Destinations
Days Inns opens in Chetwynd
There's a new Days Inn in Chetwynd, British Columbia. It's also the second Days Inn to open in B.C. during the spring of 2012. The 53-room conversion property offers free Daybreak Cafe breakfast, free high-speed Internet access, free guest parking, meeting and banquet facilities, business place rooms as well as Wyndham Rewards for every qualified stay. Irwin Prince, president and COO of Realstar Hospitality, said: "Days Inn - Chetwynd is another great addition to our growing portfolio of hotels. This hotel reflects our continued commitment to providing travellers with excellent value, great...
Canadian tourism: an industry in crisis
In a letter to its members, Hotel Association of Canada (HAC) president, Tony Pollard says that "plain and simple," Canada's tourism industry is in crisis. HAC's president points out that funding for the Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC) has declined from $100 million in 2001 to $72 million in 2012 and will drop further in 2013 to $58.5 million. Observes Pollard: "The cuts come when Canada faces increasing competition from international competitors including the new $200 million [Brand USA] program - $20 million of which is being spent in Canada." The result, says HAC's boss is that a decade...
AC re-launches St. John’s-Heathrow flights
Air Canada has re-launched seasonal service between St. John's, NL and London Heathrow. The daily, non-stop flights are now operating and will continue until Sept. 30, 2012. Marcel Forget, vice-president, network planning for Air Canada, noted that: "This year, we are starting service almost two weeks earlier than last year due to strong performance and support from the St John's community." At London Heathrow, passengers will be able to connect to other points in Europe through AC's Star Alliance partners. As well, the St. John's service is timed to offer connections to and from Deer Lake,...
Breezes Trelawny sale completed
Blue Diamond Hotels & Resorts has completed its purchase of the Breezes Trelawny Resort & Spa in Jamaica. Earlier this year, SuperClubs announced that the property was going to be sold. Blue Diamond Hotels & Resorts is a subsidiary of the Sunwing Travel Group. Plans -- details of which will be released shortly -- call for the resort to temporarily close on June 1, 2012, and undergo a $40 million renovation. It will reopen to guests as a 4 star plus resort on Nov. 1, 2012, under the new name of Memories White Sands Beach Resort & Spa. The purchase signals the increasing importance of Jamaica...
Barbados ready to jump up
Spring Garden Road may not be on fire yet, but with summer fast approaching Barbados is heating up with activities that are part of its annual, 12-week long, Crop Over Festival. New to the festivities the Barbados Summer Arts Festival that features the talents of local artisans, with the main event being the Arts Mart on the Hastings Boardwalk which takes place from May 25 to May 27. Here local artists will display their works ranging from jewelry and fashion to glass creations and visual arts. Music, poetry and prose readings will transform the bustling boardwalk into a hub of creative...
A golden celebration for Jamaica
As it gears up for its 50th anniversary of independence, Jamaica has plans for a wide array of island-wide events to celebrate the landmark occasion. And with non-stop flights available from most major cities, it will be easy for Canadians to join in the festivities. John Lynch, director of tourism, said: "This is a significant year for us as a destination and we're encouraging visitors, including Jamaicans living overseas, to come celebrate this milestone and experience a host of on-island events throughout the year. Now is a great time to book a Jamaican vacation and benefit from the...
Goway’s cruising in OZ
Goway has launched its first brochure dedicated to cruise travellers bound for Australia. The operator notes that selling cruise trip packages can be challenging for agents these days with the amount of non- commissionable elements, including airfares, shore excursions, etc. A strategy to improve selling cruises is by offering add-on services from land extensions, pre- or post-cruise accommodations or shore excursions in Australia, all of which are fully commissionable through Goway. Goway points out that travellers should spend time on land to see more of Australia and it offers many cruise...
It’s all about the beach
Well, the truth is out. Forty-five per cent of Canadians say that they prefer a beach vacation to all other types of vacations -- and that puts Canucks far ahead of the global average which was 33%. The findings are part of the newly released 2012 Flip Flop Report that was conducted by Harris Interactive for Expedia.ca and which looked at the behaviour and preferences of over 8,000 adults in North America, South America, Europe, Asia and Australia in a total of 21 countries. Globally, the average beach holiday is just over one week in length at 7.7 days. Canadians inch past the global average...