Destinations
California Activates Crisis Communications Plan
As fires continue to threaten communities across California, Visit California has activated its Crisis Communications Plan to keep potential visitors up to date on what’s happening. Visit California’s web site, call centre and social media channels are all communicating accurate and up-to-date information to potential visitors around the world. “Our network of international offices is analyzing media coverage to inform ongoing response efforts. All 13 international offices are working with travel trade partners in each market, providing the latest information on areas impacted...
Hawaii Takes It Up A Notch
An upcoming luxury collection by Air Canada Vacations is being readied for release in about a month, and will help drive more traffic to the Aloha state, says ACV. The new luxury collection brochure will be released this November, and will feature the Ritz-Carlton Residences, the Royal Hawaiian Resort, the Westin Moana Surfrider Resort and the Kahala Hotel & Resort, reports western editor, Ted Davis in the special Hawaii supplement in the Oct. 9 digital edition of Canadian Travel Press. “We’ve seen strong growth since the addition of Air Canada Rouge service to Hawaii,” said...
Savouring Bavaria
The mayor of Nuremberg, Ulrich Maly, said it best – between hearty doses of sausages and pieces of roasted pork, wine, beer and “potato dumplings sized like children's heads,” residents of the Bavarian city certainly know how to enjoy life to the fullest, reports assistant editor, Ann Ruppenstein in this week's digital edition of Travel Courier. “We have a medical statistic that tells us that we in Nuremberg are dying a little earlier than the rest of the Germans, but before, we are living much better,” he quipped. As travellers continue to eat and drink their way through...
QTA, Qatar Airways Extend ‘Free’ Stopover Offer
Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) and Qatar Airways will continue offering their stopover package until the end of the year. The enticing offer -- part of a broader +Qatar campaign -- encourages all transit passengers to add Qatar to their travel plans and provides transit passengers with an opportunity to discover the country. The offering includes free luxury hotel stays and complimentary transit visas. Initially planned to run from May until the end of the summer, the offer will now continue until Dec. 31 December. During the initial period, the country welcomed 34% more transit...
Committed To Vancouver
Vancouver’s growing prominence in the Air Canada route network was confirmed at a New Routes event by the airline last week, at a club in the fashionable Yaletown district of the city. Leading the presentation was Bonnie Walker, AC director of sales for western Canada. She told assembled agents, tour operators and corporate partners that Air Canada had inaugurated 11 routes from YVR in 2017. These include the destinations of Denver, Dallas, Boston, Phoenix, Frankfurt, Nagoya, Taipei and Gatwick. In December, Air Canada will start flights to Melbourne, which is the airline’s third...
China Unveils Its Wonders
A very Great wall is among dozens of sites in China that have wowed UNESCO. The United Nations body has given World Heritage Site status to 52 sites in China, with foreign tourists able to visit the attractions, says the vice-chairman of the China National Tourism Administration. Xiaofeng Wang told an Oct. 10 Toronto gathering that China is “one of the countries having the largest number of World Heritage Sites in the World,” among those sites the famed Great Wall, the Terra Cotta Warriors, the storied Silk Road and the Huangshan Mountains. Wang and some of his colleagues were...
Spend the Night at S.F. Dungeon, If You Dare
Tis the season. Have a client that likes a dare? The San Francisco Dungeon and Booking.com have teamed up to offer the ultimate Halloween sleepover experience – a night’s stay in the dungeon. Brave souls can book a private one-night stay in the popular underground attraction on Oct. 30 or 31. Accommodations include an overnight stay in the chilling “Ghosts of Alcatraz Suite.” The price? US$666 per night for up to four people. Reservations will be accepted starting Oct. 13 at Booking.com and are available on a first-come, first-serve basis. The San Francisco Dungeon,...
Hawaii Flying High
Economic sustainability for the Hawaii tourism industry relies almost exclusively on the volume of airline traffic that flies into the islands, and between the islands. So delegates to the recent Global Tourism Summit held in Waikiki were pleased to hear a generally bullish outlook in the forecast for Hawaii's airline capacity in the near future, in a presentation by Brad DeFiore, managing director of Ailevon Pacific Aviation Consulting, reports western editor, Ted Davis in the Hawaii: Paradise Perfected supplement in the Oct. 9 issue of Canadian Travel Press. For example, his...