The German National Tourist Office held a VIP event in Toronto last night to update travel trade on the Oberammergau Passion Play 2020, a massive production that is performed every 10 years.
Special guests included Christian Stueckl, director of the Passion Play 2020, and Frederik Mayer, who played Jesus in the 2010 production.
The history of the play, which has become a bucket-list item for many travellers, is fascinating. In 1633 Oberammergau villagers promised to perform the suffering, death and resurrection of Christ every 10th year as a way to end the plague that was...
Travel agents now have an improved online training resource to help boost their Orlando knowledge and increase sales, while becoming an “Orlando Travel Expert” and gaining exclusive benefits.
The Orlando Travel Academy, the destination’s most comprehensive training tool to date, provides new content on all aspects of Orlando – including what’s new for 2018 and helping agents provide increased value for their customers’ vacation experiences. It is available for the first time in a mobile-friendly version.
“The newest edition of the Orlando Travel Academy brings the...
Taking to the river less travelled, Crystal is introducing new 10-day “Enchanting Moselle” itineraries aboard Crystal Bach, round-trip from Amsterdam through Germany and the Netherlands, beginning May 28, 2019 through Dec. 24.
The voyages feature five new ports of call through the vineyard-flanked Moselle River, considered to be one of the most breathtaking stretches of river in Europe. Guests can experience world-class Rieslings and the famous vintages of the Mosel Wine Region in Bernkastel, the medieval charm and Roman ruins of Trier, and the stunning architecture of Reichsburg...
Lindblad Expeditions has announced its return to Egypt with the 13-day journey, Passage Through Egypt.
The adventure combines explorations of Cairo and stays at the Nile Ritz-Carlton and the historic Mena House, with a six-night cruise on the Nile aboard the 42-guest Oberoi Philae. The Egyptian Museum in Cairo, sites along the Nile including Abu Simbel and Giza are included.
Participants will travel via private aircraft for all internal flights, and be accompanied by Egyptologist guides versed in culture, art, history, and archaeology. Many who have worked with Lindblad for...
Ethiopian Airlines Canada reports that effective Feb. 18 it will operate the first-ever, return non-stop service between Addis Ababa and Toronto.
This will eliminate the return fuel stop in Dublin, Ireland, and reduce the flying time by two hours. The carrier will be providing the only non-stop service both ways from Toronto to Africa.
“We are very excited by this news for our valued customers. With increased direct flights from Toronto to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, we want travellers to know that this adds extra convenience when flying to and from Africa,” said Birhan Abate,...
Prince Resorts Hawaii has just launched the 2018 Plumeria Rewards -- a new loyalty program for travel agents.
Plumeria Rewards is available at all three Prince Resorts Hawaii properties: Prince Waikiki, Mauna Kea Beach Hotel and Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel.
The program was developed to create loyalty for booking agents and enrollment in the program is free.
For complete information and to enroll in the program, go to...
Vienna is reporting that 2017 was the “best year ever” for tourism, with 15.5 million visitor bednights – that's 3.7% more than in 2016 and it represents a new all-time high.
In the record year 2017 Vienna recorded 15,510,000 visitor bednights (up 3.7%) and 7,097,000 arrivals (up 3.1%).
Vienna's 10 top performing markets were headed by Germany, Austria, the USA, the United Kingdom and Italy. Spain, Russia, Switzerland and France rounded out the top 10. The destination also reported strong growth South Korea, Australia, Brazil and India.
The Viennese hospitality sector has...
It was all things Miami last night as a delegation of tourism officials – including “Miami Bill,” William Talbert, president of the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau – hosted an event at JUMP in Toronto to update the trade on all things happening in the Florida city.
Talbert thanked Canadian partners for keeping Canada as the city's top international feeder market and advised agents that if they haven't been to Miami lately, they don't know Miami.
“If you haven't been to Miami lately, you haven't been to Miami,” he said. “It's changed so much, it's...
Yesterday, Press Today's Ashley Rochefort had a chance to take part in the Sandals Foundation’s Reading Road Trip in Providenciales, Turks & Caicos.
It was quite an experience, and what follows is the story she has to tell:
We visited the grade one class at Ianthe Pratt Primary School, and met the lovely and bright misses Damiya and Kmala and read aloud together about princesses and pigs and practiced our printing.
Reading Road Trip offers Sandals and Beaches guests a chance to give back during their vacation when they are paired with a small group of students to read with...
A trend towards utilizing the resources of so-called secondary or alternative destinations will continue for the ASEAN Tourism Forum next year, when the ATF moves to Vietnam for the 2019 edition, reports western Canada editor Ted Davis.
The 2019 ATF will take place in the small city of Ha Long, near the tourist destination of Ha Long Bay in Vietnam, rather than a large centre like Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City, where ATFs have been held in the past. The Forum will run Jan. 14-18, at the futuristic Quang Ninh Expo Center, says Davis, who attended the ATF in Thailand last week.
Vietnam is...