Destinations
Experience France 360
Atout France will host its first large-scale trade event in the Americas since the beginning of the health crisis. From Oct. 19 to Oct. 22, tourism professionals from Canada, the United States, Mexico, Brazil and other Latin American countries will once again be able to connect with French suppliers and representatives of tourist sites and destinations in France. In addition to one-on-one virtual appointments (reversed workshop), France 360 will offer travel industry professionals training sessions and conferences to help adapt their sales strategies to various market segments and...
Belize Going Gold With Reopening
Belize reopened its borders for international leisure travel and the beginning of October and in doing so, it's making the health and safety of both travellers and locals a top priority. To that end, Belize has introduced a Tourism Gold Standard Recognition Program and tourism safe corridor. The Gold Standard Recognition Program aims to certify accommodations and tour operators that have adapted new behaviours and health and safety procedures while ensuring minimal impact on guest experience. In this first phase of reopening, only Gold Standard hotels approved to reopen within...
Don’t Miss Tourism Sun Peaks’ Webinar For Travel Agents
Join Megan Nelson, senior market development specialist at Tourism Sun Peaks, on Thurs., Oct. 15 at 10am (PST) for a Sun Peaks Webinar. Learn why Canada’s second largest ski area is the ideal destination for your clients this winter. Whether they are skiers or snowboarders; looking to explore the outdoors through unique winter experiences; or wanting to cozy up in a condo by the fire with a private hot tub, there is something for everyone. This educational session will include an overview on the destination in both winter and summer, accommodation, activities,...
Travel Advisors Are All-Stars
In the Agents’ Choice 2020 Readership Survey, the value of using a travel agent is showcased in the issue’s feature story. In the wake of travel bans, restrictions, cancellations and last-minute re-booking needs brought on by the pandemic, it became apparent that those who used travel advisors were better off than those who decided to go it alone. “I have never been told so many times how absolutely lost they would have been without a travel agent to find alternate flights home, cancel their trips for refunds or credits and take care of everything. I was able to assist all my...
Building The Future
Brand USA has launched the Brand USA Global Marketplace -- a one-stop shop that allows U.S. travel partners to interact with international audiences. A custom-built, always-on, virtual platform, the Brand USA Global Marketplace provides access to a diverse range of U.S. destinations, attractions, and points of interest for the international travel industry. The digital platform -- a reimagined version of traditional trade shows and industry events -- solves the need for the U.S. travel community to engage with the global tourism industry while international travel is limited due to...
Disappointed & Deeply Concerned
U.S. travel industry leaders were expressing “disappointment” at the breakdown in COVID-19 relief funding discussions and urging the White House and Congress to get back to the table and conclude a deal. Expressing “deep concern” and pointing to the havoc that the global pandemic has wreaked on the business travel industry, the Global Business Travel Association’s (GBTA) interim executive director, Dave Hilfman said that: “With hundreds of thousands of jobs hanging in the balance, the business travel sector and the American economy need help now, not a month from...
A Call For Change
In an open letter to travel suppliers, the ACTA COVID-19 Travel Agency Leaders Advisory Committee calls for “a holistic review of the systemic practices and policies that are currently in place between travel agencies and travel suppliers.” The travel industry is going through an unprecedented crisis due to the global pandemic and it will be affected adversely for much longer than other industries. Tour operators, cruise lines, airlines, hoteliers, car rental companies and travel agencies have seen their business more or less come to a halt, the letter states. It...
Trinidad, Tobago Extend, Expand Industry Help
Trinidad and Tobago has extended and expanded the Trinidad and Tobago Tourism Accommodation Upgrade Project (TAUP) for a period of three (3) years from Oct. 1, 2020 to Sept. 30, 2023. This tourism incentive was developed to assist Trinidad and Tobago’s tourism accommodation property owners/operators to upgrade their facilities to a first-class level that is expected to meet and/or exceed the Trinidad and Tobago standard requirements for tourist accommodation. The resulting improvement in room stock quality is expected to enhance the overall competitiveness of the destination’s...