Tour Operators
Curaçao Is Calling
On July 1, Canada joined the list of select markets like Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, and The Netherlands to get the green light to visit the Dutch Caribbean island of Curaçao. Ahead of reopening to international travel, the destination introduced new hospitality protocols called “A Dushi Stay the Healthy Way.” In the first 12 days since the borders reopened, close to 3,000 stayover visitors headed to the colourful ABC island, mainly from Western Europe and the Caribbean region. “We’ve put certain prerequisites in. We are approaching this in a very methodical, gradual...
Europe Ready To Welcome Canadians
Not surprisingly, the European Travel Commission’s (ETC) latest quarterly report -- European Tourism Trends and Prospects – reveals that during the first four months of the year, Europe saw a dramatic 44% decline in international tourist arrivals compared to the same period in 2019. It was a decrease that was in line with global performance, with eight out of 16 destinations reporting that arrivals to April/May registered falls in excess of 50%. Ahead of the summer season, tourism businesses are resuming activities and destinations across Europe are gradually re-opening their...
Jamaica Pays Tribute To Jim Proctor
Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism, the honourable Edmund Bartlett paid tribute to Air Canada Vacation’s long-time product director, Jim Proctor. The Ministry of Tourism and its agencies were deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Canadian travel industry veteran Jim Proctor, who died earlier this month at the age of 72. A long-time advocate for Destination Jamaica, Jim began his career at the Vancouver Airport working in a customer service role for Pacific Western Airlines in 1970. He later went on to join Air Canada Vacations (ACV) in 1982, where he worked for 24 years until...
Transat Tours Making It Easier For Agents
Transat Tours Canada is making life easier for travel agents. In order to facilitate bookings at Transat Tours Canada with future travel credits (FTCs) issued as a result of COVID-19, agents can now book directly in Revnet or Sirev and complete a dedicated form to request that an FTC be applied to the new booking. The procedure also eliminates the need for agents to call Transat Tours Canada’s Contact Centre. This form will serve as a temporary solution until a fully automated solution is made available. The procedure is simple: make a new booking with a cheque guarantee, then...
Making The Pivot
In this week’s issue of Canadian Travel Press, Destination Canada’s David Robinson talks about how this country’s tourism marketing organization is working with its partners to sell Canada to Canadians. Robinson points out that Destination Canada’s mandate involves supporting the visitor economy by producing regular data, market intelligence and industry analysis to help businesses market to international travellers, so we can grow Canada’s tourism sector. However, Destination Canada’s boss makes it clear that it will take a collective effort across the industry to help...
Wakulowsky Named COO For CTEH
Walter Wakulowsky has been named Chief Operating Officer (COO) for CTEH, the parent company of Tour East Holidays and TE-active solutions. Wakulowsky joined CTEH in November 2019 as Managing Director and oversaw the successful launch of TE-active, CTEH’S latest venture which offers conversational commerce services to many well-known global loyalty brands. Annie Tsu, President and CEO of CTEH (1620.HK) Inc., said of the appointment: “It’s with great enthusiasm that I welcome Walter to his new role. I’m excited with his addition as we continue driving the company’s...
Agents’ Choice: Last Chance To Vote
Calling all travel agents! Today is your last chance to vote in the annual Agents' Choice readership survey. Vote now at www.travelpress.com/agentschoice. In case you missed the chance to vote in Agents’ Choice - Canada's original and most authoritative travel industry survey - Baxter Media has re-opened the survey for a limited time to capture any votes that may have been missed due to the havoc wreaked by the onset of COVID-19 in mid-March. Vote for your favourite destinations, suppliers, brands and services in 40+ categories, and be entered in a draw to win one of five...
Operators Talk Caribbean Trends To Watch
The owner of a British tour operator that normally sends large numbers of clients to the Caribbean is warning that cash-strapped hotels in the region may raise some of their rates as they struggle to return to profitability. Paul Cleary of Caribtours told a Wednesday Caribbean Tourism Organization webinar that those Caribbean hotels that are now open are having to cope with low occupancy and the added costs that have resulted from the coronavirus pandemic, such as those brought on by enhanced cleaning measures. "I think it's a reality" that hotels are going to have to work to...