Destinations
Blue Mountain Introduces Mountaintop Skating
Ontario’s Blue Mountain Resort is getting set to host to another iconic Canadian winter pastime, but with a unique twist. Crews are busy preparing to open Woodview Mountaintop Skating, a 1.1 km skating path located at the top of the ski hill. More than a traditional skating experience, Woodview will feature an ice skate path that winds through a tree-covered trail that opens to a one-of-a-kind mountaintop view of Georgian Bay. “We have offered skating on the Mill Pond in the Village for several seasons,” notes Dan Skelton, president and COO of Blue Mountain Resort. “Many of...
Nassau to Host 2018 Ensemble Conference
As it wrapped up a successful annual conference in Dallas, highlighted by a gala dinner on the field of AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys, Ensemble Travel Group announced its 50th anniversary celebration and annual conference will be held at Grand Hyatt Baha Mar in Nassau, The Bahamas from Oct. 23-27, 2018. This is the organization’s first annual conference to take place outside North America in more than 10 years. “It takes a very special venue to host Ensemble’s 50th anniversary next October, and we feel Baha Mar and its Grand Hyatt Baha Mar property will...
Atout France Marks 70 Years in Canada
Atout France is marking seven decades of assisting people in Canada who dream of vacationing in France. Melanie Paul-Hus, Atout France's Canadian director, told a Toronto gathering Thursday marking 70 years of the tourist board's presence in this country that Canadian interest in the nation she promotes is clearly on the upswing, with 2014 seeing 1,023,000 visitors from Canada visiting France. The 2015 terrorist attacks slowed French tourism, but officials say it has rebounded, with French authorities hoping to see France host 100 million international tourists by 2020. Officials...
Jordan Is Simply Amazing
Visit Jordan says people shouldn't assume that Jordan's unsafe because of what happens outside its borders. Visit Jordan Canadian representative Avril Matthews says violence is a common occurrence in bordering countries but not in Jordan itself. “The people of Jordan literally say they have noisy neighbours,” she told a Wednesday Toronto gathering. Jordan in turn is “like a peaceful oasis,” she added. Matthews, who visited Jordan this year, said its capital is a “real blend of old and new,” with Amman attractions including a Roman ampitheatre. The archeological...
You Can’t Skip Portugal
Some 30 suppliers of travel product and services to Portugal were on hand in Toronto yesterday (Oct. 19) to meet with a large group of Canadian travel agents and tour operators and learn more about a destination that could well be a hot one this winter. Portugal's Minister of Tourism, Ana Mendes Godinho was on hand for the event, telling her audience that air capacity – supplied by Air Transat, Air Canada, TAP Air Portugal and SATA – has double out of Canada providing agents with lots of opportunities to sell the destination. And she pointed to additional services and capacity...
The Adventure Continues In Ireland
This week PressToday's Ann Ruppenstein is on the road in Ireland as a group of Canadian travel agents and tour operators learn more about the tourism offer in the island nation on an annual FAM put on by Tourism Ireland in Canada, Tourism Northern Ireland and Failte Ireland. Along with taking in some stunning sights and attractions across the country, such as the cliffside shores of Arranmore Island on the Wild Atlantic Way, an interactive demonstration on seaweed by Dr. Prannie Rhattigan of Irish Seaweed Kitchen in Stranhill beach — a company offering tours where visitors can...
Toronto, NYC Launch City-To-City Partnership
Tourism Toronto and NYC & Company, the official destination marketing organizations for their respective cities, have signed an official partnership to boost tourism between Toronto and New York City. It is the first ever city-to-city tourism partnership of its kind for Toronto and the first Canadian partnership for NYC & Company. The two-year alliance includes a collaboration agreement between the two destination marketing organizations, the exchange of marketing assets to boost reciprocal travel, and the sharing of best practices in tourism marketing. To celebrate the...
Discover The Wonders Of Costa Rica
Those visiting Costa Rica can expect to see the likes of sloths, monkeys and toucans if they venture into any of the country's many national parks during their vacation. But they shouldn't count on seeing any velociraptors or T-Rexes, says Michel Aranda of Costa Rican tour company Neo Travel. Aranda, in Toronto this week for a Costa Rica presentation, said blockbuster movie Jurassic Park – which ended with dinosaurs running wild on a Costa Rican island, “was very good publicity [for Costa Rica] but there are none [in reality].” But tourism authorities add that Costa Rica –...