on support for business travel and all the benefits it brings to Canadians. Nancy Tudorache, regional vice president, Canada for GBTA, observed: “GBTA Canada congratulates Prime Minister Trudeau on forming Canada’s new Federal government and looks forward to working with all parliamentarians to support business travel and capture all the benefits that this activity brings to Canadians.” Tudorache emphasized that: “Advancing policies that...
Poon Tip To Keynote At Caribbean World Tourism Day
Bruce Poon Tip will deliver the keynote address at a special virtual conference on Sept. 27 to mark World Tourism Day. “The Future of Caribbean Tourism - Redefining the three S’s” will be a day-long event and is an unprecedented collaborative effort among nearly a dozen agencies and institutions related to tourism and key ancillary sectors, bringing together a wide range of stakeholders across the tourism spectrum to discuss the outlook for the region’s primary revenue earner. In his keynote, Poon Tip will discuss three priority areas for the region: social inclusion,...
Expedia Group Unifying Its Loyalty Programs
With over 145 million members across its current and separate rewards programs, Expedia Group already has one of the largest loyalty platforms in the world. Now, the company is unveiling plans to unify and expand the offering to include all brands and products so Expedia Group customers can soon enjoy the most complete travel rewards offering in the industry. The program will consist of unique member pricing discounts and the ability to earn and redeem rewards across all Expedia Group brands, such as Expedia, Vrbo, Hotels.com, Travelocity, and Orbitz. The new program will...