Tour Operators
Flight Centre and Friends Celebrate
Flight Centre Canada held its inaugural “Last Person Standing” lunch for trade partners on Dec. 18 at the Jass Bistro in Toronto. The event was a “sell out” with maximum capacity of 150 reached weeks before the event. The event is held bi-annually as a thank you to partners with the next lunch scheduled to be held on June 24, 2016. This was the first “Last Person Standing” event held in Canada following a concept that started in Perth, Australia in 2004 and has spread to many parts of the Flight Centre world. In typical Flight Centre fashion, there is a competition for...
Ski Austria Launches in Canada
Austria is home to Mozart, Vienna coffee, Red Bull, Swarovski and Arnold Schwarzenegger. It is also known worldwide for its Alps, and the new Canadian-owned and operated Ski Austria wants Canadians to experience everything Austria has to offer. “We offer Canadian skiers affordable packages where all they have to worry about is the skiing and we take care of the rest,” says Gordon Dreger, co-owner of Ski Austria. “Surprisingly, a ski trip to Austria can be less expensive than some Western Canada or US ski areas.” The Toronto tour company, registered and licensed with the...
Goway Travel Supports Koala Clancy
Koalas in Australia’s You Yangs region will enjoy an extra conservation safety net after a crowdfunding campaign aided by “Down Under” experts Goway Travel exceeded its fundraising goal. Organized by the Koala Clancy Foundation, The Give Koala Clancy a Safety Net campaign is in support of the foundation’s star marsupial Koala Clancy. After a life-threatening injury hospitalized Clancy, the costs of safe capture, vet bills and resettlement led the foundation to recognize the need for a safety net to assist the region’s threatened koalas in the future. Goway Travel, which...
Embracing NDC
The retail travel trade need not fear IATA’s New Distribution Capability (NDC) currently being beta-tested by the first batch of member airlines. In fact, they should be wholeheartedly embracing the new XML internet transmission standard since it puts them on an equal sales footing with carrier web sites, reports Montreal editor, Mike Dunbar in this week's digital edition of Canadian Travel Press. And, if the Internet had been around in the 1960s, the airlines would not have developed the computer reservations systems that are still – 40 years or so later – being used as the...
Baby, It’s Warm Outside
Predictions that Old Man Winter's icy grip may not be that icy this winter doesn't seem to be alarming tourist boards that invite people to flee bone-chilling weather, reports Ian Stalker in this week's digital edition of Travel Courier. Numerous meteorological reports are suggesting that an El Nino effect means this winter will be a mild one, which might suggest that sun vacations may not seem as attractive over the next few months as they did during last year's long and frigid winter. AccuWeather Global Weather Center said in late October that this winter “could end up as one of...
Avoiding The Crush
According to a new survey by Emirates, 64% of Canadian travellers would travel on Christmas to escape the holiday crowds at the airport. Emirates' survey also found that those questioned showed a clear desire to maximize value for money with close to a third (30%) of Canadian travellers indicating that food and drink not only mattered, but made a difference to their flying experience; and a vast majority (69%) agreed that comfortable seats would most enhance their experience on a long-haul flight. As Emirates' country manager for Canada, Don McWilliam sees it, “Canadians are...
G Adventures’ National Geographic Journeys Launched
With the official launch of National Geographic Journeys with G Adventures on Dec. 15, travel agents can now sign up clients on a new lineup of 70 trips connecting travellers to local cultures and destinations supported and researched by National Geographic’s explorers and storytellers. Examples include a game drive in South Africa with a scientist from the Endangered Wildlife Trust’s Carnivore Conservation Program, a dual-narrative walking tour in Israel led by both Israeli and Palestinian guides who were trained by a National Geographic Emerging Explorer, and spending time at the...
#TrafalgarCares With Holidays Helpers
Donning their #TrafalgarCares hats, the Trafalgar Canada team volunteered at Holiday Helpers, a non-profit registered charity providing Christmas packages to low-income families. On Dec. 14, the Trafalgar team wrapped presents in Santa’s warehouse in preparation for the packages to be delivered to families this week. As part of #TrafalgarCares, Trafalgar is committed to providing real support to communities from supporting local businesses to working alongside not-for-profit organizations. Through Holiday Helpers, Trafalgar and The Travel Corporation sponsored a family and...