Destinations
Dhawa Cayo Santa Maria Set For Cuba Opening
Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts will welcome its first Dhawa in Cayo Santa Maria, Cuba, on Dec. 15. Located in Cayo Santa Maria, the 516-room Dhawa Cayo Santa Maria will be the first and only all-inclusive lifestyle resort with a private beach in the area. Room categories include 246 Superior Rooms, 122 Deluxe Ocean View Rooms, 120 Premium Ocean Front View Rooms, 16 Junior Ocean Front View Suites and 12 Premium Ocean Front View Suites. Other amenities include five restaurants (including French and Italian) and four bars, two swimming pools, fitness centre, Kids Club and a 545-seat...
Experiencing Cuba the Celestyal Way
Those who go on Celestyal Cruises seven-night sailings around Cuba will be getting an up close and personal look at the island, says the company's vice-president of sales and marketing for Canada. Christine Chiang notes Celestyal's sailings call at Havana, Cienfuegos, Punta Frances (the Isle of Youth) and Santiago de Cuba – and also visit Montego Bay, Jamaica, with excursions provided in each destination. Two days are spent in Havana. “It's an immersion experience,” Chiang told a Nov. 3 Toronto gathering, adding visitors can enjoy Cuban drinks and see Cuban entertainers on the...
ACV Talks Cuba
Air Canada Vacations (ACV) recently met with a Cuban delegation to discuss future growth plans and long standing partnerships. The tour operator offers 34 flights per week during high season to five Cuban destinations, including Cayo Coco, Havana, Holguin, Santa Clara and Varadero. Lift and connectors from Air Canada make it possible for ACV to bring a wide range of Canadian travellers into Cuba – influencing the country’s tourism growth and allowing for product expansion. “Canadians have always had a love affair with Cuba,” said Dina Bertolo, vice-president, Product...
Breakfast With Ireland
Tourism Ireland's Dana Welch welcomed a group of about 30 travel trade types to P.J. O'Brien in Toronto earlier this week for an Irish breakfast prepared by award-winning Irish chef, Stephen Jeffers. The event also included an update on all things Ireland, with Welch telling Press Today that 2015 had been a good year, with the Emerald Isle welcoming 190,000 Canadians – a 20% rise over the previous year. As for 2016, Welch said that Tourism Ireland is “looking at double-digit growth” out of the Canadian market. And Welch made it clear that the combination of Ireland's many...
Transat Invites Clients To Say ‘I Do’
Transat has released its 2017-18 Weddings brochure, designed to inspire couples to make their dream wedding a reality with a multitude of ideas and customized packages to tie the knot in a slice of sun-soaked paradise. New this year, the brochure includes a 17-page special feature by Weddingbells presenting the hottest wedding dresses, tropical flower arrangements and tips on how to best capture the special day in photos, in addition to a slew of other advice for tying the knot down south. With Transat, couples enjoy hassle-free planning thanks to a multitude of wedding ideas and...
JTB On The Road
The Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) is inviting Canadians vacationing in Jamaica to wander off their resorts for at least part of their stays. Racquel Queensborough, business development manager for the board's Canadian office, said Wednesday night that the board wants Canadians to “experience the destination, not just the resorts.” She said “sun and sand is great,” but Jamaica offers a host of activities for visitors, including adventure sports, among them surfing, and music festivals. The tourism board is now hosting events in Ontario updating travel agents on what Jamaica...
Sweet Times Ahead for the Dominican
The Dominican Republic is literally sweetening the pot when it comes to its tourist trade. December is expected to see the opening of The Kah Kow Experience in Santo Domingo, with the new attraction telling of the production of Ka Kow's chocolate, giving visitors the lowdown on that confectionery in a structure reputed to be the third-oldest house in the Americas. The attraction will include The Forest, with “artificial trees” leading people to feel “as if you're in our real farm,” says Kah Kow Experience project manager Carol Felix. A theatre will trace the history of...
Porter Kicks Off Mont Tremblant Service Dec. 9
Porter Airlines will kick off the ski season with winter service between Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport and Mont Tremblant on Dec. 9. Flights are available until April 3, 2017, with service up to six times weekly during the peak schedule. In less than 75 minutes, passengers can travel from downtown Toronto to the slopes of Mont Tremblant. In addition to downhill skiing and snowboarding, winter in Tremblant offers an array of outdoor activities such as dog sledding, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and snowmobiling. For the less adventurous, there are also a slope-side spa,...