Destinations
Quite A Trio
Royal Caribbean International has announced that the second ship in its new and most advanced Quantum class of ships, Anthem of the Seas, will be joined by Adventure of the Seas and Brilliance of the Seas in the U.K. as part of an unprecedented 2015 Europe season. The cruise company had previously announced that the Anthem of the Seas would homeport at Southampton, U.K. when it launches in April 2015. The ship will mark its inaugural Europe season with 19 cruises to the Spanish, French and Italian rivieras, and the Canary Islands on three- to 16-night itineraries, and then reposition...
Good On You, Mate!
Following a five-day trip to Australia, Taleb Rifai, secretary-general of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), praised the progress that Australia had made in " converging with UNWTO's main policy recommendations of supporting travel facilitation, intelligent taxation and sustainability." Rifai met with federal and state government officials as well as main private sector associations and UNWTO Affiliate Members during his five day visit. The UNWTO's secretary-general congratulated Andrew Robb, Australia's minister for trade and investment, "for their commitment to...
Play Ball!
Okay, so there's still snow on the ground and Canadians continue to shiver in the icy grip of winter, but there is hope. Consider the fact that the Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel are getting ready for the 2014 baseball spring training season. The popular Florida vacation area is the spring training home of the 2013 World Series champs, the Boston Red Sox, along with the Minnesota Twins. Training is set to begin on Feb. 27, with two college exhibition games. The spring training season runs through March 29. The tentative season schedule includes 17 games at JetBlue Park, Fort Myers....
Swept Up In The Revelry
St. Maarten is gearing up for its 45th Annual Carnival celebration, which takes place from April 21 to May 5, 2014. The annual event is the island's largest cultural celebration and features parades, pageants, musical performances and a host of other activities culminating with the traditional "Burning of King Momo." St. Maarten's Carnival stands out among other regional celebrations due to the duration of this activity (two weeks) and the way locals embrace participating vacationers who get swept away in the revelry. Edward Dest, interim director of tourism for the St. Maarten Tourist...
Open To The World
Greater Moncton International Airport reports that once again in 2013, it saw "healthy increases" in its passenger traffic. In 2013, the number of passengers at the airport rose to 647,682, a 5.3% increase over 2012 (615,085) and a nearly 12% increase over 2011 (579,329). These customers flew on the GMIA's main airline partners, including Air Canada Express, the airline offering the most frequency from Greater Moncton, as well as Porter, WestJet and United. A significant increase was also noticed coming from chartered aircraft (Flair and Canadian North) transporting mobile workers...
Going For The Gold
The Royal Canadian Air Force Flyers hockey team were the underdogs at the 1948 Winter Olympic Games in St. Moritz, Switzerland, and went on to win the Gold Medal. A jersey belonging to a member of this team will be on display in the Lobby of the Canadian War Museum starting today until March 16, 2014. Many of the RCAF Flyers were veterans of the Second World War, which had ended less than three years earlier. Formed at the last minute with 17 Air Force and ex-Air Force players, the team lost several exhibition games and was not expected to do well in the medal competitions. Defying the...
A Trade Dynamo
"Travel continues to be a trade dynamo. Travel exports increased by $0.7 billion to $15.9 billion in December 2013 -- an 11.8% increase from December 2012. The monthly increase was the largest since February 2012, and the largest December increase in the past 20 years," observed David Huether, senior vice-president of research and economics at the U.S. Travel Association, in providing analysis on newly released US Commerce Department figures for the December U.S. trade balance. Huether noted that: "The travel industry's trade surplus -- the third-largest of any industry -- was 8.5%...
Mexico Has Karisma
Karisma Hotels & Resorts reports that Generations Riviera Maya is now open. The latest addition to the newly launched Generations Resorts by Karisma brand, Generations Riviera Maya features 144 all-suite oceanfront accommodations -- the largest in the Riviera Maya at 1,200 square feet -- with unlimited butler service and personal attention, an Eko Kid's Club and Baby Beach Lounges, and swim-up infinity suites up from the first to fourth floors. As part of the Gourmet Inclusive concept, Generations Riviera Maya includes gourmet a la carte meals at its four beachfront restaurants and...