Tour Operators
G Adventures Announces Mini Adventures In Popular Cities
Even though travel may be on hold for the immediate future, that isn’t stopping clients from planning what their future holidays look like. New survey results indicate almost half of travellers will book longer trips, with a significant number hoping to capitalize on remote work arrangements by taking a workcation and combining their travel with work to extend their time away. It’s these emerging trends that have led G Adventures to launch a new program of 36 culturally immersive ‘Mini Adventures’ — two-to six-day short breaks with experiences across 28 cities in 19 countries...
Sunwing Extends FTC Validity To September 2026
Observing that there’s no denying that the COVID-19 pandemic has taken an unprecedented toll on Canadians from coast to coast, and the entire world, and its timeline continues to remain uncertain, Sunwing is extending the validity of future travel credits until Sept. 30, 2026. With the announcement, all Sunwing customers who were impacted by cancelled travel due to the pandemic and who made non-refundable bookings will now be able to use their credits for travel up to Sept. 30, 2026. Sunwing said that the extension is intended to provide its customers with greater flexibility so...
An Open Letter From Jean-Marc Eustache
Dear partners, We know that the circumstances caused by COVID-19 are difficult for all of us in a variety of ways. This is especially true in the travel industry, which remains one of the most heavily affected by the consequences of the pandemic and which continues to face widespread indifference from the Government of Canada, despite a formal commitment of sectoral support. In the wake of a second suspension of our operations in less than a year, and in a final attempt to make the federal authorities aware of the financial and professional abyss facing our industry, Transat’s...
LEEFF Loan To Sunwing Protects Canadian Jobs
The Canada Enterprise Emergency Funding Corp. (CEEFC) released details of a new loan -- under the Large Employer Emergency Financing Facility (LEEFF) – that will see Sunwing Vacations Inc. and Sunwing Airlines Inc. given access to $375-million of liquidity to protect jobs in Canada's airline sector. Together, Sunwing Airlines and Sunwing Vacations provide close to 3,000 Canadians with full-time jobs. Sunwing has agreed to maintain an account with money received from customers for travel that was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This account will be maintained until...
Transat Suspends All Flights
Transat A.T. Inc. is advising that it is suspending all of its scheduled Air Transat flights until April 30 following the Canadian government's request not to travel to Mexico and the Caribbean and the imposition of new quarantine and COVID-19 screening measures. Repatriation of its customers to Canada is expected to take place over the next two weeks, the company said. Jean-Marc Eustache, president and Chief Executive Officer of Transat, said that: “We are putting in place the measures requested by the Canadian government, including not travelling to the South. This forces...
Get Ready For The Future Of Travel
Travel executives with Collette, Exodus Travels, Globus family of brands, Tauck, The Travel Corporation and Outer Shores Expeditions weigh in on how they are persevering through the many challenges brought on by the pandemic and gearing up for the future of travel. In the aftermath of the pandemic, in addition to enhanced health and safety standards, the Globus family of brands rolled out a Peace of Mind Travel Plan, which gives guests the ability to move their booking to another destination, vacation, brand or departure date in 2021 or 2022 at no cost, and without questions. “This...
Ontario Makes Testing Mandatory
Ontario is making testing mandatory for all incoming international travellers, implementing six-point plan to battle COVID-19 variants. Ontario Premier Doug Ford unveiled the plan following Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s announcement of strict new measures that will essentially shutdown the country’s travel industry until the end of April. Premier Ford said: “We welcome the new measures announced by the federal government today, but we need a stop gap to prevent new cases, including variant cases, from arriving in Ontario until those measures are fully in place.” And the...
Canada’s Carriers Agree To Suspend Sun Flights
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced this morning that Canada’s four major airlines – Air Canada, WestJet, Sunwing and Transat – are “stepping up” and have agreed to suspend service to sun destinations immediately. The suspension covers the period of Jan. 31 to April 30. The Prime Minister also confirmed that there will be additional measures implemented that will include an additional compulsory COVID-19 PCR test for passengers arriving in Canada and they will be required to wait for those test results for a minimum of three days in Health Canada-approved...