Destinations
I Like You Just As You Are
Those vacationing in the Central American country can expect the hot, tropical weather sun-seekers want, and Ana Garcia of the Nicaraguan Tourism Board told a gathering in Toronto earlier this week that Canadian interest in her homeland is soaring, with visitations reaching 62,000 in 2017, up from 35,000 the previous year. Overall, 1.8 million people visited Nicaragua last year, an 18% increase from the previous year. Garcia's visit coincided with the launch of a new Nicaraguan destination campaign titled, “I Like You Just As You Are.” “Nicaragua is not looking for massive...
Spain Your Way With ACV
Air Canada Vacations (ACV) is putting the spotlight on Spain, which is describes as “passionate, sophisticated and devoted to living the good life.” Travellers are invited to journey to Spain and discover Madrid, the vibrant capital city with historical gems such as Toledo, Avila and Segovia or the Royal Palace. Or, set by the Mediterranean and graced with unrivalled world-famous architecture and rich with Catalan history and culture is Barcelona. Both Madrid and Barcelona are featured in ACV's Urban Getaway program where travellers have the option of exploring some of the...
Air Canada To Launch New Kauai Service
Air Canada is launching new service to Kauai, Hawaii with its new mainline Boeing 737 MAX-8 fleet this winter. The airline is doubling the frequency of its flights from Western Canada to Hawaii, and all flights from Western Canada to Honolulu, Maui and Kona, and other popular sun destinations will feature AC's 737 MAX aircraft. “The introduction of the fuel-efficient Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft to our fleet has given us tremendous flexibility to strategically enhance our already extensive North American network, and offer more flights to popular destinations with more connection...
Encouraging Empowerment
Intrepid Travel has developed women-only expeditions in Morocco, Iran and Jordan, encouraging female empowerment and showcasing the traditions and routines of local women in each destination. The limited-edition tours are available to book now (as of March 8), recognized globally as International Women’s Day. The itineraries, each guided by female tour leaders, will break the barriers of traditional tourism in these locales, offering a deeper understanding of female culture in each Middle Eastern nation. The trips will expose female travellers to local women – young, old,...
Texas Gets It Done
While 2017 numbers have yet to be released, Canada remains Texas' second best international market, pushing the 500,000-mark for visitor volume in 2016, a number that is expected to increase by 11% by 2021. Key to this is access with numerous direct flights from Canada to destinations across the Lone Star State, including new for 2017 – Vancouver to Dallas Forth Worth (DFW), Toronto to San Antonio and Montreal to DFW. During a mini road trip to Canada, Texas tourism officials were in Toronto yesterday (March 6) to update the trade on all things Texas. Speaking with...
Germany Flying High
For the eighth straight year, Germany's incoming tourism has produced record results, and Canada is doing its part to help out. For 2017, the Federal Statistical Office recorded 83.9 million international overnight stays in hotels with at least 10 beds, 3.1 million more than in 2016, which this time represents an increase of 3.6% over the previous year. Says Petra Hedorfer, chair of the board of the German National Tourist Board (GNTB), “Throughout 2017, German incoming tourism developed very dynamically. Positive economic fundamentals, political stability in important source...
Japan Marks A Milestone
Japan tourism officials and suppliers attending the Discover Japan & Tokyo event in Vancouver last week marked an arrivals milestone for Canadian visitors to the country. Both the Japan consul general Asako Okai and Hideaki Nakazawa, the executive director of the JNTO in Toronto, emphasized that Japan arrivals from Canada had exceeded 300,000 for the first time ever, peeking at 305,000. There may be more to come, as the JNTO has raised its arrivals outlook for the years leading up to 2020, when Japan holds the next Olympic Summer Games. It had originally projected arrivals at...
A Done Deal
Tourisme Montréal and the Mexico Tourism Board have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU). The signing took place while a number of representatives from Montréal's business sector were on a trade mission to Mexico City. Yves Lalumière, president and CEO of Tourisme Montréal, said: “Tourism is a major driver of economic and social development for both Quebec and Mexico. Today, we are confirming our desire to increase bilateral trade and support growth in the tourism industry, for which the outlook is very promising. This agreement is very good news for both...