Destinations
Star Clippers Great Way To Explore Indonesia
Few countries offer more cultural and geographic diversity than Indonesia and a great way to discover this destination by water with Star Clippers. Star Clippers starts and ends its Indonesia sailing season with 14-night sailings between Singapore and Bali, and from May through October offers an assortment of seven-, 10- and 11-night sailings round trip from Bali covering East and West coast Indonesia. Following are six great reasons why a Star Clippers sailing in the waters around Indonesia aboard a majestic tall ship is the ideal way to discover the colour, culture and diversity...
Regent Seven Seas Expands Cuba Program
Luxury line Regent Seven Seas Cruises is adding more visits to Cuba on two itineraries in 2019 and 2020. Seven Seas Mariner will offer the line’s first immersive Cuba itinerary on its Oct. 15, 2019 voyage, calling on Havana, Cienfuegos and Santiago de Cuba, providing guests more opportunities to engage in group, people-to-people activities intended to enhance contact with the Cuban people, and to immerse in the island’s culture. Havana is also being added into Seven Seas Navigator’s April 25, 2020 voyage. As part of Regent's most-inclusive luxury experience, guests have a wide...
Bahamas ‘Hot,’ As Tourism Numbers Remain Robust
While he could have been referring to the weather, Bahamas tourism minister Dionisio D'Aguilar made it clear that when he said the destination is “hot” during an industry luncheon yesterday in Toronto he was talking about tourism. Following a slow start to 2017, tourism to The Bahamas has taken off with the end of the year ending on a high note and early numbers and projections for 2018 taking off. “2018 is trending upwards, and we're extremely optimistic for a robust year,” said D'Aguilar. “In short, The Bahamas is hot right now.” Early numbers from Canada show...
Cayman Tourism Numbers Remain Strong
Following 2017’s record-breaking year for air and cruise arrivals into the Cayman Islands, arrivals for 2018 are off to a record-breaking start. A total of 39,185 stay-over visitors were recorded for the month of January, an increase of 23.87% over 2017 and the best January in recorded arrivals history. It is the eighth consecutive month (June 2017 through January 2018) that the Cayman Islands has had record-breaking growth. The 23.87% growth is the highest percent growth increase for a January in 12 years and is 13.9% higher than January 2015, the previous highest January in...
L.A. Insider Specialist Program Launched
Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board (L.A. Tourism) has launched “L.A. Insider,” a new online training tool for travel agents. The mobile and tablet-friendly program is the first of its kind for L.A. Tourism. It has been designed to help the travel trade better sell the city and stay up-to-date with its latest offerings. A record 48.3 million tourists visited L.A. in 2017, a figure that is expected to reach 50 million by 2020. “We’re proud to launch such an advanced training program, one that will help our clients discover L.A. like an insider and sell L.A. like an...
Fascination Resumes Year-Round San Juan Service
Carnival Fascination has resumed its year-round schedule of seven-day southern Caribbean departures from San Juan, following an extensive multi-million-dollar dry dock that added a variety of popular food and beverage concepts. On its San Juan-based program, Fascination departs every Sunday on week-long voyages visiting five tropical destinations – St. Lucia, Barbados, St. Kitts, St. Thomas and St. Maarten, each of which is home to world-class beaches, centuries-old historical sites and unique shoreside experiences and shopping and dining opportunities. “We’re delighted that...
Lively Lisbon
In the wise words of our local guide Bruno Jorge, the best way to experience Alfama — one of the only neighbourhoods in Lisbon to withstand the earthquake, fire and tsunami of 1755 — is to get lost strolling through its picturesque streets, reports assistant editor, Ann Ruppenstein in this week's Travel Courier cover story. After taking random lefts and rights, meandering through narrow alleyways, up steep stairways and along cobblestone streets, we came to a pause as we heard someone call out to us from a second floor window. Through some interpretation we learned the voice...
Contiki Sounds
Contiki has launched two new “Sounds” trips as part of its Limited Edition series. The two adventures were designed in partnership with one of the world’s largest summer music festivals, Reading Festival, and will offer clients a VIP festival experience. The two limited time departures will also include additional musical experiences and the chance to witness some of the UK’s top destinations. The combination of musical education, partying at one of the world’s biggest musical festivals and immersing oneself into the distinctly “cool Britannia” culture makes these two...