Destinations
Canadian Tourism Looks To Go From ‘Good to Great’
It's Tourism Week in Canada (through June 4) and there is plenty of reasons to celebrate tourism's importance as an economic sector. Comprising nearly 2% of GDP the $90 billion industry is uniquely positioned as a regional economic driver from coast to coast to coast. Canada's tourism industry directly employs 627,000 people while a total of 1.6 million jobs are dependent on tourism. The Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC) notes that travel is one of the fastest growing sectors of the global economy. In 2015 international tourism grew by 4.4% with over a billion...
Sandals Foundation, SickKids Make History in Barbados
Sandals Foundation and The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) have joined forces to create a fellowship that will provide funding for a healthcare professional from Barbados to train at the renowned children’s hospital in Toronto. Dr. Chantelle Browne-Farmer has been selected as the first candidate from Barbados to receive a two-year fellowship at SickKids as part of the SickKids-Caribbean Initiative (SCI). At SickKids, Dr. Browne-Farmer will be part of the Division of Haematology and Oncology where she will have an opportunity to become immersed in observing and participating in...
Brazil Visa Waiver Program Underway
The period of unilateral visa exemption for Canadian tourists wanting to visit Brazil has begun. Canadians are guaranteed visa free entry between June 1 and Sept. 18 – a period that includes the Rio de Janeiro Olympics – with a limited stay of 90 days from the date of first entry into the country. The exemption is directed towards international visitors who come to Brazil exclusively for tourism purposes. The visitor does not need to prove that they have tickets to attend any Olympics event. The Brazilian Tourism Board (Embratur) has undertaken many actions abroad to highlight...
A Taste of Havana at Grand Oasis Cancun
Oasis Hotels & Resorts, an all-inclusive vacation resort brand in the Mexican Caribbean, is reporting the opening of the Havana Club Cigar Bar at Grand Oasis Cancun. While several Oasis properties throughout Cancun and the Riviera Maya have Cigar Bar concepts, all featuring fine cigars paired with quality spirits, Grand Oasis Cancun’s Havana Club will be the first in the destination to also offer guests nightly entertainment. Designed with luxurious leather furniture, rich wood finishes, fine crafted humidors and flat-screen televisions, the Havana Club Cigar Bar is suited for...
New Video Showcases ‘Amazing’ Northern Ireland
Tourism Ireland has introduced a new video using drone footage to capture 10 iconic and scenic locations around Northern Ireland. It takes in places such as the Mourne Mountains, the Giant’s Causeway and Game of Thrones filming locations, and can be seen at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFrbBHi6MPY. Northern Ireland is packed with natural and historic gems and the rise of drones has allowed potential visitors to appreciate these places in a way that has never been done before. The footage, which is just over a minute long, contains coastal and mountain vistas, epic castles and...
US Travellers Invited to Explore Canada Now
Destination Canada has launched a new marketing campaign – which includes the use of star spokesman Prime Minister Justin Trudeau – designed to inspire Americans to travel to Canada. The new “Connecting America” campaign is Destination Canada’s first national tourism initiative in the US since 2011. Over the next three years (2016-2018), Destination Canada will use research-driven marketing methods to create new advertising and engaging social media content for the US market. “This three-year campaign is a personal invitation to our neighbours to explore Canada and be...
Ukulele Gets Tribute at Polynesian Center
The Polynesian Cultural Center (PCC) recently welcomed its newest exhibit – the Ukulele Experience. Located in the Hukilau Marketplace at the PCC in a newly renovated exhibit space designed in the shape of an ukulele, the Ukulele Experience is part museum, part educational and a total showcase for the beloved Hawaiian instrument. The exhibit features tours showing how the ukulele is crafted, along with photos, artwork, mementos and a wide variety of ukuleles on display. Guests learn how a once obscure taro patch and cane field instrument with lineage from Portugal became an...
Atlantis’ Coral Towers to Get US$30 Million Transformation
Atlantis, Paradise Island resort in The Bahamas has launched a US$30 million renovation project at Coral Towers, set to begin this fall. Atlantis’ complete redesign to one of the property’s most popular towers is scheduled to be fully completed by next summer, with guest rooms and spaces re-opening in phases beginning late December 2016. According to officials, once complete, the property will unveil an entirely new guest experience from the arrival to the accommodations. Designed to reflect the epitome of a paradise destination, the 10-month renovation project will be brought...