Destinations
St. Kitts Welcomes New KOI Resort
St. Kitts' accommodation options continue to grow with the opening of KOI Resort St. Kitts, Curio Collection by Hilton, representing the brand's debut on island as well as KOI Hospitality's first entry into the hotel space. The 102-room oceanfront hotel is the latest addition to St. Kitts’ growing hotel portfolio, having most recently welcomed the Park Hyatt St. Kitts at Christophe Harbour to the destination in November 2017. Set on prime beachfront property just minutes from the Robert L Bradshaw International airport, KOI Resort St. Kitts features 102 guestrooms, a full-service...
The Forecast Is Sunny
Despite two major setbacks, notably the bad publicity surrounding the Dominican Republic and Hurricane Dorian’s toll on travel to The Bahamas resulting in a slight dip in room occupancy rates over the previous year, executives from the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association are upbeat about its performance in 2019 and the outlook for 2020, writes assistant editor, Ann Ruppenstein in this week's issue of Canadian Travel Press. “Looking ahead to 2020 there’s continued encouragement overall,” said CHTA’s CEO and director general Frank Comito speaking at the recent 38th annual...
Coronavirus Causes Collapse in Chinese Travel
The latest data from ForwardKeys, which analyses global aviation capacity, flight searches and more than 17 million flight booking transactions a day, reveals that the outbreak of infection in China from the coronavirus caused a substantial setback in flight bookings for the Chinese New Year period, Jan. 10 to Feb. 6. The Chinese New Year holiday season typically begins a fortnight before Golden Week; and travel reaches its peak just before Golden Week starts. This year, outbound travel reached a new peak and the season was on course to break all records. However, on the week of Jan....
‘NWT Will Change You’
Imagine riding with reindeer in downtown Toronto. Or guiding a dog team through the streets of Vancouver. Or, even casting a line on the way to the office in Calgary. Soon, NWT Tourism will be changing the way some Canadians get around the city. Throughout the months of February and March, a car equipped with 360-degree VR headsets will hit the streets of Toronto, Vancouver and Calgary. Passengers will get the chance to ride along with a migrating reindeer herd, marvel at the dance of the Northern Lights and feel what it’s like to paddle a glassy alpine lake under a midnight sun....
Growth and Expansion Tops the Itinerary for TL Network
Coming off a year of unprecedented growth, TL Network – now in its third year as a unified enterprise and the largest retail travel agency organization in North America – expanded into 81 countries in 2019 and anticipates further growth this year. Top officials from TL Network were in Toronto yesterday (Jan. 22) to share all that's new with the organization. “We set the stage for a strong beginning to the new decade with innovative technology tools, an enhanced education and training program, increases in marketing and destination partnerships and growing engagement in...
Six Things To Know About Weddings By Palladium
When designing the ever-evolving Karen Bussen Wedding Collection, New York-based event planner and party guru Karen Bussen creates concepts that can be customized for couples to build one of a kind weddings, writes assistant editor, Ann Ruppenstein in the latest issue of Travel Courier Digital. “I know each couple has their own vision so it’s all about options,” she says. “One thing I love is the spectacular different locations and there are different feelings across the hotels. Each hotel has its TRS and Palladium feeling but each of them is also unique.” Bussen, who has...
Coronavirus Will Impact Airport Retail — GlobalData
According to GlobalData, the coronavirus will impact on airport retail worldwide. The data and analytics company notes that global airport retail sales are forecast to reach US$48.2 billion in 2020, up 6.1% on 2019, however, the escalation of the severity of coronavirus could now have a detrimental impact on airport passenger numbers – causing concern for airport operators and retailers. Honor Strachan, principal analyst at GlobalData observes that, “The prevention of travel for Chinese consumers will impact the performance of airport retail worldwide. Over the last few years...
Air Canada Suspends Beijing, Shanghai Flights
Air Canada said that following a Canadian government's advisory to avoid non-essential travel to mainland China it is temporarily suspending all direct flights to Beijing and Shanghai, effective today (Jan. 30) until Feb. 29. Affected customers will be notified and offered options, including travel on other carriers where available, or a full refund. Air Canada regrets this situation and apologizes for the serious disruption to customers' travel plans. The carrier said it will continue to monitor this evolving situation closely in consultation with the Public Health Agency of...