Tour Operators
CATO Makes Its Case
In a July 7 letter to Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, the chair of the Canadian Association of Tour Operators (CATO), Brett Walker asks the federal government to “decide and make clear any measures and/or criteria required for opening of Canada’s borders and the restart of travel of all types, national and international.” Walker writes: “Our members, the likes of WestJet Vacations, Sunwing Vacations, Goway Travel, G Adventures, The Travel Corporation, Globus, Cosmos, Collette, and many others, are a vital part of the travel landscape in Canada. The cumulative sales total of...
Guillemart-Dias Takes Over At AF, KLM Canada
Safety, service and sustainability will be the three priorities of Air France KLM Canada as the carriers begin to ramp up their operations this summer out of this country. They will be doing it under new leaderships as Air France KLM Canada introduced its new boss here during a virtual briefing yesterday afternoon (July 8). Catherine Guillemart-Dias will take on the role of vice-president and general manager Canada, effective Aug. 1, succeeding Vincent Etchebehere, who will be heading Air France’s Sustainability and New Mobilities in Paris. Guillemart-Dias said of her...
Luxury Travel Poised To Make A Strong Comeback
A recent ILTM (International Luxury Travel Market) survey, of 1000 international travel agents, has revealed that more than 50% of respondents are confident the luxury travel market is poised to rebound within the year. Agents also reported some emerging trends, including luxury automobile rentals, private villa rentals, and private jets. And it’s no wonder as luxury travel offers a controlled and secluded environment that works so well in a socially distanced world. Join Baxter Media TODAY at 1PM EST for a FREE webinar, Selling Luxury Travel, to learn all about luxury travel -...
Refreshing Changes From Anderson Vacations
Anderson Vacations has refreshed, repriced and shortened the duration of a selection of its escorted tours in order to help agents provide their clients with the option of staying close to their home provinces and to keep travel times to a minimum while continuing to provide an enriching travel experience. The September departure of the Anderson Vacations ‘Flavours of Quebec’ tour will now start later in order to make sure that participants see the fall colours in the Laurentians and the Charlevoix region of Quebec. And the September westbound ’Best of the Canadian...
Indigenous Tourism BC Relaunches App
Indigenous Tourism BC (ITBC) is encouraging residents to safely visit Indigenous tourism businesses using their new Trip Planner mobile app as British Columbia enters Phase 3 of the province’s Restart Plan The app is an intuitive planning resource with educational tools that immerses travellers in the culture, history and raw beauty of BC’s Indigenous territories. Now live, the app features enhanced travel and safety information, including up-to-date operating hours, booking requirements and new community protocols. Under Phase 3 of the BC Restart Plan, residents can resume...
Luxury Travel: Why and How To Sell It
In a post-COVID-19 travel market, could luxury travel be the next big trend? By its very definition, luxury travel offers seclusion, privacy, and exclusivity. Personalized itineraries, private tours, chartered flights, private villa rentals, or even private islands ... this is exactly the kind of travel that works in a socially distanced world. So, what is luxury travel, who offers it, and how can travel agents sell it? Join Baxter Media on Wednesday, Jul 8 at 1PM EST for a free webinar, Selling Luxury Travel, part of our #TravelWebcastWednesday series, exploring the topics, trends,...
Let’s Get Uncomfortable About Racism
Canadian travel professionals are invited to join a virtual event -- “Let’s Get Uncomfortable: Confronting Anti-Black Racism in Canada’s Travel Industry” – set to take place tomorrow (July 7) from 5:00 p.m to 7:00 p.m. ET. With conversations about systemic, anti-Black racism dominating headlines and political discussions, companies are being urged to confront and correct internal biases. The travel industry is among those being taken to task for its lack of diversity, with calls to commit to anti-racist practices from various media outlets and to demonstrate “true...
Brave New World
COVID-19 dealt the travel industry a blow with unimaginable consequences. Although the ripple effect was felt worldwide, as recovery gets underway, Travel Courier talks to a panel of industry leaders to find out what changes can be implemented now to ensure tourism can be a force for good across travellers, wildlife, the environment and local communities. In the aftermath of the pandemic, the travel industry, which is collectively responsible for 10% of the world’s jobs and contributes trillions to global GDP, came to a grinding halt resulting in unprecedented challenges and...