Destinations
rouge Gears Up For Winter 2016-2017
Air Canada is getting set to launch four new seasonal Air Canada rouge services between Montreal and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico; Montreal and San José, Costa Rica; Toronto and Palm Springs, California; and Toronto and Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. According to officials, the new non-stop flights will give Canadian travellers more competitively priced options when flying to sun destinations beginning winter 2016-2017. Seats on these four new routes are now available for...
Minimal Damage to Quito
The Ecuadorean capital of Quito says the 7.8-magnitude earthquake that rocked parts of Ecuador on April 16 affected mainly coastal areas, with populated areas in the highlands, such as Quito, feeling “tremors, but to a much lesser degree.” Quito mayor Mauricio Rodas Espinel said the earthquake affected six dwellings in the city, three of them in the Southern district, which is outside traditional tourist areas. “At this time, damage to patrimonial places in Quito’s Historical District Center is being evaluated,” authorities said. Quito's old quarter has UNESCO World...
WestJet Launches Boston-Halifax Service
WestJet has launched new service out of Halifax to Boston. The new flight operates daily on WestJet Encore's fleet of Canadian-made Bombardier Q400 NextGen aircraft. Since 2005, WestJet and WestJet Encore have accounted for more than 60% of the increase in flights out of Nova Scotia and almost 90% of the growth of available seat miles (ASMs) out of Halifax. WestJet now serves 17 non-stop destinations from Halifax – 10 domestic and seven international and transborder routes including Boston; Cancun; Punta Cana; Fort Lauderdale, Orlando and Tampa, Florida; and Glasgow,...
Ecuador Update
Following Saturday's 7.8 earthquake with an epicenter near the coastal town of Pedernales in the state of Manabi, Ecuador's Ministry of Tourism reports that the tourism infrastructure located in areas not significantly affected by the earthquake, such as the Amazon, Andes and Galapagos – including all airports, accommodations, tour operation and ground transport – remain open and fully operational. Following is an update regarding the tourism infrastructure and services across Ecuador’s four regions: Amazon – All airports in the area are open and operating normally. The...
Montreal Joins World Tourism Cities Federation
It's official. Montréal is now a member of the World Tourism Cities Federation (WTCF). This non-profit organization is a select club made up of the world's leading tourism cities, such as Los Angeles, Paris, Berlin and Barcelona. Initiated in 2012 by Beijing, its primary objective is to promote exchanges between top international destinations and share tourism development experience. With its headquarters in China, the organization is committed to improving the attractiveness of tourism cities and promoting harmonious economic and social development in these centres. Montreal...
On the Road at Germany Travel Mart
In light of challenges like mounting security concerns surrounding recent attacks in Brussels, Ankara and Paris, and the ongoing refugee crisis impacting travel to Europe, the German National Tourist Board (GNTB) is predicting a slightly lower growth rate of 1-3% for international overnight stays in Germany for 2016. “2015 was another record year for Germany,” said Petra Hedorfer, CEO of the German National Tourist Board, at the opening ceremony for the 42nd Germany Travel Mart in Magdeburg, Germany. "We recognized nearly 80 million overnight stays.” With an increase of 5.4%...
Canada: All About Quality And Value
Canada’s travel marketers are shunning “turn-on-a-dime” campaigns trumpeting the dollar differential bargains now available to Americans in favour of longer-term efforts highlighting the quality and value of the nation’s product offering, reports Mike Dunbar in this week's digital edition of Canadian Travel Press. That’s just one of the conclusions gleaned from a Conference Board of Canada trending document that looked at costs for travel in Canada and how they’ve changed from a US perspective. While marketers are tending to stick with tried and true campaign themes...
Caribbean Marketplace Back In Bahamas
The Caribbean Travel Marketplace is returning to The Bahamas for the second consecutive year, with the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) staging its event there from Jan. 31 to Feb. 2, 2017 at Atlantis, Paradise Island. In addition to CHTA, Caribbean Travel Marketplace 2017 will be organized with the support of The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Nassau/Paradise Island Promotion Board (NPIPB), Paradise Island Tourism Development Association (PITDA) and The Bahamas Hotel & Tourism Association (BHTA). Joy Jibrilu, director general, Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, observed:...