Destinations
‘Rasta’ Restoration Complete
Just in time for his 70th birthday, Bob Marley’s iconic Land Rover is ready to ride again. The matte-blue 1977 Series III Land Rover which fell into a state of disrepair following the singer’s death over 30 years ago, has been completely restored from clutch to chassis thanks to Sandals Resorts International and its Jamaican affiliate car company ATL Automotive, ITC – the regional distributors for Land Rover as well as the Marley clan. Sandals CEO Adam Stewart said that he was immensely honoured and proud that his team could give something back to a man who had given so much...
Spring Break Specials In Okanagan
Five Okanagan, BC ski resorts - Big White Ski Resort, Silver Star Mountain Resort, Sun Peaks Resort, Revelstoke Mountain Resort and Apex Mountain Resort – are working with NewLeaf Corp, a new Canadian travel company, to offer lower fares over Spring Break to Ontario travellers. 2015 has been a banner year for snowfall in the Kelowna/Okanagan, BC region. 2015 has also brought about an exciting new partnership for skiers looking for a world class family experience that is still available during this year's Spring Break season. Michael J. Ballingall, chairman of the Thompson Okanagan...
Destination Dubai
2015 is going to be a busy year for the gang at Emirates Airlines in Canada. Canadian Travel Press' executive editor, Bob Mowat reports that travel agents will be well-advised to keep an eye on the carrier as it rolls out some new twists to its flight plan over the next 12 months. Topping the list of what to watch for from the carrier in 2015 will be some aggressive promotion of Dubai as a stand-alone destination – rather than just a stopover – in the Canadian market. To do that, the carrier has teamed up with a number of new tour operator partners that will be packaging...
DoubleTree Acquires Victoria Landmark
One of Victoria's landmark hotels, Executive House, will re-open this spring as the new DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel and Suites Victoria following the completion of a multi-million dollar property-wide renovation. Managed by Mairet Consulting and Management Ltd. of Victoria, the property will mark the first hotel from the Hilton Worldwide portfolio to open on Vancouver Island. Upon opening, DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel and Suites Victoria will offer 181 guestrooms all equipped with refrigerators and microwaves. Ideally-suited to families and corporate travelers, 89 of the guestrooms are...
Have An Interactive Valentine’s Day
Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, and Trafalgar has launched a new interactive contest that offers the chance to win a romantic trip for two on a 9-day Wonderful France holiday -- including flights. The contest is open to agents and consumers alike and is based around a video shot by Trafalgar of the true story of a couple looking for family roots in France and finding it with the help of their Travel Director. Simply watch the video and place an interactive pin on the map to mark the hidden treasure of Mimi’s staircase in Paris and enter the competition at...
The Best Of Europe From ACV
Forget winter, think summer because Air Canada Vacations is bringing back the best of Europe with the Feb. 7, 2015 release of it new Best of Europe collection. Even better the release of the new program coincides with ACV's biggest sale of the year featuring its “Europe Early Booking Bonus” promotion. The 2015 collection features a wide array of pre-bundled vacation packages in London, Paris, France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, Denmark, Belgium, Germany, Greece and Turkey. Travellers can choose from a variety of escapes, all including flights and...
Putting Its Best Foot Forward
Is Trinidad and Tobago putting its best foot forward and inviting energetic travellers to do the same? Warren Solomon of the destination's tourist board told last week's Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association Marketplace in San Juan that his homeland has embarked on a multi-year program of creating 1,000 kms of hiking, biking and hashing trails, with those trails showcasing terrain that began life as coffee or cocoa plantations. The project will be a three-phase one and will strengthen his homeland as “the ultimate outdoor destination in the region,” he said. Solomon also...
A Positive Breakthrough
Call it a breakthrough year, but definitely call it a reason to celebrate as Las Vegas reported that it welcomed a record 41.1 million visitors in 2014 – that about 1.4 million more visitors than the previous high of 39.7 million set in 2012. The 2014 year-end statistics - released recently by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) – point to continued recovery for Las Vegas tourism with increases in all of the key visitation indicators. Las Vegas tourism generates more than $45 billion in economic impact for the local economy and supports 376,000 local...