Destinations
Fill Your Heart With Ireland
Top officials from Tourism Ireland were in Toronto last night (Jan. 30) to introduce travel trade VIPs to the destinations new marketing campaign – Fill Your Heart With Ireland. Tourism Ireland's CEO, Niall Gibbons; vice president North America and Australia, Alison Metcalfe and Canadian manager, Dana Welch explained the strategy of the destination's launch of its first new advertising campaign in seven years. The trio told the audience of about 60 that the new campaign is all about extending the season and expanding tourism offerings into new regions of Ireland. They also noted...
The Caribbean Goes Beyond The Beach
Although many Canadians may flock to the Caribbean to escape the cold and soak up some sun, sand, and sea, the president of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association believes the time has come to change the narrative. “We’ve seen a tremendous number of events that affect our region. In the last couple of years there have also been natural weather events. For a long time the focus has been the beach, the sand, the sea, that’s the image everyone wants, that’s the image people typically associate the Caribbean with, but we have an amazingly diverse and rich region and we have a...
Spotlight on Austria, Austrian Airlines
Austrian Airlines reports its aircraft will continue to be visible in Canadian airspace this summer, even as codeshare partner Air Canada's planes will be the ones physically linking Toronto and Vienna. Sherif Sedhom of the Lufthansa Group's Toronto office told a Tuesday Toronto gathering that plans call for Air Canada aircraft to be carrying passengers between the cities as of April 29. But he noted the same date will see Austrian Airlines travelling between Montreal and Vienna, with service reaching daily flights in the summer. “This doesn't mean that Austrian Airlines won't...
Victory Cruise Lines Showcases Summer 2019 Season
Victory Cruise Lines is highlighting the line’s first two itineraries since joining American Queen Steamboat Company – sailings on the 202-guest Victory I and Victory II on all five Great Lakes and the Canadian Maritimes. Victory Cruise Lines will begin its upcoming season in May with a 10-day sailing on Victory I between Toronto and Chicago and a 10-day sailing on Victory II between Montreal and Detroit. Both small ships have been designed to cruise along coastlines, through scenic seaways and inland lakes navigating hidden harbours and more remote ports of call. Included shore...
Halifax Stanfield Reaches New Heights
Halifax Stanfield continued to experience steady growth in 2018, achieving a new record of 4,316,079 passengers served – an increase of 5.7% over 2017. “We’re really pleased to see more and more passengers choosing to use Halifax Stanfield as their destination, point of departure or preferred transfer airport” said Joyce Carter, president & CEO, Halifax International Airport Authority. “We believe this achievement is in part due to our ongoing focus with airline, government and tourism partners to provide the right connections for travellers to get to and from their...
Stronger Tourism Growth Expected For Canada in 2019
The number of overnight visits from both within Canada and international markets is projected to increase by 2% this year, according to The Conference Board of Canada’s Travel Markets Outlook reports. While Canadian households are expected to face growing economic and financial challenges heading into 2019, domestic travel volumes are still projected to increase. According to a travel intentions survey, a growing share of Canadian households plan to take a winter vacation, and among those, a slightly higher share plan to stay in Canada for their longest-duration trip. Meanwhile,...
Proposed Rockies Bicycle Path Cancelled
A biking and walking path that Parks Canada had proposed to build parallel to the Icefields Parkway in Alberta has been cancelled. The path was to have followed the Icefields Parkway through the Rockies between Banff and Jasper for 107 km. The path would have been called the Icefields Trail. Nearly $66 million had been allocated for the path and that will now be re-purposed elsewhere in the national parks system. “Parks Canada is committed to the ecological integrity of its parks and historical sites,” the agency said in a news release. “Preliminary feedback from the...
WestJet Introduces 2019 Summer Schedule
WestJet has released its 2019 summer schedule adding more than 40 flights to and from key business and tourism destinations from Toronto, Halifax, St. John's, Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver. In addition, the airline added Portland, Ore., and Austin, Texas to its network and announced a new route between Edmonton and St. John's. “This summer, WestJet again enhanced our schedules to offer travellers more convenience and connectivity to well-loved vacation destinations and major business markets across Canada, the US and beyond,” said Arved von zur Muehlen, WestJet chief...