Tour Operators
Greece Wows Insight CEO
Insight Vacations CEO John Boulding recently completed a week’s family holiday in Greece and wants agents and clients to know just how amazing the destination is to visit – remaining one of the top destinations for Canadians with government figures showing that 180,000 visit each year. “Any negatives you are hearing as far as tourism travel goes are completely misconceived. We had absolutely no issues at all. Everything worked from ATMs to paying bills by credit card, from transport to shops and restaurants, which were all busy by the way,” said Boulding. “The Greeks, as...
TravelBrands Requests Further Extension
TravelBrands Inc. will be in court on Friday (Aug. 14) to request a further extension of its protection under the Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA). Under CCAA, multiple extension are a normal part of the process as long as progress is being made. In requesting the extension of the protection order to Sept. 30, 2015, TravelBrands Inc. outlined some of the progress that it had been making. Its court filing points out that on July 6,2015, Sears Canada Inc. and TravelBrands entered into an Amending Agreement whereby the terms of the license agreement between Sears and the...
Sunquest Brings Back ‘Sun Deal’
Sunquest is bringing back its popular “Sun Deal” travel agents’ incentive, offering agents a chance to earn up to $100 in Loyalty Points simply by booking qualified Sunquest packages. Sun Deal bookings are valid on all new Sunquest packages made between Aug. 11-31 for travel anytime, from any gateway, to any destination and for any duration. Once a booking is complete, agents simply need to go online to SunquestAgent.ca, enter their valid booking number and play to win. The number of bonus points that can be won range between 2x and 20x Loyalty Points, which can then be...
Don’t Miss The Bus
After focusing solely on Europe since 1998, freestyle travel brand Busabout recently added Asia to its repertoire. The expansion includes itineraries in Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Burma, reports staff writer, Ann Ruppenstein in this week's digital edition of Travel Courier. “We've had a brochure out for six to seven months, but it actually started operating in May, and forward bookings for us are fantastic,” explained Damien Bennett, director of sales for North America at Busabout. “We've got some great stuff mainly focusing on South-East Asia.” The bulk of...
Transat Expands Sun Savvy Collection
Transat has added 12 resorts in seven new destinations to its Sun Savvy Collection. The collection, which is specifically designed to offer quality vacations at affordable prices, now includes 31 hotels in 21 sun destinations. There is a range of 3.5- to 4-star resorts, 19 of which are exclusive to Transat in Canada, available in Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Jamaica, Costa Rica, St. Martin/St. Maarten, Honduras, Nicaragua, Colombia and Haiti. The collection’s new destinations include San Jose in Costa Rica, Holguin in Cuba, Puerto Vallarta and Los Cabos in Mexico as well as...
England Pilgrimage Will Seek The Holy Grail
Did the uncle of Jesus, Joseph of Arimathea, bring the goblet used in The Last Supper when he visited England? A May 8-18, 2016, Vancouver-based Sacred Earth Journeys sacred sites tour will examine not only the Grail legend, but also places associated with King Arthur, Lady Guinevere and Merlin. The “King Arthur's Avalon” tour will be led by Phil Cousineau host of the “i television series Global Spirit and author of the bestseller, The Art of Pilgrimage: The Seeker's Guide to Making Travel Sacred. Highlights of the itinerary include excursions to Glastonbury, where a thorn tree...
Sunquest Offers Antigua Air Credit
For a limited time, Sunquest is offering travellers booking a trip to Antigua an air credit of $100 per person. Bookings must be made by Sept. 2 for departures prior to Dec. 15. In addition, all Sunquest bookings taken in August, including those to Antigua, receive free SPF price protection. If the price drops, agents' clients can claim up to $1,000 up to departure. No registration is required and commissions are fully protected. And, every booking agents make to Antigua during Sunquest’s “Awesome Antigua Event” are automatically entered into a draw to win seven night's...
WestJet Vacations Launches New Brochure
WestJet Vacations has released its 2015-2016 print brochure – now available for travel agents across Canada. “This year's WestJet Vacations print brochure truly showcases our vacation product lineup and we are excited to share it with the trade,” says Jane Clementino, WestJet director of agency sales. “We are confident that that we have developed a valuable resource that travel agents can use with their clients. Travel agents are very important business partners and we hope that this year's brochure demonstrates our support and commitment to providing them with the tools they...