Tour Operators
Hyatt Goes Big With Apple Leisure Group Acquisition
Hyatt Hotels Corporation has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Apple Leisure Group (ALG) from affiliates of each of KKR and KSL Capital Partners, LLC for $2.7 billion in cash. The transaction is anticipated to close in the fourth quarter of 2021, subject to customary closing conditions. ALG’s resort brand management platform AMResorts provides management services to the largest portfolio of luxury all-inclusive resorts in the Americas under the AMR Collection brand portfolio, including well-known brands Secrets Resorts & Spa, Dreams Resorts & Spas, Breathless...
Trade Invited To Reconnect With Antigua And Barbuda
The Antigua & Barbuda Hotels and Tourism Association (ABHTA) -- in collaboration with the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority (ABTA) -- will be presenting the 7th installment of the travel trade business-to-business destination event, Showcase Antigua Barbuda on Oct. 13 and Oct. 14. In 2020, the annual event was not held due to the global pandemic and, not surprisingly, ABHTA and ABTA are delighted to again welcome travel partners from all the major source markets to face-to-face business meetings. Vernon A. Jeffers Snr, executive chairman of the ABHTA, said that: “Showcase...
Get The Jabs If You Want To Go On The Journey
Beginning Sept. 1, all adult guests travelling with the Travel Corporation’s (TTC) guided tour brands – Trafalgar, Contiki, Insight Vacations, Costsaver, Brendan Vacations and Luxury Gold – will be required to show documented proof of having received two doses of approved COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer, Moderna, Astra Zeneca or one dose from Johnson & Johnson. And TTC notes that the final dose of the vaccine must have been administered a minimum of 15 days prior to a passenger’s departure. The policy will remain in effect until at least Dec. 31, 2021. Commenting on the...
An Important Shift In Thinking
Northern Kenya's Reteti elephant sanctuary makes it clear that it doesn't want to provide indefinite pachyderm parenting to those it's caring for. In fact, the sanctuary notes its goal is to see the weighty orphans that it's nurturing eventually returned to their own kind, becoming part of a burgeoning area elephant population, with that growth a contrast to what's happening in many other parts of Africa that are seeing elephant numbers falling at alarming rates. Reteti opened in August 2016, with the first orphaned elephant arriving in September of that year. Since then, more than...
Travel Is Back
Even as president of a 96-year-old travel company, Tauck's Jennifer Tombaugh was caught by surprise multiple times by how much travellers were eager to lock in post-pandemic trips ahead of time. “We have never seen the level of advance bookings for 2022 than we have right now,” Tombaugh tells Travel Courier. “It really speaks to the pent up demand and that energy that people have to get out and explore the world again.” Although bookings are not yet at 2019 levels, the resurgence is giving the tour operator hope for the remainder of 2021 as it prepares for a robust year...
Forget Revenge, Travel To Reconnect And Revitalize
Drop revenge from your travel vocabulary and add reconnection and revitalization travel to your travel descriptors. While the term ‘revenge travel’ - the urge to travel to make up for lost time in lockdown - gained popularity over the course of the pandemic, a recent survey suggests Canadian travellers are now prioritizing ‘reconnection travel’ - reconnecting with the planet and its people - when they take their next adventure travel tour. And with an overwhelming 94% of travellers saying travel is important to their wellbeing and mental health, Canadians are also looking to...
Intrepid Making Sure Everyone Gets Their Jab
Intrepid Travel has a new campaign to advocate for the safe return of international travel and improve equal access to COVID-19 vaccinations around the world. Current data shows only 0.3% of doses worldwide have been administered in low-income countries, a number that the tour operator says must be corrected to save lives, restart economies, and meaningfully rebuild the tourism industry. The tour company’s global vaccine equity campaign will focus on three actions: improving vaccine access and education, mandating vaccines for travelers and tour leaders, and a donation (via The...
ACTA Applauds Suppliers’ Commission, Up Front Payment Initiatives
ACTA is applauding announcements by several suppliers indicating that they will protect agent’s commissions on cancelled files and pay commission at time of booking. Wendy Paradis, ACTA president, said that: “This is exactly in line with ACTA’s recommended Best Practices released last year. The pandemic has illustrated the vulnerabilities for travel agencies and travel agents with regard to former policies on commission recall and commissions paid only when clients travel.” Paradis continued: “Going forward, we hope to see all suppliers change their policies. Travel agents...