Destinations
A Summer of Discovery For Saint Lucia
The Saint Lucia Tourism Authority (SLTA) is inviting travel agents to participate in the recently launched Saint Lucia Summer of Discovery promotion with a chance to win US$1,000. Agents must first complete the Saint Lucia expert program (edu.recommend.com/saintlucia), then record bookings made between June 1 and Sept. 30 and have clients hashtag the agency name for special prizes and extras. The Summer of Discovery is the island’s biggest and most interactive summer promotion ever. The promotion allows one visitor the chance to win US$10,000 when vacationing in Saint Lucia this...
Happy Hour With The Mob
Cheers to yesteryear! Las Vegas' Mob Museum, The National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement, has introduced an ongoing "Happy Hour" program in The Underground speakeasy exhibition. The speakeasy’s full-service bar purveys not only house-distilled moonshine and craft beer, but also wines by the glass, non-alcoholic beverages and authentic Prohibition-inspired cocktails. From 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday, visitors can now enjoy 20% off select craft cocktails, draft beer and wine by the glass. In addition, visitors can take a taste of Prohibition history...
North Carolina Set to Host World Equestrian Games
The FEI World Equestrian Games 2018 will be held at the Tryon International Equestrian Center in North Carolina from Sept. 10-23. Created by Mark Bellissimo in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in 2014, this 1,800-acre site in Mill Spring is one of the world’s premier equestrian lifestyle destinations and competition venues. The resort includes state-of-the-art competition facilities with multiple arenas, world class cross country courses and extensive surrounding trails. With onsite shops, dining, entertainment and more, non-equestrian visitors can also enjoy the Tryon...
CHTA, Tourism Cares Deploy Recovery Resources
The Caribbean Tourism Recovery Fund, established by the non-profit organization Tourism Cares and the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA), has collected more than US$275,000 in charitable donations to build long-term recovery and enhance the ability of hurricane impacted destinations to rebound as quickly as possible. In a joint statement, CHTA director general and CEO Frank Comito and Paula Vlamings, CEO of Tourism Cares, outline the success of the collaborative fundraising venture and report that assistance has gone to Caribbean nations and territories for training and...
Culture In The Land Of Smiles
For 18 days in early July, the attention of the world was drawn to a tiny, mountainous corner of northern Thailand where 12 boys from a junior soccer club and their coach were trapped deep in a cave complex by rising flood waters, reports western editor, Ted Davis in this week's digital edition of Travel Courier. As the extent of their peril became evident, media from all corners of the planet descended on the Tham Luang cave system to cover the increasingly tense story. Tham Luang lies under the mountains near the town of Mai Sai, in the north Thailand province of Chiang Rai. The...
Hong Kong Visitor Arrivals Up By 10.1%
The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) reports that more than 30.6 million visitor arrivals were recorded in the first half of 2018, representing year-on-year growth of 10.1%. Of these, overnight visitor arrivals exceeded 13.85 million, up 6.2% year on year. Canada recorded an increase of 4.8%, a total of 191,359 visitor arrivals from January to June. The June 2018 figure was 23,147 compared to 22,517 same month last year, an increase of 2.8%. “Additional air capacity and effective campaigns partnered with media and trade partners contributed to the result,” said Michael Lim,...
Flair To End Hamilton Service
Low-fare carrier Flair has unveiled its domestic schedule for Oct. 28 to April 2019, which includes an end of flights out of Hamilton, Ont. The schedule release is the precursor to Flair's southbound, winter flying which will soon be released. New direct routes include daily service from Toronto to Winnipeg, with connections to Calgary and Vancouver; this is an addition to the current daily service from Toronto to Edmonton which connects to Kelowna and Vancouver. Calgary will also have new direct, daily service to Abbotsford. Victoria and Halifax remain seasonal routes and, as...
Sunwing Puts The Spotlight on Sunny Los Cabos
Throughout August, Sunwing is featuring the Pacific Mexico destination of Los Cabos as its destination of the month. Until Aug. 31, agents can earn 4X the STAR Agent Reward Points that convert into cash on all new bookings (including group bookings to select resorts) to Los Cabos. Plus, each time an agent makes a booking to any participating resort for departures between Nov. 1 and April 30, 2019, they’ll be entered into a weekly contest for a chance to win an all-inclusive vacation for two in Los Cabos. Celebrated for having up to 360 days of sunshine each year, Los Cabos is home...