Destinations
Canadian travel trade anticipating upcoming Mexico roadshows
One former and one current travel agent say they are eagerly awaiting upcoming Mexico roadshows in Quebec and Ontario, events they say will help fill a void left by the closure of Mexico Tourism Board offices. The Mexican government closed all tourism board offices over 5 years ago, announcing that it would turn over tourism promotion to Mexican diplomatic missions, a role critics said those missions were ill-equipped to handle. Mexico remains hugely popular with Canadians but many in the travel industry say it has a lower profile in this country at a time when there is strong...
Statistic Canada reports on travel between Canada and other countries
Statistics Canada reports that in June, the number of non-resident visitors to Canada represented 93.7% of the number observed in June 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic. US residents took 2.9 million trips to Canada in June 2024, and residents of overseas countries took 745,900 trips. The number of returning Canadian residents reached 90.0% of the level recorded in June 2019 as Canadian residents returned from 3.8 million trips abroad in June 2024. Using seasonally adjusted data, compared with May, the number of non-resident arrivals in Canada (-2.0%) and...
AOT launches new brand, Vibrant Arizona
The Arizona Office of Tourism (AOT) has unveiled Vibrant Arizona -- a new brand that celebrates the state’s diversity and vibrant culture, unifies the identity of state government, and strengthens the state’s competitiveness as a top tourism and business destination. The multi-faceted Vibrant Arizona brand includes a logo highlighting Arizona’s diverse geography, a color palette inspired by Arizona’s natural beauty, and six defining pillars of the Arizona experience as shared by Arizonans. The brand was crafted by traveling hundreds of miles across Arizona and engaging more...
San Antonio making the Alamo more memorable
Remembering the Alamo will soon become much easier, with plans now unfolding to renew and update the original structures of the Alamo fortress, an historic UNESCO site in San Antonio, Texas. The comprehensive project will not only restore the original 300-year-old Alamo Church and Long Barrack, but will also re-establish the Alamo District, including the original mission site and battlefield footprint. The rallying cry “Remember the Alamo!” motivated a military response to the 1836 battle, when defenders of the fortress were overwhelmed by a much larger army of soldiers from...
Destination Canada launches Business Events’ Sustainability Storybook
Destination Canada’s Business Events team has launched the latest resource to come from its Canadian Business Events Sustainability Plan, Canada’s Sustainability Storybook. This sustainability storybook shares initiatives from communities which actively host business events and presents turnkey solutions to inspire and challenge business events decision makers, planners, sustainability professionals and host destinations, globally. It was presented at the recent American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) annual meeting and expo, where Destination Canada was ASAE’s...
Jamaica, Brazil forge tourism resilience partnership
The Jamaica-based Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre (GTRCMC) and Brazil’s Ministry of Tourism have signed a groundbreaking Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to facilitate cooperation in boosting tourism resilience. The areas of cooperation covered under the MOU include: Climate resilience in tourism; Entrepreneurial tourism resilience; Tourism security resilience; and Tourism pandemic resilience. Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett revealed that the partnership will also see the establishment of a GTRCMC satellite centre at the University of San Luis....
Kentucky bringing bourbon, music festivals and new attractions into 2025
Representatives from the Kentucky Department of Tourism, Louisville Tourism and Brand USA brought their Southern hospitality to Toronto this week with an interactive cooking event featuring a bourbon-infused menu. Kentucky, the producer of 95 per cent of the world’s bourbon, is expanding its culinary offerings with an uptick in distillery and winery openings, new food pairing tours and the expansion of the Bourbon Trail to cover nearly the entire state. “Hundreds of millions have gone into improving the visitor experience,” said Michael Mangeot, commissioner of the Kentucky...
Radisson RED to open in the heart of Galway, Ireland
Radisson Hotel Group has plans for its first Radisson RED hotel in Ireland in Galway, City. Radisson RED Galway will be located within the Crown Square development, minutes from Galway’s city centre. Radisson RED Galway joins Radisson RED’s growing portfolio which today includes more than 85 hotels in operation and development. Radisson RED Galway is currently under construction and is scheduled to open its doors later this year. The bold new hotel will feature 177 rooms, each reflecting Radisson RED’s vibrant signature style and design which incorporates art, music, and...