Destinations
Virtual Wining & Dining With Hong Kong
The annual Hong Kong Wine & Dine Festival is going virtual for the first time due to the uncertainties surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. Explaining this strategic move, Hong Kong Tourist Board Chairman Dr YK Pang said: “The Hong Kong Wine & Dine Festival has been one of the most popular events among locals and tourists alike since its inception over a decade ago. Despite the COVID-19 outbreak this year, we hope people can continue to enjoy Hong Kong’s unique dining culture while providing business opportunities for the local F&B sector amidst this challenging economic...
Cuba Welcomes Tourists Back … In Its Own Way
Cuba says the non-mainstream manner in which it re-entered international tourism should reassure potential visitors who may be uneasy about travel these days as the coronavirus pandemic continues, reports Ian Stalker in this week’s issue of Canadian Travel Press. July 1 saw the reopening of a cluster of islands off Cuba's north coast that to date have been coronavirus-free and are only home to those working in the travel industry, with those islands having been uninhabited before being developed for tourism. The reopening of the islands followed what the Cuba Tourist Board calls a...
Meet Your New Competition
In conversation with Canadian Travel Press, Forrester’s chief business technology officer & head of FeedbackNow, Steve Peltzman makes it clear that “the pandemic will have a long-term effect, and the customer balance between convenience and safety will shift forever as a result.” Peltzman pointed out that real competition is no longer just other forms of travel and hospitality but rather the desire to not travel at all. He explained that Forrester’s research shows about four in 10 US adults feel comfortable stepping into an aircraft, hotel lobby, or restaurant only after...
Demand Recovery Dashboard Launched By WTTC
The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has launched a new in-depth data dashboard that highlights the recovery of travel demand across flights and hotels, as well as revealing the shifting intentions of travellers through online travel searches. Developed by the WTTC, with support from McKinsey & Company, the new tool provides users with easy access to qualitative and quantitative travel data at the global and regional level as well as for 33 major countries around the world, by revealing travel demand since the beginning of the year and is updated on a fortnightly...
US Virgin Islands Works With Partners To Maintain Air Links
The U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Tourism is assuring its stakeholders that it is working closely with airline partners to ensure the Territory has ample airlift during and after the current restriction on leisure travel. Now in effect, accommodations providers are barred from admitting or checking-in leisure guests for 30 days, unless Governor Albert Bryan Jr.’s order is lifted sooner. This is a part of the Territory’s firm public health response to the recent spike in positive Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases. Commissioner of Tourism Joseph Boschulte explained...
Intrepid Launches Animal Welfare Policy Toolkit
Intrepid Travel and global animal welfare organization World Animal Protection have teamed up to provide tour operators with a complimentary Animal Welfare Policy Toolkit that is customizable and free for download from Intrepid Travel’s website. The intention behind this initiative is to create an easily accessible way for tourism companies to implement more ethical wildlife practices into their businesses. The toolkit includes steps that can be taken to become wildlife-friendly, including information on how to draft animal welfare policy for travel companies, and a full editable...
Discover Ireland’s Luxury & Outdoor Experiences
Baxter Media invites all travel professionals to attend an exciting webinar with Tourism Ireland next Wednesday (August 26) at 2 p.m. (EST). The webinar will be hosted by Sandra Moffatt, Trade and Digital Executive from Tourism Ireland, and Dan McDonald from Baxter Media. The island of Ireland is a blissful oasis full of wide-open spaces, luxurious accommodation and bespoke experiences. Join Tourism Ireland and partners to learn more about tailoring the perfect trip for your clientele, when the time to travel is right. From elegant castle stays to relaxing river cruises, Ireland...
San Francisco Travel Asks Visitors To Do Their Part
San Francisco Travel is asking visitors to commit to safe and responsible practices by signing the new Safe Travel Pledge. That pledge encourages future visitors to come to San Francisco and to do so responsibly; and it is designed to remind people not only of what to expect when they visit the city, but what is expected of them as well. Since it launched at the end of July, 420 people have proactively committed to the ten-point pledge to follow health and safety guidelines designed to stop the spread of the coronavirus. 62% of those who have signed the safe travel pledge live in...