Destinations
Here Comes The Sun
Transat officially unveiled its winter 2017-18 South program yesterday (June 6) – highlighted by two new destinations, Tampa Bay and San Juan – while treating agents and travel industry personnel to lunch and an afternoon of bowling at The Ballroom Bowl in Toronto. Celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, Transat is increasing capacity from across the country (and especially Western Canada) and continuing its popular “all-in-one” cruise packages (including flights, cruise and transfers out of Tampa with NCL, and the same with Carnival in San Juan), as well as its seaside...
Sunwing Off To Bonaire
Sunwing is adding to its roster sun destinations with the addition of a weekly flight between Toronto and Bonaire, departing Sundays between Dec. 17 and April 15, 2018. Sunwing is offering accommodation packages at a selection of the island’s top resorts. Included are the Divi Flamingo Resort and Casino, the Plaza Beach Resort, the Buddy Dive Resort and the newly built Delfins Beach...
Get the Lowdown on Belize During June 29 Virtual Expo
The Belize Tourism Board is inviting travel agents to its first Belize Virtual Expo, on June 29. The platform will allow agents to schedule appointments with Belize tourism service providers – hoteliers, tour operators and local transportation companies – from the comforts of their own office, home or wherever he or she is. The event is free to all travel agents and tour operators/wholesalers; however, only registered buyers would be able to participate. The event will be on June 29 for participants from North America, South America and Central America from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (US...
Works Like A Charm
Anthony Lau, executive director of the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB), was all smiles during a recent stop in Toronto, which shouldn't be surprising as there's lots of good news coming out of the destination these days. Topping the list is the fact that Hong Kong and Taiwan's joint tourism promotional efforts – launched in 2016 – have produced some rather remarkable results. The program attracted the participation of five airlines – Air Canada, Cathay Pacific, Eva Air, China Airlines and Hong Kong Airlines – and 19 tour operators offering 22 different packages. Not...
Tourism to Greece On a Roll
The Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO) is expecting a record-breaking 30 million international visitors to Greece this year. This represents a growth rate of 7%, or an additional two million additional visitors over the previous year. For the last two years, Greece's growth has been nearly twice the global industry average of 3.9%, as reported by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) in January. The World Travel & Tourism Council estimates that tourism in 2017 will help boost the Greek economy by 6.9%, and will boost employment by 6.3%, supporting nearly a million jobs...
We Will Survive, Brand USA Boss Says
Brand USA CEO Chris Thompson says he's "pretty confident" that his organization will survive a Trump administration budget proposal that would eliminate government funding, reports Press Today's Mike Dunbar from IPW 2017. Thompson told IPW delegates in Washington DC: “There's many moving pieces in a $5 trillion budget. Brand USA was created with bipartisan approval in both houses of congress and we continue to have that approval, so we feel pretty confident. We're not thinking about not being around and our board chair has told us not to take our foot off the pedal.” And It's...
Montreal Ferris Wheel Set For July Opening
Montreal's new La Grande Roue ferris wheel will start operating in the Old Port in mid-July. The ride will offer panoramic 60-metre-high views of the river, Old Montreal, downtown and the mountain. The ferris wheel will operate year-round from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m., giving visitors a chance to enjoy a day or evening view from an air-conditioned cabin (heated in winter). There will also be a bar, bistro and coffee shop on...
Air Canada Launches New Routes From YVR
Air Canada kicked off its summer early last week with the launch of two new international routes from Vancouver to Nagoya and Frankfurt (pictured), marking the beginning of the airline's summer season. In total, AC plans to launch 11 new international non-stop routes this summer from Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal. “Nothing says summer like winging off to an exciting foreign destination, and Air Canada is pleased to offer its customers more options than ever this year. Through our ongoing international expansion, we are adding 11 new routes touching three continents beginning...