Destinations
Waikiki Comes Alive
On May 3, Waikiki's Kalakaua Avenue will come alive with its annual celebration of Spam -- the famous canned meat and favourite local staple -- as part of the Waikiki Spam Jam Festival. Outrigger Hotels and Resorts is a SPAM Jam co-founder and presenting sponsor, with the festival featuring great food and entertainment in a family friendly atmosphere for kamaaina and visitors to enjoy. Outrigger Enterprises Group's Bitsy Kelley said of the event: "Outrigger is proud to participate in such a unique and fun-filled event that our entire community can enjoy. As a company dedicated to...
Set Sail With Beaches Resorts
Beaches Resorts has recently launched a new sailing program at Beaches Turks & Caicos Resort Villages & Spa, Beaches Negril Resort & Spa and Beaches Ocho Rios Resort & Golf Club in conjunction with the American Sailing Association (ASA). The new Sailing Fun Experience provides guests with an opportunity to participate in a four, two-hour session sailing course designed to introduce both children (ages eight and above) and adults to the sport of sailing. The cost of the program is US$150 p.p. which includes all four two-hour sessions with fellow Beaches Resorts...
‘Explosion Slide’ Coming to Myrtle Beach
Highlighting one of Myrtle Beach’s largest resort renovations in the last five years, Crown Reef Resort will open a new waterpark for guests in late spring with two enclosed 38-foot water slides, including the world’s first hotel “Explosion” slide. The two-person “Explosion” tube slide stands 38 feet tall and 278 feet long, pumping more than 2,500 gallons of water per minute. Meanwhile, the one-person “Twister” body slide towers 38 feet tall and 302 feet long, pumping 800 gallons of water per minute. The “Kiddie” slide sits eight feet tall and 20 feet long. The area...
PATA, JATA Team Up
The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) and the Japan Association of Travel Agents (JATA) have teamed up to work together to benefit both sets of members. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed this month and will focus efforts on implementing joint activities related to tourism. The MoU shows the membership commitment by both associations to enhance the role of the tourism sector and to develop the tourism industry in Asia and the Pacific. The agreement commits the two organizations to continue their productive ongoing co-operation through PATA’s participation in the...
Sea to Sky Gondola Set to Open Mid-May
Soon to open on May 16 is the Sea to Sky Gondola, just off the Sea to Sky Hwy. near Squamish, between Vancouver and Whistler. It will give guests the opportunity to scale heights of nearly 900 metres in 10 minutes to a rocky shoulder above the waters of Howe Sound and the cliff face of the Stawamus Chief. Views will take in tumbling Shannon Falls and soaring mountains on all sides, making this a must-do excursion. Day tickets include one round trip ride to the summit, accessing interpretive loops, the Summit Lodge, a climbing/hiking trail network, the Sky Pilot Suspension Bridge and...
Smiles Year-Round
In this week's issue of Canadian Travel Press, executive editor, Bob Mowat reports that the Canadian travel trade is going to be hearing a lot more about Ireland in 2014 and beyond as the destination finds itself with a wealth of air access and a host of opportunities that will allow it to take its tourism activities in the Canadian market to the next level. A host of new air services -- both year-round and seasonal -- are coming on stream in 2014, including the arrival of Aer Lingus after an absence of 35 years. The Irish carrier launched year-round service between Toronto and Dublin...
Surf Experience Day Set for May 18
Mauli Ola Foundation invites visitors to its annual Surf Experience Day in Waikiki on May 18 from 8:30 a.m. to noon near the Duke Kahanamoku Statue facing Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach Resort and Spa. Hawaiian surfing legend, 2000 World Champion of Surfing, and six times Triple Crown Champion, Sunny Garcia, will host the event. Garcia and other surf pros will devote the morning to surfing with local keiki with Cystic Fibrosis -- the ocean water which is high in saline is a natural therapy aide for the lungs. “It’s a huge honour to host this event for Mauli Ola -- it’s a breath...
Xi’an Introduces 72-Hour Visa-Free Policy
Xi’an, home to the world-famous Terracotta Warriors (pictured), is the latest Chinese city to launch a 72-hour visa-free stay policy. The policy allows transit passengers to enter Xi’an, Shaanxi’s capital city, for up to 72 hours without a visa. Xi’an is the eighth city in China to allow this new policy, joining Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Shenyang and Dalian. Tourism officials hope that the visa-free allowances will boost tourism to these areas of...