Destinations
Hold on… Agents’ Choice Will Be Back Shortly
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to dominate the hearts and minds of our industry, Baxter Media has decided to hit the pause button on its Agents’ Choice 2020 program. “While most of the travel agent community had voted prior to COVID-19 taking over, there are some who didn't get the chance to have their say,” said Wendy McClung, Executive VP, Operations at Baxter Media. “The Agents’ Choice program - survey, issue, and gala - is a celebration of our Canadian travel industry, and we want to hit pause until a time when the industry is back on track and we can all celebrate...
‘Escape to Jamaica’
The Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) is using its digital platform to deliver a virtual care package to uplift and inspire followers around the world who are currently practicing responsible social distancing. At 9 p.m. ET (8 p.m. Jamaica time) tonight (April 3), the JTB will kick off its “Escape to Jamaica” Instagram Live series featuring one of Jamaica’s leading disc jockeys, ZJ Sparks. The popular ZIP 103 DJ will host a virtual dance party spinning the latest reggae and dancehall hits live from Jamaica, helping viewers chill and unwind after another week of social...
Sandals Rallies Behind Agents
Sandals has rallied behind travel agents since 1981. Today is no different. In a newly released video, Gordon “Butch” Stewart, chairman of Sandals Resorts International, shares a message about how travel agents have always been the backbone of not only the company, but the...
Talk To Me
Federal tourism minister Melanie Joly says tourism industry members who find themselves cash-strapped as international travel goes into a freefall thanks to Covid-19 should take their concerns to her, enabling her to raise the issues with other senior members of the government, reports Press Today’s Ian Stalker. Joly said during an April 1 webinar that she's on a federal cabinet Covid-19 committee that's meeting three times a week and she can easily relay industry members' worries over the state of an industry that's gone into a tailspin to her fellow cabinet members. Joly used...
Brighter Days Ahead: Jamaica
While we are practicing physical social distancing, Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) officials note we must also remain more connected than ever to get through this as a global community. With that in mind, the team at the JTB, which is celebrating its 65th anniversary, has released a special video message from the destination. It is a call “for responsible action and a source of inspiration to come experience Jamaica’s stunning landscape, vibrant culture and warm people when the time is right.” We urge you to observe the many calls for social distancing, like we are, to slow this...
Hilton Expands Presence in Central America
Hilton has announced the signing of an agreement to debut a Hilton Hotels & Resorts hotel in El Salvador. The 198-room Hilton San Salvador is scheduled to open in July 2020, representing a new country for Hilton’s growing portfolio of 160 hotels and resorts welcoming guests across the Caribbean and Latin America. Officially forming part of the World Trade Center Complex, Hilton San Salvador is owned and developed by Grupo Agrisal, and will welcome guests to the country’s capital, known for its black-sand beaches, surfing and vibrant nightlife. “Welcoming more than two...
TIAC, Destination Canada Search For Solutions
A strongly worded call for federal government funding to support Canada’s travel and tourism industries during the COVID-19 virus crisis was announced by the Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC) last week. During a webinar by Destination Canada, TIAC president and CEO Charlotte Bell expressed deep concerns for the future of these industries, and to appeal for government financial assistance, reports Ted Davis in this week’s digital edition of Canadian Travel Press. “Outside of the health sector, Canada’s tourism and travel industry is the most severely impacted...
A Humanitarian Crisis
In a powerful, and personal, message, Holland America Line president, Orlando Ashford asks the question that we should all be asking ourselves today: “During a time when we’re afraid to go out, fearful of others as possible COVID-19 carriers, how do we ensure we continue acting in ways consistent with our common human dignity?” What follows is Ashford’s message to the world, it is one that we should all read and remember. Ashford writes: “The coronavirus (COVID-19) has run rampant through neighbourhoods, businesses and nations, catching us all off...