Destinations
Let The Games Begin
Angella Bennett is racquet-ready. Bennett, regional director-Canada for the Jamaica Tourist Board, told a Tuesday Toronto gathering that she's looking forward to the Aug. 16-18 Jamaica Summer Games and Wellness Festival, which will be held in Toronto and feature seven sports, among them beach volleyball, beach Frisbee, squash and tennis. Money raised from the event will be donated to the Helping Hands Jamaica Foundation, which has built 20 schools on the island and is planning another. “Not only will we bring a taste of Jamaica to Toronto but focus on health and wellness as...
Canadians Love St. Vincent and The Grenadines
Although St. Vincent and The Grenadines is amidst a period of tourism growth with a record number of arrivals – including Canadians – continued lift increase and plenty of development in the pipeline, the Caribbean destination is consciously not appealing to the masses. “We’re 32 islands and cays and we’re really not interested in mass tourism, it’s not our cup of tea. At present we have approximately 2,200 rooms, if we can get to between 3,500 and 4,000, we’d be good there,” said Glen Beache, CEO of St. Vincent and The Grenadines Tourism Authority, at an event held in...
Israel’s Popularity Leads to an Increase in Hotel Openings
Israel’s boom in tourism is leading hotel brands to create new hotel concepts, open new properties and make renovations to accommodate the larger numbers of tourists coming into the country. These hotel updates will cater to all types of travellers, whether they are coming for business or leisure, looking for luxury or budget options, or just looking for an adventure. New hotel openings and announcements include: The Schumacher Hotel, located in the picturesque Haifa in northern Israel, has completed renovations to its 40 rooms and suites. The renovations kept the character of...
Universal’s Surfside Inn and Suites Now Open
Universal Orlando Resort’s seventh hotel – Universal’s Endless Summer Resort – Surfside Inn and Suites – is now welcoming guests as the destination’s first “Value Category” hotel. Brought to life by the Universal Creative team, Surfside Inn and Suites offers guests a relaxed and easy retreat, with a surf and beach vibe woven throughout the hotel. The 750-room hotel is the destination’s seventh property in partnership with Loews Hotels & Co. Rates start at US$73 per night for a seven-night stay. Features include two-bedroom suites, which make up more than half...
Costsaver Unveils Expanded 2020-2021 Asia Program
After the overwhelming success of its initial launch into Asia in 2019, Costsaver has launched an expanded program for 2020-2021. Alongside the list of successful 2019 itineraries, the brand is expanding to include two new exotic destinations, Malaysia and Singapore, as well as the official unveiling of its new ultra-flexible “Mini Breaks” and four new tours expanding the total brand offering to 10 trips across eight countries. “We were overwhelmed by the positive response to our launch into Asia,” said Janice Farnum, director of product for Asia. “Clients are loving the...
Jeju Island Tourism Makes First Canadian Call
A recent visit by tourism authorities from Jeju Island to Vancouver marks the first step in efforts to establish a tourism relationship between Canada and the popular Korean holiday island. The “Hot Summer’s Night In Jeju” mission was led by Hong-Bai Park, president of the Jeju Tourism Organization. Through an interpreter, he told assembled tour operators and travel agents that “we look forward for your full support.” Some 1.2 million international visitors came to Jeju Island last year, and it is a favourite destination in Asia. About half of those international visitors...
Sunwing Introduces Waterloo-Cancun Service
Residents of the Waterloo Region can look forward to twice as many ways to escape the cold this winter. Sunwing is doubling its destination offerings from the Region of Waterloo International Airport with the addition of a new direct weekly flight to Cancun, Mexico. Service will operate from Dec. 8 until April 8, 2020. In addition, flights to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic will operate weekly between Dec. 16 and April 13, 2020. Accommodations available from Sunwing include the Grand Sunset Princess All Suites and Spa Resort in Riviera Maya, the newly opened Riu Palace Costa...
MSC Offers Sneak Peek at Ocean Cay
MSC Cruises has released a new rendered tour video of its exclusive Bahamian island destination, Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve, ahead of its first guests arriving in November. The new video – at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzHmh64cQFA – brings viewers along for a detailed look at what guests can look forward to while visiting the island, which is exclusive to MSC Cruises’ guests as part of itineraries in the Caribbean region. Located 65 miles from the coast of Miami, Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve is a previous industrial sand extraction site that has been restored to a...