Destinations
Unpredictability Is The Challenge
Canada's proximity to the United States makes it probable that the Canadian market will be the first international one to begin resending tourists in sizable numbers to its southern neighbour, a Tuesday Brand USA webinar was told. Carroll Rheem, Brand USA's vice-president of research and analytics, told participants that when travel begins rebounding in significant numbers that the trend will initially be towards short-haul trips, making the United States move attractive to Canadians than the United States' other major and more distant international tourism sources. But a...
WestJet Wraps Up Repatriation Flight Program
WestJet has concluded its repatriation flight program with the Government of Canada, following the airline's final flight from Port of Spain (POS), Trinidad and Tobago to Toronto (YYZ), Canada on Friday, July 17. Since April 4, WestJet operated 28 flights to 14 destinations to bring 4,073 Canadians home from the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Grand Cayman, Haiti, Jamaica, Panama and Trinidad and Tobago. Ed Sims, WestJet president and CEO, said: "By working together with our Government of Canada...
Who Profits From Non-Profits – Everybody
In a joint editorial, the CEO and director general of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA), Frank J. Comito, CEO and Brian D. Frontin, president, Caribbean Society of Hotel Association Executives (CSHAE) and CEO, Trinidad Hotels, Restaurants & Tourism Association (THRTA), write that the nonprofit tourism associations of the Caribbean are integral to the region’s recovery and to the sustained profitability of the tourism and hospitality sector. The two executives point out that: “During these difficult Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) times it is even more important...
Curaçao Is Calling
On July 1, Canada joined the list of select markets like Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, and The Netherlands to get the green light to visit the Dutch Caribbean island of Curaçao. Ahead of reopening to international travel, the destination introduced new hospitality protocols called “A Dushi Stay the Healthy Way.” In the first 12 days since the borders reopened, close to 3,000 stayover visitors headed to the colourful ABC island, mainly from Western Europe and the Caribbean region. “We’ve put certain prerequisites in. We are approaching this in a very methodical, gradual...
Costa Rica Has A New Tourism Minister
Gustavo Segura Sancho is Costa Rica’s new minister of tourism. Segura Sancho replaces María Amalia Revelo Raventós, who resigned due to reasons related to health. Segura has 23 years of experience in the tourism and hospitality industry and takes on the post with three major objectives in mind and in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has generated the worst crisis in the history of the country and the tourism sector. His objectives are to achieve a gradual and safe reopening of international flights, to generate in the short term useful tools to alleviate the...
US Virgin Islands Remaining Vigilant
U.S. Virgin Islands Commissioner of Tourism, Joseph Boschulte says while the global community learns to adapt to COVID-19, protecting lives and livelihoods while ensuring the Territory's economic survival is the order of the day for the foreseeable future. Boschulte pointed out that while there was a 5.6% increase in overall positive cases over the past 24 hours (from 249 to 263), with increased testing, the Territory saw less than 2% of all persons tested in the past 24 hours delivering a positive result. Additionally, fatalities have remained low (at six deaths) and unchanged for...
Take A Ride Through Virginia’s Blue Ridge Region
Virginia's Blue Ridge region can help energetic people who want to get their feet wet when it comes to a dryland athletic activity. Taylor Spellman, spokeswoman for the Visit Virginia's Blue Ridge tourist board, says her area was designated as a Silver-Level Ride Center by the International Mountain Bicycling Association, the first destination on the east coast of the United States to receive that designation, leading local tourism officials to promote their area as America's East Coast Mountain Biking Capital. The Ride Center designation is awarded after a region's trails,...
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...