Tour Operators
Looking To The Future
Six months into the global pandemic, Travel Courier chats with Collette, Royal Irish Tours, G Adventures and CIT Tours to get a sense of how business is going, what’s going to sell well and how they’re handling bookings across various stages of operations. For the first time since the pandemic brought travel to a halt, Collette restarted operations a little over two months ago. This month, the tour operator reached a consistent level with tours on the road every day throughout parts of the United States. “We are finding that while the willingness to travel overall has...
Sun Destination Update From WestJet
WestJet released an updated schedule designed to get Canadians to and from key destinations while supporting the economic recovery of Canada through continued domestic flying. Beginning Oct. 4, 2020 WestJet will offer operations to and from 48 destinations including 39 in Canada, three in the U.S. and three in Mexico, two in Jamaica and one in the U.K. Arved von zur Muehlen, WestJet chief commercial officer, said: “This fall we continue to offer guests stringent safety measures and travel that meets their needs during this extraordinary time.” He continued: “As more...
ACV Unveils Its 2020/2021 Sun Collection
Air Canada Vacations has launched its 2020-2021 Sun Collection. The new Sun Collection features new additions, savings, sun-soaked fun, and its New Health and Safety Standards to make your customers’ next vacation the worry-free break they deserve. The new collection features a selection of packages in 42 sunny destinations, over 700 hotels – mostly all-inclusive – 31 of which are new to the tour operator’s line up, 3 resorts that are exclusive to Air Canada Vacations, 30 semi-exclusive resorts, and more than 100 cruises, with the addition of Cunard Line to its product line....
UNWTO Reports International Arrivals Plunged 93% In June
According to the latest issue of the UNWTO World Tourism Barometer, international tourist arrivals plunged 93% in June 2020, compared to June 2019 – driving home the severity of the COVID-19 global pandemic on the travel and tourism industry. For the first half of 2020, the UNWTO’s barometer reports that international tourist arrivals plummeted 65% -- representing an unprecedented decrease, as countries around the world closed their borders and introduced travel restrictions in response to the pandemic. In recent weeks, however, a growing number of destinations have started to...
Canada-US Border To Remain Closed To Oct. 21: Report
According to a report from the CBC, the Canada-US border closure will be extended to Oct. 21. Quoting a source “with direct knowledge of the situation,” the CBC story indicates that the federal government will extend the border closure another 30 days and the CBC is also reporting that its source indicated that Canadians should “expect the possibility that the border “will remain closed for longer.” The report of the extension of the border closure comes just a day after the UNWTO released its latest World Tourism Barometer which showed that international tourist arrivals...
A Unique Collection From Kensington
Kensington Tours has launched The Resort Collection in an effort to give travellers an opportunity to get more out of their resort experiences by combining “some of the world’s most exquisite resort destinations” with “once-in-a-lifetime local experiences” and “white-glove service and amenities.” Using its expertise in creating custom private-guided travel itineraries for tens of thousands of clients, The Resort Collection is designed for travellers who love sea and sand, but who are also seeking more from their getaway. Alison Hickey, president of Kensington Tours,...
New TravelJapan Brand From HIS
HIS-TravelJapan is a new brand designed to simplify the planning and booking of travel to Japan. It is a division of Red Label Vacations Inc., which offers flights, hotel stays, tours, virtual tours, rail passes and more Japan-related products all on one platform. In addition, the website provides vacation packages to other popular destinations worldwide. The brand has access to the popular Japan Rail Pass, which allows international travellers to use the transit systems at an affordable rate. As well, HIS-TravelJapan has innovative technology that allows a wide range of...
Transat Reports Q3 Results
In reporting its results for the third quarter of 2020 – which ended July 31 -- Transat A.T. Inc’s president and CEO, Jean-Marc Eustache observed that: “The reduction of operations to just one week for this quarter is unprecedented for Transat and for the industry as a whole. Given the dynamic measures we took to protect the Corporation and its cash flow, we're ready for the recovery.” “However,” Eustache continued: “with Canada maintaining some of the most stringent border restrictions and still requiring quarantine for people returning from abroad, it's time for the...