Tour Operators
Package Tours Limit Satisfaction
Now this is a little bit disturbing. A new study reports that package tours can result in low tourist satisfaction even though they are economically advantageous. The study was conducted by assistant professor Markus Schuckert, Professor Haiyan Song and Dean Kaye Chon of the School of Hotel and Tourism Management (SHTM) at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) and reported that the dissatisfaction with package tours arises from the information asymmetry between tour operators and customers in emerging markets. Focusing on mainland Chinese outbound tours to Hong Kong, the...
Doing Real Life Adventure With Style
Behind every new itinerary or travel style, there is the growing demand from travellers to not only explore a destination, but to do it the way they want, reports Ann Ruppenstein in this week's digital edition of Travel Courier. Whether it's embracing scenic sites while cycling along the coast or the desire to be more active on the road, travellers often look to combine their interests with their vacation of choice. “We're seeing the theme styles of travel take off really strongly,” James Thornton, the CEO of the Intrepid Group, told Travel Courier. “People want to combine their...
WestJet Expos Have Agents Buzzing In The West
Travel agents turned out in force to meet WestJet exhibitors, partners and suppliers at the WestJet Travel Trade Expo, at venues across western Canada last week. The trade shows, plus WestJet product presentations, took place at three venues on the western side of the country, including the Telus Convention Centre in Calgary on May 1, the Northlands Edmonton Expo Centre on May 2, and the Vancouver Convention Centre on May 4. There were 346 travel agents and 59 exhibitors in Calgary; 371 travel agents and 59 exhibitors in Edmonton; 399 travel agents and 61 exhibitors in...
Tsu Named Tour East President and CEO
Rita Tsang, chairman of the board of Tour East Group, has named Annie SF Tsu president and CEO, effective immediately. Tsang, formerly chairman and CEO, said Tsu “helped Tour East Group achieve global fame and recognition” as president. “Annie’s out of the box thinking and her unwavering commitment to our staff and our brand, has resulted in great achievements for Tour East Group,” saidTsang. “In her expanded role as Chief Executive Officer, Annie will be able to take the company to even greater heights in the future. “On a personal note, I have watched Annie go from...
Good Deed, Well Done
Transat A.T. Inc. and the Institut de recherches cliniques de Montreal (IRCM) / Montreal Clinical Research Institute (IRCM) have unveiled details of the Transat Breast Cancer Research Chair, to be affiliated with the laboratory led by Dr. Jean-Franτois Cote, an IRCM researcher and Universite de Montreal professor. The Chair is being instituted with a $500,000 donation from Transat. Jean-Marc Eustache, president and CEO, Transat, commented: “Breast cancer is a disease that has affected many of our company's employees. Combating it is a cause that we care a great deal about. We...
Nepal School-Rebuild Project Launched
Adventure travel specialist World Expeditions is marking the two-year anniversary of the devastating 2015 earthquake in Nepal with the announcement of a Rebuild Nepal project. Taking place in November, the project will assist with building three classrooms at the Shree Manjushree School in the Kashi Goan village, Gorkha region, which was at the epicentre of the earthquake. World Expeditions has already helped rebuild classrooms at three schools across Nepal through seven Rebuild Nepal projects. Having been operating in Nepal for more than 40 years, and with over 200 trekkers and staff...
The Future Looks Bright
Well that was quite a celebration. The Baxter Student Awards Program (BSAP) has added 12 new Ambassadors to its ranks and it did in style, with a Awards luncheon at Toronto's Chelsea Hotel. Close to 60 students, educators and travel industry types were on hand for the event that introduce some bright new stars to the Canadian travel and tourism business. For those of you who don't know, BSAP is the only student mentoring program of its kind in Canada and it aims to help each student make their dream a reality. Based on a combination of academic success, community...
Transat Unveils Super Early Booking Promotion
For a second consecutive year, Transat has unveiled its Super Early Booking Promotion, inviting Canadians to plan their fall and winter Sun vacations now so they can benefit from unbeatable and exclusive advantages. All they need to do is book their holidays by June 30, 2017, for travel between Nov. 1, 2017, and April 30, 2018. Clients who book any South package with Transat's Super Early Booking Promotion will pay a deposit of only $100 and benefit from: Transat's Price Drop Guarantee on all-inclusive packages (if a package becomes available at a lower price than the one paid,...