Destinations
CHTA Celebrates The Life Of Heinz Simonitsch
The Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) saluted legendary hotelier Professor Heinz Simonitsch, CD, who passed away over the weekend, as the foremost pioneer of sustainable tourism development in the region. In a joint statement, the CHTA’s CEO and director general, Frank Comito and CHTA president, Patricia Affonso-Dass said: “Professor Heinz was a pioneer in the industry in so many ways, leading by example, providing exemplary service, infusing ‘Caribbean’ and ‘Jamaican’ into his product offering, and expanding the boundaries of the industry well beyond that of...
Europe Ready To Welcome Canadians
Not surprisingly, the European Travel Commission’s (ETC) latest quarterly report -- European Tourism Trends and Prospects – reveals that during the first four months of the year, Europe saw a dramatic 44% decline in international tourist arrivals compared to the same period in 2019. It was a decrease that was in line with global performance, with eight out of 16 destinations reporting that arrivals to April/May registered falls in excess of 50%. Ahead of the summer season, tourism businesses are resuming activities and destinations across Europe are gradually re-opening their...
Jamaica Pays Tribute To Jim Proctor
Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism, the honourable Edmund Bartlett paid tribute to Air Canada Vacation’s long-time product director, Jim Proctor. The Ministry of Tourism and its agencies were deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Canadian travel industry veteran Jim Proctor, who died earlier this month at the age of 72. A long-time advocate for Destination Jamaica, Jim began his career at the Vancouver Airport working in a customer service role for Pacific Western Airlines in 1970. He later went on to join Air Canada Vacations (ACV) in 1982, where he worked for 24 years until...
Making The Pivot
In this week’s issue of Canadian Travel Press, Destination Canada’s David Robinson talks about how this country’s tourism marketing organization is working with its partners to sell Canada to Canadians. Robinson points out that Destination Canada’s mandate involves supporting the visitor economy by producing regular data, market intelligence and industry analysis to help businesses market to international travellers, so we can grow Canada’s tourism sector. However, Destination Canada’s boss makes it clear that it will take a collective effort across the industry to help...
We’re So Confused
The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) is calling for more consistent travel rules and COVID-19 advice by European countries in order to counter the confusion that travellers and holidaymakers are presently experiencing. It points out that those journeying to Europe for the first time since travel restrictions began to ease have faced a baffling array of different types of travel rules and advice – with each country across the continent emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic at different stages, which is delaying the recovery. And not to put too fine a point on it, the WTTC...
Jamaica Extends Phase 1, Introduces Revised Procedures
Jamaica has introduced revised measures for international travellers arriving on the island. As of July 15, all visitors continue to be required to complete an online Travel Authorization, however, travellers from Arizona, Florida, New York and Texas – areas declared by the Ministry of Health and Wellness as high risk at this time -- will be required to upload negative COVID-19 PCR test results prior to travel. Tests should be no more than ten (10) days old measured from the day the sample was taken to the day of arrival in Jamaica. These results, provided by a CAP-accredited lab,...
Bahamas Closes Border To US Travellers
The Bahamas is closing its borders to U.S. travellers. Noting that due to the continued increase in COVID-19 cases in the United States, as well as an uptick in cases in The Bahamas, Prime Minister, The Most Hon. Dr. Hubert Minnis, made the difficult decision to close borders to international commercial flights and commercial vessels carrying passengers from the United States. The order is effective as of Wed., July 22 at midnight. In addition, Bahamasair will cease outgoing flights to the United States, effective immediately. Outgoing flights will be permitted to...
Anguilla Names Hughes New Tourism Minister
Anguilla’s new Premier, the Honourable Dr. Ellis Lorenzo Webster, has appointed the Hon. Haydn Hughes as the new Minister of Tourism for the Caribbean island. With many years of experience in the private sector as a member of the Executive Board of Cap Juluca, Minister Hughes is destined for success in his new appointment. The Hon. Premier Webster shared his confidence in his new Tourism Minister, observing: “With Minister Hughes’ appointment, Anguilla is poised to bring much-needed advancement in tourism to meet the evolving demands in the industry. Now, more than ever, we must...