Destinations
Adventure Canada Secures Access to HMS Erebus Site
Adventure Canada, in an exclusive partnership this summer with Parks Canada, is striking out once more to the legendary wreckage site of the Franklin Expedition’s HMS Erebus as part of its iconic Into the Northwest Passage and Out of the Northwest Passage 2019 expeditions. Since the last confirmed sightings of the 1845 Franklin Expedition’s two ships more than 170 years ago, HMS Erebus and HMS Terror have captured the imaginations of aspiring explorers everywhere. The complete picture of what happened to the ships and the 129 crew members is still being untangled through Inuit...
SAA, Alaska Airlines Launch Interline Agreement
South African Airways (SAA) and Alaska Airlines have established a new interline partnership which provides new and convenient flight options for both SAA and Alaska’s customers travelling between North America and Africa. Customers are now able to purchase a single itinerary for travel on flights of both carriers in one simple transaction and enjoy connections via New York-John F. Kennedy International Airport and Washington-Dulles International Airport between Alaska Airlines’ expansive North American network and more than 75 destinations in Africa served by SAA and its regional...
KLM Marks 70 Years in Montreal
Seventy years ago yesterday on May 29, 1949, members of the KLM Royal Dutch Airlines crew boarded a Lockheed Constellation 749 to welcome passengers on the first ever Amsterdam-Montreal flight. The “Batavia” touched down at Dorval airport on May 30, after two stopovers. The Batavia passenger list included Prince Bernhard of Holland, the husband of Queen Juliana, and Albert Plesman, president of KLM. Two of the three pilots on the inaugural flight were Canadian as, at the time, 50 of KLM’s 400 pilots were from Canada. As the flight approached, it was preceded by three Vampire...
Celebrating Manitoba at Rendez-vous
Lonely Planet has been the “bear-er” of good news for Manitoba's tourism trade. Travel Manitoba president Colin Ferguson told a Rendez-vous audience Wednesday that the company – known for its popular and authoritative travel guides – has named Manitoba as one of its top 10 destinations for 2019. One of Lonely Planet's guidebook writers earlier recounted his own visits to Churchill, Man., which bills itself as the polar bear capital of the world and has specially constructed vehicles to safely enable tourists to get near the large predators. The Toronto lunch saw Travel...
New Services for Cyclists in Bike-Crazy Vancouver
With more leisure riders and commuters on bicycles than any other city in Canada, the time seems to be right for the debut of a dedicated bike retail and servicing centre in downtown Vancouver. Opening now is Cycle City Bike Shop, which will support the growing number of cyclist commuters and leisure bikers with a large rental and retail fleet. Customers who want to “try before they buy” can rent the bike they like, and then apply the rental fee to the purchase cost if they want it. Visitors to the city wishing to bring a bike home will like the shop’s building and boxing...
New Dual-Branded Hilton Opens in Chicago
Hilton has announced the opening of its newest hotel, the dual-branded Hilton Garden Inn Chicago Downtown South Loop and Homewood Suites by Hilton Chicago Downtown South Loop. The new property brings a total of 342 new rooms and suites (many featuring scenic lakeshore views) to downtown Chicago’s bustling South Loop neighbourhood. The dual-brand hotel adds even more versatile options for guests visiting the Windy City, which attracted a record number of nearly 58 million tourists in 2018. “The popularity of Chicago and its flourishing South Loop neighbourhood is undeniable, and...
WestJet Now Boarding for Barcelona
WestJet opened greater access to both Europe and Canada May 24 with its inaugural flight between Barcelona-El Prat Airport (BCN) and Toronto Pearson Airport (YYZ). The airline's new route is its first to Spain and gives European business and leisure travellers access to the greater WestJet network through the airline's Toronto hub. “This flight between Barcelona and Toronto complements our existing Toronto-London (Gatwick) service in providing our guests with another non-stop flight to a popular European tourism and financial centre,” said Arved von zur Muehlen, WestJet chief...
Transat Puts the Spotlight on Family Travel to Greece
Whitewashed villages, temples with Doric columns, blue-green seas and stands of cypress trees are just a glimpse of what awaits travellers heading to Greece and its islands this summer. Transat is encouraging Canadian families looking for adventure, leisure and history to take advantage of its various travel options for discovering Greece and shares tips for a successful summer holiday in this mythical land. Preparing kids and stimulating their imaginations In her Experience Transat blog entitled Découvrir la Grèce en famille, Nathalie Richard proposes a couple of ways for...