Destinations
Spotlight on Texas
Oenophiles will be in their element in Texas. Chris Radley, who represents Texas Tourism in Canada, told a Nov. 15 Toronto gathering that Texas has more than 180 wineries and is the fifth-largest producer of wine in the United States. Those who appreciate wine will find wine trails that are easy to navigate, she continued. Tourism authorities add that Texas is also home to 80 craft breweries and distilleries, underscoring varied tourism attributes in the jurisdiction. Radley praised southwestern Texas' Big Bend Country for showcasing the “grandeur of the Old West, while...
Fix It Now
IATA is urging governments in Latin America and the Caribbean to work with industry to make infrastructure a priority in unlocking aviation’s economic and social benefits. According to IATA, passenger demand in Latin America and the Caribbean is expected to more than double from 298 million in 2015 to 658 million in 2035. The airline industry association said that if that demand is met, the number of jobs supported by aviation in the region will grow from 5.4 million to 8.4 million over the same period. And aviation’s contribution to regional GDP will increase from $176...
Visit Anaheim Calls on Canada
Charles Harris is inviting travel agents to rediscover what they know or think they know about Anaheim. While the destination, which saw a 6.6% growth in international tourism, including 517,838 Canadian visitors in 2015, is often associated with Disneyland, the senior vice-president of marketing for Visit Anaheim says there’s much more for clients to see, do and experience. “Everybody knows Disney is a core of what we do but there’s a lot more,” he says. “There’s lots of great things going on from the Packing House to our craft brew industry and authentic dining. The...
Teaming Up On Research
Destination Canada, the University of Guelph, and the Travel and Tourism Research Association (TTRA) have teamed up to support tourism researchers across Canada. The partnership includes both a funding component and an open tourism research database where researchers can access thousands of raw datasets. The database includes over 52,000,000 data points about travellers' perceptions of Canada, representing survey results from approximately 118,226 people surveyed from 2007 to 2013. In addition, in partnership with the TTRA and University of Guelph, Destination Canada is offering...
ACV Amps Up Winter Service From The West
Air Canada Vacations (ACV) has added more frequencies and increased capacity from Western Canada to popular destinations in Mexico and the Caribbean. The latest additions include a larger aircraft and added frequency on the Vancouver-Cancun and Vancouver-Puerto Vallarta routes. Extra capacity has also been added to service between Vancouver-Ixtapa and Vancouver-Los Cabos – all operated by Air Canada Rouge. ACV’s 2016-2017 flight schedule to Mexico and the Caribbean also includes service between Winnipeg-Montego Bay and Cancun, and Calgary-Cancun and Puerto Vallarta onboard Air...
France Makes The Connection
While more than 85 million travellers visited France in 2015 for a variety of reasons, the country's consul general in Toronto, Marc Trouyet made it clear that there are so many new things happening – not to mention places to explore – that there's always a reason to promote the benefits of a visit to his country. The theme of the evening was the French Connection and along with officials from Atout France, the Toronto gathering also featured representatives from Air Canada, Scenic, Rennes, Nantes, the Loire Valley, Destination Western Front 14-18 and the French Number. Melanie...
Hit The Slopes In Aspen
Canadians are being invited to save some money before heading down Aspen's storied slopes. The Colorado ski complex is offering Canadians who book ski packages through either Skican or Merit Travel's ski division at-par rates for lift tickets, and some of the hotels those tour operators offer also have discounted rates, reports Richard Savage, Canadians sales representative for the Aspen Skiing Company. Lift tickets are good for four mountains, he said during a Nov. 9 Toronto reception. Savage said Aspen is easily accessible for people in the Toronto area, who can travel to...
More Lift For Belize From Canada
Belize's tourist trade is getting a helping hand from a weighty name in this country's tourist trade. WestJet is offering service between Toronto and Belize City into April, with the Wednesday and Saturday flights expected to make the destination significantly more attractive to those who want a quick link between this country and their holiday destination. “We're very excited. We're definitely looking forward to more Canadians visiting Belize,” Deborah Gilharry of the Belize Tourist Board said during a Tuesday Toronto visit. Belize is promoting itself as a multi-faceted...