Destinations
Sunwing Off to Playa Blanca
Beginning Aug. 1, Sunwing Airlines will offer year-round direct flights from Toronto to the Playa Blanca Airport (also known as Scarlett Martinez International Airport) in Panama. This winter, Sunwing will also introduce flights to Playa Blanca Airport from several Quebec gateways, including Montreal starting in November, Quebec City starting in December, and Bagotville starting February 2015. “The Playa Blanca region is a popular destination with Sunwing travellers and these direct flights will dramatically improve our passengers' vacation experience,” said Andrew Dawson, COO...
Insight Releases 2015 Europe Preview
Insight Vacations is offering a sneak peek of its European programs for next year with the release of the 2015 Europe Preview. Canadians can now plan their European getaways ahead of time, taking advantage of current pricing while securing their spot on high demand itineraries across 45 countries. In addition, when clients pay in full by Jan. 15, 2015 they will save up to 10% with Insight's Early Payment Discounts. “Our loyal agents always appreciate Insight’s Preview Price Guarantee since it enables them to encourage their clients to travel to Europe with us next year at this...
Aloha Festivals Celebrates Hōkūle‘a’s Worldwide Voyage
The 2014 Aloha Festivals theme, “Maluhia Honua – World Peace With Aloha,” celebrates the worldwide voyage of the Polynesian Voyaging Society’s Hōkūle‘a and its mission to promote world peace. Aloha Festivals, one of Hawai‘i’s most highly regarded and oldest cultural celebrations is now in its 68th year. This year, the festival takes place from Sept. 6-27 at various locations on Oahu, sharing the history and traditions of Hawaii and the unique spirit of aloha with both kamaʻāina (local residents) and malihini (visitors). “This year, we honour the round-the-world...
Visit Orlando Launches Exclusive Deals for Trade
Visit Orlando’s annual savings program for hospitality employees, Travel Industry Deal Season, returns Aug. 15 to Sept. 30 with exclusive deals of up to 50% off. This program provides deeply discounted rates for industry employees to experience Orlando’s hotels, attractions, dining options and more. “We recognize and value the role hospitality employees play in ensuring Orlando continues to create memorable vacations for our visitors,” said Danielle Courtenay, chief marketing officer for Visit Orlando. “With Orlando in the middle of one of the largest expansion periods in...
Surf’s Up This Fall at Turtle Bay Resort
Turtle Bay Resort on Oahu’s fabled North Shore is celebrating the season’s world-class North Shore surf with “Fantastic Fall” rates starting at US$209 a night for newly renovated ocean-view accommodations. Guests can be there for the kickoff to the world’s top surf competitions, with these fall rates for travel available from Sept. 1-Nov. 27. For surfers and their global followers, this seven-mile stretch of white sand beaches possesses its own heroes, legends and icons. The epic waves, the natural beauty and the friendly people have inspired distinctive music, art,...
Confidence Builder
In this week's issue of Travel Courier, Ian Stalker reports that Egypt is rolling out the welcome carpet for tourists these days but tour operators are divided as to how many Canadians are responding. The Egyptian government has begun an aggressive international campaign to win back those visitors who have been avoiding the country during an often tumultuous past couple of years, with the government eager to rebuild a tourist trade that for much of the past decade has generated huge revenues for the country. “The Ministry of Tourism has campaigns to assure travellers that Egypt's...
Curious George Takes a Bite Out of the Big Apple
NYC & Company, New York City’s official tourism, marketing and partnership organization, has introduced Curious George as its sixth Official NYC Family Ambassador, a joint effort with NBC Universal, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH) and PBS KIDS. As part of the year-long collaboration, adventurous explorer Curious George will encourage family travel to the city’s five boroughs by highlighting New York City as a family friendly destination. In 2013, New York City welcomed an estimated 16.7 million family visitors, a 3.1% projected increase over 2012, contributing approximately...
Douglas Coupland Exhibit in Vancouver
The first major visual art exhibition of artist and author Douglas Coupland has just opened at the Vancouver Art Gallery. The show is dubbed “Douglas Coupland: everywhere is anywhere is anything is everything.” It surveys the past 14 years of this Vancouver-based artist’s creative output across a range of media, such as installation, painting, photography, prints, and quilts, and features over 100 works, including several new large-scale installations. The exhibition explores concepts of cultural identity, technology’s ubiquity and contemporary life that are central to...