Tour Operators
Forward To The Future
After holding virtual meetings with its top accounts and travel advisors, Michelle Palma, Vice President, Field Sales – North America, Uniworld, said they’ve gleaned incredible insights into the current market conditions. “First and foremost is that consumers still want to travel. Many clients that have travel plans for late summer and fall 2020 are optimistic and are waiting to see what happens in the coming weeks as parts of Canada and the world start to open back up,” she told Travel Courier. “That being said, there are also consumers who have written off their...
Cruise, Sunquest And More From TravelBrands
TravelBrands is providing an easy-to-use Cruise and Air packaging program for travel agents. Through its Access platform, travel agents can customize cruise and air options for their clients. Nathalie Tanious, COO, TravelBrands, explained: “We are partnered with dozens of cruise lines and over 80 airline partners giving thousands of unique travel options for those looking for a cruise getaway in the future. Now, our new package program allows agents to quickly provide travel choices for their clients and help them get the best price possible.” The new technology...
Best Practices From ACTA
ACTA has been working with a number of global travel agency associations and its Canadian travel agency members on a range of issues and sharing recommendations. The association believes that the travel industry will be stronger by working together with more efficient and consistent best practices in place – and is calling on all travel suppliers to get on board. Over the past several weeks, ACTA has been having regular meetings with the ACTA Board of Directors, the Canadian Corporate Travel Association (CCTA), and senior leaders from consortia, host agencies and ACTA’s 30...
Sunwing Celebrates The Frontline Heroes
It’s all about giving back for Sunwing, and it’s doing just that for frontline workers across Canada, giving away 100 all-inclusive vacations to Royalton Luxury Resorts. Sunwing’s Hero Vacations initiative calls on Canadians to nominate deserving frontline heroes who have helped their family or community fight the pandemic. Eligible nominees can be health care workers, emergency service providers or anyone who has helped keep Canada safe during this difficult time. Stephen Hunter, president and CEO of Sunwing, said of the initiative: “As a Canadian family-owned business,...
When Will Domestic Travel Start Again?
In a special report for Canadian Travel Press, Eric Barber writes that if the Canadian government was looking for any guidelines on how to put the travel and tourism industry in Canada back to work, they might want to consider a new report from Germany’s Kompetenzzentrum Tourismus des Tourismus and represents the first document in tourism that plots a timeline for the return of tourism in Germany based on select factors: politics, economics and science. The report identifies four phases of COVID-19, which are represented by Shutdown, Loosening, Revival & Normalization. ...
Globus Extends Suspension Through August
The Globus family of brands – Globus, Cosmos, Monograms and Avalon Waterways – has extended the suspension of travel worldwide through August 31, 2020. (Previously, the Globus family of brands had suspended travel through June 30, 2020). For travellers affected by this new suspension, the Globus family is extending its Peace of Mind Travel Plan. The company envisions a return to Europe – and likely, additional worldwide destinations – by September. Scott Nisbet, president and CEO of the Globus family of brands, observed that: “There is still uncertainty in travel with...
A Taxing Situation, Make Sure To Report It
This week, travel law experts, Doug Crozier and Tim Law of Heifetz, Crozier, Law respond to to a travel agent’s question about the Canadian Emergency Response Benefit (CERB). Q: I’ve applied for CERB, and have gotten my first payment. Is it taxable? A: Yes. According to https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/ei/cerb-application/questions.html#self-employed-independent-workers: “The Benefit is taxable -- you will be expected to report it as income when you file your income tax for the 2020 tax year.” Note that (unlike the case with EI payments) the Government is...
Safe Travels
The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has unveiled a range of new worldwide measures to restart the sector. The new measures are have designed to rebuild confidence among consumers so they can travel safely once the restrictions are lifted. Called Safe Travels, the new protocols provide consistency to destinations and countries as well as guidance to travel providers, operators and travellers on the new approach to health and hygiene in the post COVID-19 world. The health and safety of travellers and workers is put at the heart of the new global protocols, which have been...