Destinations
Aeroplan, LCBO Launch New Loyalty Partnership
Aeroplan and the LCBO have announced a new strategic partnership allowing Aeroplan members to earn points when shopping at LCBO stores across Ontario. The new partnership is expected to launch in late 2021. Mark Nasr, Senior Vice President, Products, Marketing and eCommerce at Air Canada, said: “We're thrilled to come together with the LCBO to offer our members a new way to earn and redeem Aeroplan points in Ontario. When we relaunched Aeroplan last year, we made a commitment to earn our way into consumer's everyday lives. Marquee partnerships like the LCBO and other...
Shift And Reset
In an exclusive conversation with CTP’s executive editor, Bob Mowat, the president and CEO of the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority, John De Fries relates the destination’s COVID-19 story. While the pandemic had far-reaching effects on the industry, it also provided De Fries and the industry an opportunity to shift and reset the role of Hawai‘i tourism and put it on a path to effect positive change. De Fries observed that: “Like everywhere else in the world, the global COVID-19 pandemic had far-reaching effects. Tourism, Hawai‘i’s number one industry, was brought to a standstill...
IMPACT Conference Back In January 2022
The IMPACT Sustainability Travel & Tourism Conference is set for Victoria, BC from Jan. 23 to Jan. 26, 2022; with registration opening on Sept. 15, 2021. It also announced that the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada, Tourism Research Association of Canada are once again co-hosting the conference, while favourite speakers Elizabeth Becker, Wade Davis, Keith Henry, and Bob Sandford will attend the event in person. Synergy’s Jill Doucette, IMPACT co-founder, said: “Like so many tourism destinations and businesses, we had to pause everything and reimagine our own business...
Porter Mandates Vaccinations, Testing For Staff
Porter Airlines’ new COVID-19 Vaccination Policy will require its team members to be fully vaccinated or present a negative COVID-19 test administered within 72 hours of the start of their shift. The new policy aligns with Porter’s restart of service on Sept. 8, 2021 and is designed, the carriers says, “to support a safe and healthy workplace for employees and passengers.” Following the federal government’s recent announcement of its intention to mandate vaccination for federally-regulated employers and workers, Porter has become the first Canadian airline committed to...
ACITA Pushes Back On Liberal Support Plan
While a number of industry groups welcomed Justin Trudeau's announcement that support programs would be extended into 2022 if a Liberal government was re-elected, the Association of Canadian Independent Travel Advisors’ (ACITA) Judith Coates observed that: “For independent travel advisors, hearing Trudeau pledge support is much like hearing him say over the past 17 months ‘We've got your back.’” Coates pointed out that although the “tourism industry in Canada is starting to bounce back, with travel restrictions still in place -- and changing every day -- [independent]...
Different Stages, But With One Common Factor
GlobalData reports that while destinations across North America -- USA, Mexico and Canada -- are at different stages of tourism development, there is one common factor -- the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 have hit their respective tourism economies hard. In its latest report, ‘Tourism Destination Market Insight: North America (2021),’ GlobalData found that total international arrivals to the region declined 67% year-on-year (Y-o-Y) in 2020 and inbound expenditure by 74.1%. North America’s forecast recovery follows the general global travel consensus that domestic...
Harmony Of The Seas Sails Back In the Western Med
Royal Caribbean International is back in the western Mediterranean with the Harmony of the Seas now sailing from its new summer home in Barcelona, Spain. The Harmony of the Seas joins the Jewel of the Seas and Anthem of the Seas in Europe. The Oasis Class ship is operating a series of 7-night cruises around the Western Mediterranean. From August to it will visit Palma De Mallorca, Spain before sailing to Italy, where it will visit Florence, Rome and Naples. Passengers will also have the option of beginning their cruise in Italy, sailing roundtrip from Rome. Ben Bouldin, vice...
AmaWaterways Adds Sailing In Response To Demand
AmaWaterways had added a third sailing of its Seven River Journey – introduced earlier this year – which will depart in the fall of 2023; taking passengers through 14 countries over 47 days. The addition of the fall itinerary comes in response to what AmaWaterways reports as the “overwhelming popularity” of the Spring and Summer sailings. The fall cruise departs on Aug. 24, 2023 from Paris and returns Oct. 9, 2023 to Giurgiu, Romania with fares beginning at $26,999 per guest. Kristin Karst, executive vice president and co-founder of AmaWaterways, said: “Our Seven River...