Destinations
Kingston Airport Welcomes FLYGTA Visitors
Good news for Kingston and the city’s tourism industry with the announcement that FLYGTA will be adding the city to its list of Ontario destinations beginning Sept. 10 – the first stage in working toward potential daily air service to and from downtown Toronto and a link to the Porter Airline network. Megan Knott, executive director of Tourism Kingston, said: “We are thrilled that our beautiful airport will welcome visitors who will arrive aware of and primed to follow our COVID-19 measures and who will come ready and excited to support our local restaurants, artisans, hotels,...
A Losing Proposition
The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), in new research, is reporting that the U.S. economy looks set to lose $155 billion as a result of the collapse of international travel during 2020. And it also says that the massive decline in the number of international travellers and tourists visiting the U.S due to the COVID-19 pandemic could result in international visitor spending dropping by a staggering 79%. The catastrophic loss to the American economy equates to a shortfall of $425 million a day, or nearly $3 billion a week, to the country’s economy, the WTTC says. The...
Discovering The Flavours Of Korea
The Korean Tourism Organization has provided members of the tourism industry some food for thought, reports Press Today’s Ian Stalker. The KTO held an Aug. 27 virtual tour that had a tourism guide using the internet to showcase different aspects of Korea, including the country's distinctive and often spicy cuisine. And participant Randy Snape of the KTO used the tour -- offered in place of a traditional fam trip because of the coronavirus pandemic -- to offer his own insights on Korean food for those who wanting to know how spicy a particular dish might be. "Remember the...
Livin’ La Vida Local
As many Canadians seek to explore closer to home, and ongoing restrictions make it virtually impossible for international travel to resume for Canadians for the foreseeable future, many in the travel industry are setting their sights on the world of domestic travel. But is selling Canada the answer to business woes? Hear from The Travel Corporation, Anderson Vacations, Guided Toronto and Guided North, as they navigate the challenges and opportunities of going local. Although The Travel Corporation has been in business in Canada since 1968 with the opening of its Trafalgar office, the...
Belize Revises Tourism Reopening Plan
Belize prime minister, Dean Barrow has announced that the country’s international airport (BZE), the Philip Goldson International Airport, will be opened on Oct. 1, 2020, as part of the country’s five-phase re-opening strategy for tourism. Originally, Belize had announced it would reopen August 2020, however, in an overabundance of caution for visitors and residents alike, postponed the reopening until further notice. The opening of the international airport will kick-off Belize’s third phase of re-opening, allowing for a limited re-opening of international leisure travel...
On The Singletrack To Success
A First Nation community in the southern part of the territory that was the setting for the Jack London classic The Call of the Wild is now inviting energetic sorts to answer the call of the wheeled and, in doing so, likely seeing some of the landscapes that those who joined London on the journey to the Klondike gold fields would have traversed. The Carcross/Tagish First Nations in the small southern Yukon community of Carcross has created a network of 75 kms of mountain biking trails through a project called Singletrack To Success (S2S), a community endeavor that saw input from elders...
Vancouver Aquarium Pausing Public Programming
Ocean Wise has announced that it is pausing its public programming at the Vancouver Aquarium due to COVID-19. In announcing the decision, Ocean Wise said: “In response to one of the most financially challenging times in the Vancouver Aquarium’s 64-year history – including an almost 80% decline in ticket sales and visitor restrictions expected to continue well into next year – Ocean Wise’s Board of Directors has taken the proactive decision to pause public programming at the Vancouver Aquarium.” Instead, the statement says it will “focus on transforming to a new model...
Zoom In On Israel
Israel, the land of inspiration, is hosting its first-ever Zoom in on Israel virtual roundtable for Canadian travel industry professionals. Set for Tues., Sept. 22 from 1 pm to 3 pm, travel advisors will have a chance to join some of Israel’s top travel industry professionals, who will share with advisors what’s new in Israel tourism and the diverse journeys that they can arrange for their clients – no matter what their tastes or budgets are. Israel’s tourism commissioner for North America, Eyal Carlin and its director and consul for Canada, Gal Hana will deliver opening...