Destinations
Ready For A New Experience
Despite being pioneers of the the all-inclusive concept, Xavier Mufraggi, president and CEO of Club Med North America and the Caribbean, says the company, which operates 70 resorts in 26 countries across five contents, doesn’t actually view itself as an all-inclusive brand, reports assistant editor Ann Ruppenstein in this week's digital edition of Travel Courier. “We have all-inclusive in our product, but we don’t see ourselves as an all-inclusive player. Today we are an all-purpose vacation for families and couples, and we have something very important for them, which is...
Mexico Connections Strong at JBC Event
Dignitaries, hoteliers and tour operator executives representing Mexico came to Vancouver last week to confirm a long-running relationship between JBC Travel and Mexico tourism, reports western editor Ted Davis. The Richmond-based tour operator hosted a dinner during which the reps from Mexico met JBC industry partners. During presentations guests learned, for instance, that 1.74 million Canadians visited Mexico in 2016 and that Mexico stands eighth in the world in terms of arrivals based on those 2016 numbers. They also learned that Acapulco’s city infrastructure is in the midst...
American Adds YVR-, Calgary-Chicago Service
Travellers from western Canada will soon have more choice when American Airlines (AA) launches new scheduled service between Vancouver and Calgary and its Chicago O'Hare hub next year. Both services will be available to book from Dec. 4. Customers flying from YVR and YYC will have nonstop access to the Windy City and the option to connect on to American’s network of more than 130 destinations in 12 countries. Flights from YVR will launch on May 4 and will operate year-round, using 160 seat Boeing 737-800 aircraft. Flights from YYC will operate on a summer-seasonal basis,...
Celebrating Travel Together
Okay, here's your trivia question for today … both Thomas Cook and Cox & Kings have been around for 100 years … can you name another? Well, if you said Collette you'd be spot on and in 2018, the Rhode Island-headquartered tour company will be pulling out all the stops as it celebrates its a hundred years in the tour operating business. Not to put too fine a point on it, but that's a long, long time. Yet as Ron Lonsdale, director of strategic partnerships – Canada for Collette, sees it, the company's longevity is due to the quality of its leadership team and the fact...
Tourism Thriving in the Dominican Republic
Heading towards the end of 2017, the Dominican Republic continues to see strong tourism numbers. According to officials, the country is thriving as a tourist destination with several resorts and a national park recently recognized in highly regarded annual award lists – Los Haitises National Park named in Lonely Planet's Top Ten Best in Travel 2018 and five DR resorts made the Condé Nast Traveler Best in World 2017. In 2017 thus far, the Dominican has welcomed an impressive 5.1 million visitors between January and October, an increase of 190,198 additional passengers, or 3.9%, in...
Canada’s Global Brand Remains Strong
O Canada. Canada’s global brand remains among the top four in the world, tying Japan for fourth place with a strong showing in the latest Anholt-GfK Nations Brand Index (NBI) study. Germany retakes the top ranking from the US, which fell to sixth place from first. France climbs to second, with the UK holding on to third place. Canada remains number one in the world for the second consecutive year in three of six categories measured in the study – People, Governance, and Immigration/Investment. The data shows: Canadians are perceived as the friendliest by respondents,...
Cowboys and Culture
EXCLUSIVE: Last week PressToday was on location in The Lone Star State with Texas Tourism and a group of Canadian tour operators to discover the areas around Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, which boasts new and increased connectivity from Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal via Air Canada. To get a feel for the western lifestyle, look no further than Fort Worth, Texas, known as the City of Cowboys and Culture. Next year the destination in North Texas celebrates 100 years of indoor rodeo, which is a popular attraction for locals and visitors alike. One of the most...
Dominica’s Fort Young Hotel Set to Reopen
After experiencing devastation in the wake of Hurricane Maria, Fort Young Hotel, Dominica’s largest hotel, is planning to reopen Jan. 15, 2018, with 41 of its 72 rooms available for booking. In addition to the 41 rooms, many of the hotel’s core amenities, including its pool, Warner’s Bar and one of its meeting facilities are expected to be operational. Guests can also enjoy many of the hotel’s on-property activities and nearby excursions, including diving, snorkeling, canyoning, fishing and hiking among others. “We’re committed to accommodating relief workers,...