Destinations
MSC Fantasia Adds Naples to Summer Sailings
With an increased demand from guests wanting to discover Southern Italy, MSC Fantasia will answer the call next summer by offering Naples as one of the main highlights of its itinerary in this region. “This is the first time we have planned for a ship to be in Naples for a full day each week for the whole season,” said Gianni Onorato, CEO of MSC Cruises. “By arriving in the morning, we will give our guests plenty of time to go on full-day excursions and immerse themselves in the vibrant culture and beauty of this historic region. This will certainly be one of the highlights of...
Europe Sees Strong Demand From Canadians
Canadians love Europe and the European Travel Commission (ETC) has the numbers to prove it. The ETC's latest quarterly report, “European Tourism - Trends & Prospects,” the overall performance of Canadian visits to Europe remains positive with continuous growth recorded in most European destinations. Based on latest data available, 23 out of 28 reporting European destinations saw growth in visits and overnights. Latvia experienced the greatest growth (+259%) in tourist arrivals. The forecast remains strong as the number of arrivals from Canada to European destinations is...
Contiki Unveils Europe 2019-2020
Contiki has launched its new Europe 2019-2020 program, featuring 21 new European adventures – including its new 20-day London to London European Dream trip and new adventures in Israel, Jordan and Africa -- simplifying its travel styles with an aim to make it easier for travel agents to book with Contiki and furthering its sustainability initiatives through Contiki Cares powered by TreadRight. With the new changes, one aspect which sets Contiki apart which will never change is its longstanding dedication to providing real, local and unique experiences to 18-35-year-old young Canadians...
Heavy Rain Expected As Olivia Heads Towards Hawai’i
Hurricane Olivia is expected to take an unusual path over the Hawaiian Islands around the middle of the week, but a repeat of Lane’s historic rainfall is not expected, according to experts at AccuWeather. Olivia, currently a Category 1 hurricane, is moving swiftly westward toward the island chain. AccuWeather meteorologists expect Olivia to be a tropical storm by the time it reaches Hawai'i later today and into Wednesday night. Rough surf will continue to build along the north- and east-facing beaches of the islands as Olivia approaches. AccuWeather Hurricane Expert Dan...
‘Best Summer ever,’ Bartlett
Jamaica Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett reports the island experienced record-breaking stopover arrivals from May to August, with provisional estimates showing stopover arrivals up by 6% over the same period last year. “It has definitely has been our best summer ever. We had 884,324 visitors compared to the 834,292 from the period May to August in 2017,” said Bartlett. “These figures contributed to total visitor arrivals (May to August) of 1,312,494, which was a 4.4% increase over the same period last year.” Data received by the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) also indicates...
Hurricane Florence Threatens Carolinas, Virginias
Even in lieu of the worst-case scenario, Hurricane Florence has the potential to join the ranks of the costliest natural disasters in the history of the United States, according to AccuWeather, which says severe flooding could leave some communities under water for days or more. With the potential for Florence's forward speed to slow and possibly stall, a current forecast of feet of rain would lead to catastrophic flash flooding and major river flooding in parts of the Carolinas, Virginia and possibly other neighbouring states. “Most of hurricane damage and loss of life occurs not...
Celebrating The Wonders Of Germany
The Destination Germany Roadshow rolled into Toronto last night (Sept.10) as 20 suppliers from Germany and Canada were on hand to update some 80 agents on what's on offer in the European destination. Looking ahead, the major themes for the German National Tourist Office are the celebration of 100 years of Bauhaus in 2019, and Beethoven’s 250th anniversary and the Oberammergau Passion Play in 2020, which only occurs every 10 years. "I hope that agents got a good idea of how diverse Germany is and of how much it has to offer," says Julia Dywelski, the new director of the German...
West Hollywood Offers ‘Authentic’ L.A. Experience
Just in time for TIFF, a delegation of West Hollywood tourism officials dropped by Toronto last week to help spread the word on all the trendy California destination has to offer. Located in the heart of Los Angeles, West Hollywood is a popular tourist area known for its high-energy nightlife, famed Sunset Strip, restaurants, boutique hotels, comedy clubs and music venues (like The Viper Club and Whiskey a Go Go) and as a swanky celebrity hideaway. Speaking at an intimate industry luncheon at The Chase on Friday, Jeff Morris, chief marketing officer for the West Hollywood Travel...