Destinations
Jamaica Is Ready For The Rebound From Canada
Jamaican tourism officials went the high-tech route Tuesday to update travel agents in this country on what's happening with the tourist trade in their country, a country they are hopeful is on the verge of making a significant rebound in the Canadian market after seeing visitations plummet because of the coronavirus pandemic. “Jamaica is back [flying] out of Canada,” Dan Hamilton of the Jamaica Tourist Board's Toronto office told viewers during what was billed as the Jamaica Virtual Product Showcase. The event had prominent Jamaican tourism officials providing updates and also...
Transat Promotes Merrill, Larose
Transat has named Lindsay Merrill as its Sales Manager, Ontario, Atlantic and Western Canada. Merrill has over 14 years of experience in various roles at Transat, including Call Outs Agent (Manifest Team), Customer Care Centre Lead Agent, Group Sales Agent & Inside Sales Representative. Lindsay has been the Inside Sales Supervisor in Ontario since October 2016. She will report to Nicole Bursey, Commercial Director. Transat has also named Marjorie Larose as its Sales Manager, Quebec and Ottawa. Larose joined Transat in 2005 and has held several positions over the years,...
WestJet, Government End Talks On Financial Support
After several months of constructive discussions, the WestJet Group and the federal government have mutually agreed to shift focus from these negotiations, and away from taxpayer-funded support, to leading the safe restart of the travel and tourism sector. The decision by the company that it is not actively pursuing financial support from the federal government comes with the encouraging rise of vaccination rates across the country, However, both WestJet and the federal government remain open to resuming financial support discussions in the future. The company also said that it...
Don’t Look Back, Look Forward
Dave Devana, president & CEO of Nanaimo Airport (YCD), will tell you that in early 2020, YCD was anticipating another record year, expecting to welcome over 500,000 passengers. On March 17, 2020, the BC Government declared a Provincial Health Emergency, and in April 2020 passenger counts plummeted by 96% to 1,903 passengers for the month. Devana offers both insight and optimism in telling Nanaimo Airport’s pandemic story, observing at one point: “In order for the travel and tourism sectors to recover fully, it’s essential that international travel is supported and critical...
Cuba Officials Working To Boost Confidence
Cuban tourism authorities are insisting that tourists can vacation in “peace and safety” on the island, charging that recent demonstrations in Havana were prompted by people outside the country. “On Sunday, July 11, in certain parts of Cuba some disturbances and incidents took place. These were the result of an opportunistic plan designed from the outside, at a time when the country is working hard to overcome the impact of the pandemic, despite the unprecedented tightening of the economic blockade imposed by the U.S. government against the Cuban people,” the Ministry of...
Industry Reacts: A Great Step Forward
TIAC and ACTA say they are encouraged by the federal government’s announcement on the easing of border measures earlier today, while the National Airline Council of Canada (NACC) indicated that it was looking forward to the reopening of the border, but also said that further action is still needed. Noting that TIAC is heartened by the news for tourism businesses across the country, with its President & CEO, Beth Potter stating: “TIAC has been tirelessly advocating for a science-based plan for reopening our borders and restarting our visitor economy.” Potter...
Air Canada Ramps Up Canada-US Flight Operations
Air Canada is taking off this summer with a schedule which features 55 routes and 34 destinations and up to 220 daily flights between the U.S. and Canada. The new schedule coincides with the loosening of restrictions on travel between the two countries as of Aug. 9, 2021, enabling fully vaccinated Americans to enter Canada for non-essential travel and the removal of quarantine hotel requirements, relaxed testing requirements allowing Canadians taking short transborder trips for less than 72 hours to do their pre-entry tests in Canada, among other measures to ease restrictions. Seats...
Whirlpool Jet Boat Tours Set To Celebrate 30th Season
Whirlpool Jet Boat Tours will mark a significant milestone in 2021, celebrating its 30th season taking passengers on rides through the whitewater of the Niagara River. After being closed for several months due to COVID-19 restrictions, the company is excited to welcome guests back on board, and celebrate the significance of 30 years of business in the Niagara region. John Kinney, president of Whirlpool Jet Boat Tours, said: “This is a really big year for us,” “Aside from celebrating three decades of business, this summer marks our re-opening as restrictions ease and we can...