Destinations
Air Canada Suspends Italy Service Until May 1
Following changes in Italian government regulations that pretty much lock down the country – as well as ongoing health and safety concerns – Air Canada has suspended service between Canada and Italy 11. A spokesperson for Air Canada told PressToday that, “Our last flight to Rome will depart Toronto on the evening of March 10 and the last flight returning from Rome will be March 11 to Montreal. We continue to monitor this situation and evaluate conditions prior to resuming service. We currently plan to restart service May 1.” Air Canada’s service to Italy consisted of...
UPDATED: Israel Requiring All Arrivals To Self-Quarantine
Beginning March 12, 2020, Israel will require all arriving international travellers to self-quarantine for 14 days. The move was announced by Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu late yesterday. A statement from the Israel Ministry of Tourism explained that the government of Israel has taken a wide range of actions in order to “minimize the outcome and reduce the ramifications” of COVID-19. And as of March 12, 2020 at 20:00 hours, all visitors who want to enter Israel from everywhere worldwide, must attest that they will go into self-quarantine for 14 days, and it makes...
Big Things Happening In The Bahamas
Holistica Destinations -- a new joint venture between Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. and privately held ITM Group -- has announced its first major project in The Bahamas: a development in Freeport, Grand Bahama with an initial investment of $300 million. The venture spans two locations including the enhancement and expansion of the port terminal, to be called Harbour Village, and the Lucaya Property, which will be situated at the current Grand Lucayan resort. The project includes plans for employment, job training, community investment and sustainable construction practices. Robert...
AC to Launch Vancouver, Orange County Service
Air Canada will launch non-stop service between Vancouver and Santa Ana in Orange County, California beginning June 15, subject to final airport authority approvals. Special introductory fares from Vancouver to Orange County start at $187 one-way, all in. Tickets are now available for purchase until March 17 for travel between June 15 and Sept. 30. “We are very pleased to announce new daily, year-round flights from Vancouver to Orange County as we strategically expand our transborder network into the populous greater Los Angeles area,” said Mark Galardo, vice-president, Network...
Ireland Raises the St. Patrick’s Day fun(ds)!
St. Patrick’s Day is still more than a week away, but that didn’t stop nearly 1,000 people from celebrating the 37th annual Ireland Funds St. Patrick's Day luncheon on Friday (March 6) in Toronto. “Today, we’re all Irish,” sports anchor Dan O’Toole exclaimed, addressing the crowd gathered at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre for the largest and longest-running The Ireland Funds event in the world. A total of $29,540 was raised through donations and a silent auction on items like roundtrip business class tickets to Dublin with Aer Lingus or a trip for two to visit...
Arabian Travel Market Postponed
Reed Travel Exhibitions is postponing the Arabian Travel Market (ATM). The event was scheduled to be held from April 19 to April 22, 2020 at the Dubai World Trade Centre in Dubai, U.A.E and it has now been rescheduled to run from June 28 to July 1, 2020 at the same venue. In a statement, Reed said: “We at Arabian Travel Market want to express our concern for everyone impacted by coronavirus. Like all of you, we have carefully monitored the global health crisis related to COVID-19 coronavirus. Our top priority is the health and safety of everyone involved in Arabian Travel...
Caribbean Tourism Leaders Team Up to Fight COVID-19
The leaders of the Caribbean tourism and health sectors, who are working together to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus throughout the region, are implementing readiness and response measures to prevent and contain the virus. While there has been no local spread of the virus in the Caribbean, community transmission is now reported in many other countries than China, some of which have non-stop flights to the Caribbean. Due to the current increased risk of importation of COVID-19 to the region, the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) has upgraded the risk of Coronavirus...
Sláinte! Ireland Hosts Exclusive Irish Whiskey Affair
Irish whiskey, paired with Irish cheeses and chocolate, topped the menu yesterday (March 5) at The Chefs' House in Toronto as Tourism Ireland partnered with the Irish Whiskey Association for an exclusive trade event. Ireland is the home of whiskey and in the 19th century was the global powerhouse of whiskey production. But, this all fell apart in the 20th century and by 1980 there were only two working distilleries left on the island. Today, there are 31 distilleries, 17 of which offer special visitor experiences. William Lavelle, of the Irish Whiskey Association, told PressToday...