Destinations
Cuba Bound
A number of major cruise lines have now received permission from the Cuban government to begin offering cruises to the destination. Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. has received approval from the government of the Republic of Cuba to operate cruises to Cuba, beginning March 2017. All three of the company’s brands – Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises – will offer US travellers the opportunity to visit Cuba on select sailings starting next year. The company’s first cruise to Cuba will set sail from PortMiami on Oceania Cruises’ Marina...
Take a Selfie in Switzerland
'Twas Saint Nicholas' Day in Switzerland when tourism reps from the country descended upon Toronto to promote the European destination. Among the latest initiatives to engage travellers, the Grand Tour of Switzerland – a 1,600-km route encompassing 22 lakes, 12 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, five Alpine passes and numerous sights – now features 20 and counting photo opportunities for visitors to pose alongside installed big red picture frames. “No trip is complete without a selfie,” Evelyn Lafone, Director Canada, Trade Manager Manager Central USA for Switzerland Tourism, told...
TAP Taps Toronto
TAP Portugal has announced the addition of six new destinations to its global route network by July 2017, including Toronto, the airlines fifth North American gateway. TAP will also add five new European destinations: Budapest, Hungary; Bucharest, Romania; Las Palmas and Alicante, Spain; and Stuttgart, Germany. With these five new cities, TAP will serve 52 European destinations, adding more options to its popular Stopover program where travellers can enjoy a one-, two- or three-day visit to Portugal on the way for no extra airfare. The Stopover booking option is available on the...
Air Canada Enhances US Schedule
Air Canada will launch six new non-stop US services beginning spring 2017. Three of the routes, Toronto to San Antonio, Memphis and Savannah, bring new destinations into the airline's US network, while the addition of Montreal to Dallas-Fort Worth, Vancouver to Denver and the conversion of the Vancouver-Phoenix route to year-round operation, will deepen Air Canada's transborder schedule. The new non-stop services will be operated by Air Canada Express starting in May and continue year-round, except for Toronto-Savannah, which will operate on a summer seasonal...
Royal Hawaiian Hosts A Final Fanta-Sea Epicurean Journey
A year-long epicurean journey showcasing Hawaii’s extraordinary seafood scene reaches its final destination on Dec. 16 and 17 with a collaboration dinner and a one-of-a-kind holiday farmer’s market at The Royal Hawaiian, a Luxury Collection Resort. Fanta-Sea, the brainchild of executive chef Colin Hazama, debuted in February with a partnership with Mari’s Gardens in Mililani. Throughout the year, Chef Hazama has featured different farms bi-monthly. This time, he’s partnering with Sous Chef Ryan Brannigan to produce a “Best of Fanta-Sea” collaboration dinner on Dec. 16 at...
Healthy Meetings In London
London, England is showcasing its expertise hosting medical meetings in a new guide that was released this week. Created by London & Partners – which is the official promotional company and convention bureau for the city – after it gathered sector insight that revealed event planners would benefit from the new guide while working on corporate medical meetings. Deborah Kelly, head of UK sales at London & Partners, observed: “London has proved a huge draw for medical congresses in recent years. This new guide details London’s credentials for corporate life sciences...
Big Times In The DR
The Dominican Republic's tourism industry is gearing up for a busy 2017, setting aggressive new targets that are underpinned by new developments, increased investment in infrastructure and growing cruise traffic. In 2016, the Dominican Republic broke a number of arrival records, posting a 9% increase over 2015. Perhaps more impressive, is the 67.5% increase in cruise arrivals, which grew to 580,000 during the year. As well, Punta Cana airport arrivals increased 7.1% over 2015, and it continues to be the most popular airport in the Caribbean, accepting over 2.4 million arrivals each...
Sorry If It Gets Noisy
Tourisme Montréal is launching its Sorry campaign in Ontario and the United States. It's friendly. It's cheeky. And it's a new initiative that promises to make a lot of noise in neighbouring provinces and states. “Dear neighbours from Toronto and New York, we're turning 375 in 2017 so we'll be celebrating all year! We're going to make a lot of noise … Sorry! We live right next door so of course, you're welcome to come and join us. Your neighbour, Montréal.” Starting this year, Montréal ambassadors will be apologizing to their Toronto neighbours for all the racket, and will...