Destinations
Raffles Set For China Expansion
Luxury hotel operator Raffles Hotels & Resorts has signed an agreement to extend the brand’s portfolio in China to the ancient city of Suzhou. Raffles Suzhou is scheduled to open in the “Venice of the Orient” in 2020. Enjoying one of the best addresses in town, the 150-room luxury hotel will be located in the new super high-rise Keyne International Suzhou mixed-use development in the Suzhou New District (SND) Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone. Signature highlights of the new hotel include more than 1,400 square metres of meeting and conference facilities, five food and...
Montreal Picks Tech Partner
Tourisme Montréal has picked Cossette as its technology partner for the redesign its digital ecosystem, including its web portals, mobile app and the back-end technology for its various tourist clienteles. Following a rigorous call for tenders, the selection committee, comprised of members of Tourisme Montréal's board of directors and senior management as well as external technology consultants, concurred that the solution proposed by Cossette was the most cutting-edge and innovative, and fulfilled Tourisme Montréal's ambitions and vision. A leader in digital strategies and in the...
Pretty As A Picture
Up to 100 of the world's top extreme sports athletes will converge at one of Australia’s most iconic coastal destinations in May to film three days of “adrenalin-fuelled” fun and share their content with tens of millions of people around the world. The content sharing initiative forms part of the 2016 GoPro Athlete Summit on the Gold Coast, brought to Australia in a new partnership between GoPro, Tourism Australia, Tourism and Events Queensland and Gold Coast Tourism. The line-up of world famous international sporting stars includes Olympians, endurance and adventure athletes,...
WestJet Takes Off for London This Weekend
WestJet will launch new non-stop service between six Canadian cities and London (Gatwick) beginning this weekend. Flights from Vancouver, Calgary and Toronto begin tomorrow (May 6), while service from Edmonton, Winnipeg and St. John's begins on Saturday. “The launch of wide-body transatlantic service this weekend ushers in a new era in the history of WestJet,” said WestJet president Gregg Saretsky. “From humble beginnings as a regional airline serving five destinations in Western Canada, we have grown to become a truly international carrier in just two decades, now taking...
Germany Gears Up For Growth
In spite of record results for the sixth straight year, the German National Tourist Board (GNTB) is predicting a slightly lower growth rate of 1 to 3% for international overnights in Germany this year, reports Ann Ruppenstein in this week's digital edition of Canadian Travel Press. At the 42nd annual Germany Travel Mart (GTM), held in Magdeburg, Germany, April 17-19, Petra Hedorfer, CEO of the GNTB, cited mounting security concerns surrounding recent attacks in Brussels, Ankara and Paris, and the ongoing refugee crisis as some of the main factors currently impacting travel to...
Air Canada, Avianca Brasil Team Up
Star Alliance partners Air Canada and Avianca Brasil have implemented the first stage of a codeshare agreement. Initially, Air Canada will sell, in all of its channels, tickets for flights operated by Avianca Brasil under the AC code, significantly expanding its distribution in the local Brazilian market. The agreement includes flights to and from Brasília, Curitiba, Florianópolis, Fortaleza, Porto Alegre, Recife, Rio de Janeiro (Antonio Carlos Jobim-Galeao airport), Salvador and São Paulo (Guarulhos airport). Air Canada customers will enjoy the benefit of boarding through direct...
Tianguis Wrap-Up Party Lights Up Guadalajara
Tianguis Turistico Mexico 2016 bid farewell to host city Guadalajara with a lavish gala celebration in an outdoor park city setting. It started with dinner and speeches, and ended with an open-bar dance party that ran well past midnight. Hosting the party was the state of Guerrero, home to the city of Acapulco, which was announced as the 2017 location of next year’s Tianguis. Also located in Guerrero is the historic and scenic silver mining town of Taxco, and the twin beach towns of Ixtapa and Zihuatanejo. Attending Tianguis in Guadalajara this year were about 2,420 buyers, who...
Grand Velas Los Cabos to Open in November
Mexico's Velas Resorts has announced that the US$150 million Grand Velas Los Cabos will open on the Baja Peninsula in November. The resort is the fifth property of the family owned and operated company. The beachfront property will have a staff ratio of three to one and will have enhanced signature facilities and services of Grand Velas resorts, including duplex wellness suites with juice bars, wine-based features inspired by the proximity to the region producing Mexico’s fine wines, and ocean views and unique spaces infusing every area of the resort. Located between Cabo San...