Destinations
Talks Break Down, Industry Reacts
Following reports that congressional and administration leaders are suspending negotiations on the next phase of pandemic-related legislative relief, the U.S. Travel Association’s executive vice-president of public affairs, Tori Emerson Barnes issued the following statement: “It is critical that leaders in Washington resume talks and move forward on much-needed coronavirus-related economic relief. The travel and tourism industry accounts for 38% of all U.S. jobs lost so far, and travel companies—83% of which are small businesses—remain particularly vulnerable to the economic...
Pure Grenada Is ‘Just-For-You’
The Grenada Tourism Authority (GTA) has launched a new lifestyle campaign -- Pure Grenada, Just-For-You – showcasing the three-island nation of Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique. The campaign, which was launched this week, invites visitors to discover and explore immersive cultural experiences while having peace of mind that their health and safety is being protected. Aligned with the phased reopening of Grenadian borders, which saw commercial flights from the Caribbean allowed from July 15, and recently expanded to international flights from ‘medium’ risk countries,...
A Message From Myrtle Beach
For those looking for an update on Myrtle Beach, you may want to check out a recent webinar the destination participated in with ACTA. Simply go to http://acta.travellearningcampus.ca/A/en/Product/Details/365/ to listen in. Also of note is the fact that the Myrtle Beach area has re-opened with the health and safety of visitors in mind. The Myrtle Beach area is safe, clean, and doing all possible to ensure everyone remains healthy, taking care of the best interests of our visitors who we ask to be responsible when traveling to our destination. And you can get all the details by...
Belize Postpones Reopening
Due to a spike in the number of COVID-19 cases in three districts, Belize is delaying the reopening of the Philip Goldson International Airport (PGIA). The airport had been scheduled to reopen on August 15. In making the announcement, Belize’s Prime Minister Rt. Dean Barrow said that although the airport will not reopen, the weekly repatriation flights for Belizean nationals abroad will continue, including the 14-day mandatory quarantine upon arrival. The announcement also make it clear that ensuring that travellers have reliable, trustworthy, and useful information continues...
A Magical Dive Into Nature
Cenotes are one of the “magical phenomenon” of the Mexican Caribbean, offering visitors travelling off the beaten path an awesome adventure. Formed millions of years ago by sunken earth, these spaces filled with clear, fresh water to form underground rivers that were considered sacred by the ancient Mayans, now part of the world’s largest subterranean river system, the Grand Mayan Aquifer. Cenotes are found throughout the Mexican Caribbean and vary in size, from young caverns, to semi-open cenotes exposed to weather, to open cenotes, expansive spaces that became uncovered...
Canada Needs To Broaden Peak Season
Destination Canada executive-director Chantz Strong says this country's tourism trade clearly needs to broaden its peak season beyond two currently all-important summer months. Strong told a Thursday webinar that the damage done to Canadian tourism during the coronavirus pandemic underscores the risks of having tourism rely heavily on July and August. "This (the pandemic) has identified very critical vulnerabilities in the tourism sector...," he said, suggesting that more efforts be made to attract visitors to this country during March, April, May, June, September and...
A ‘Worst Case’ Scenario
The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) says that close to 3 million jobs in the UK -- and 197 million worldwide in the travel and tourism sector globally -- look set to be lost due to the collapse of travel. The WTTC’s economic modelling -- conducted less than two months ago – predicted this ‘worst case scenario’ would occur if barriers to global travel, such as quarantine measures and blanket travel restrictions were to remain in place. And while some travel bans have been removed, many others remain, with new restrictions likely to come into force to tackle the...
Sunwing Welcomes Customers Back To Paradise
Sunwing is planning for brighter days, celebrating its first customers since March who arrived in Cancun and Montego Bay this past weekend. Andrew Dawson, president of Tour Operations for Sunwing, said: “We are pleased that our travellers have been able to head back to the tropics last week and are encouraged by their positive experience in destination. We are looking forward to welcoming back many more travellers in the coming months and resuming service on board Sunwing Airlines.” With operations ramping up and new health and safety protocols in place, more customers will be...