Destinations
Transat Exclusive
Transat has added the new Ocean Casa del Mar resort, located in Cayo Santa Mari, to its line-up in Cuba. Located along a white sand beach, the all-inclusive, 800-room Ocean Casa del Mar is a 4.5-star resort – exclusive to Transat – featuring eight restaurants, including a selection of à la carte restaurants, nine bars, four pools (two for adults, one for children and one for babies), business centre and an array of recreational activities and water...
Goway Downunder
Goway has unveiled its new 2016-17 Downunder brochure, featuring vacation options to to Australia, New Zealand and the islands of the South Pacific. Highlights for the upcoming 16-17 season include: Holidays of a Lifetime is Goway’s promise of something special. This year, Discover Papua New Guinea concentrates on the culture and scenery of this untouched destinations in 12 days, with two departure dates – Sept. 13, 2016 and April 11, 2017. The popular Waltzing Matilda has some new inclusions including a special dinner at Tjapukai Cultural Park, a new Great Barrier Reef Cruise...
Experience Germany’s Natural Wonders
From the Alps overlooking Munich to the beach views of the Wadden Sea north of Hamburg, holidays in the heart of nature was the focus of a recent Toronto event put on by the German National Tourist Office and Lufthansa. “We know that Canada itself has a lot of nature so what we want to focus on is all the nearby stunning nature you can experience when you are going to all of the cities in Germany,” Antje Splettstoesser, director of marketing & sales, Canada, for the GNTO told PressToday. “What's well known to Canadians is probably the Black Forest Mountains, the rolling hills,...
Talking Turkey
Dozens of travel counsellors turned out in suburban Toronto yesterday (Feb. 23) for a full day workshop sponsored by the Toronto-based Turkish Culture and Tourism Office. Another event is planned for Montreal later in the week. Featuring close to two dozen suppliers from Turkey, along with Canadian Turkish Airlines staff, the event coupled informational presentations with a mini table top trade show. “We don't know Canada and Canada doesn't know Turkey,” said Erdeniz Sen, Consul General of the Republic of Turkey in Toronto, of his country's fledgeling efforts to market in...
Dynamic Destination
Air Canada, the Rio Convention & Visitors Bureau and 25 suppliers (ranging from ground operators to hoteliers) teamed for a series of cross-Canada travel agency workshops. In Toronto, the event welcomed between 70 and 75 retailers, who had the chance to discover everything they need to know about Rio as the city gears up for the 2016 Summer Olympics. The workshops are also slated to make stops in Montreal, Calgary and Vancouver. Tony Celio, manager, specialty sales for Air Canada, told Press Today that Brazil is a strong market for the carrier. AC introduced its thrice weekly...
Jump Into Ireland
Irish tourism officials, including Alison Metcalf, executive vice-president, US & Canada, Tourism Ireland, were in Toronto yesterday to update travel industry personnel on the latest happenings in the Emerald Isle. The delegation, which is visiting Hamilton today and then Ottawa, includes 11 industry partners. Metcalfe noted that Ireland is coming off a strong year from Canada with 190,000 Canadians visiting, up 20% from 2014. “We're doing well, but we don't take anything for granted,” said Metcalfe. “We continue to build and invest of the ground.” She attributed...
Meliá Set For Manhattan Opening
Meliá Hotels International will launch its first property in New York City in March. Located at 132 West 27th Street between 6th and 7th Avenue, INNSIDE New York NoMad is within easy access of the city’s iconic landmarks and attractions, including New York Highline, Times Square and Madison Square Gardens. The new hotel will boast 313 spacious guest rooms, with neutral contemporary interiors and accents of colour, along with oversized floor to ceiling windows. The hotel has eight suites, including three unique terrace suites, with views of New York’s skyline and the Empire...
Sunshine State Shines
Florida has set another record in tourism by welcoming 105 million visitors in 2015, including four million Canadians. This is the fifth consecutive record year for visitation to Florida, exceeding the previous high of 98.5 million in 2014 by 6.6%. The average number of direct travel-related jobs in 2015 was also a record high, with 1,199,200 Floridians employed in the tourism industry – up 53,400 or 4.7% over the same period last year. Governor Rick Scott commented, “I am proud to announce that Florida has surpassed our tourism goal and welcomed an historic 105 million visitors...