Tour Operators
Trafalgar Launches New ‘At Leisure’ Program
Trafalgar has released its new 2015 “At Leisure” brochure, featuring later starts, longer stays of two nights or more and more free time. Whether it’s learning how to tango in Buenos Aires or experience true Italian hospitality at a converted convent in a beautiful Tuscan vineyard, the At Leisure collection lets travellers delve deeper into the essence of a destination. The hand picked program offers 27 in-depth itineraries with two new trips to Europe, the Mediterranean, South America, Australia & New Zealand and the USA. “At Leisure is part of our Europe and Britain...
It’s The Rail Thing
A group of about 30 travel agents and tour operators were briefed on the latest developments for Rail Europe during a presentation in Toronto this week. Rail Europe's president and CEO, Frederic Langlois provided the Toronto area travel trade types with an inside look at the latest joint venture of the French and Spanish railroads, as well as offering insights on how working with Rail Europe can help agents better serve their customers. Launched a year ago, the new Renfe/SNCF high-speed rail service links Paris with Barcelona – plus a host of other cities on the line –...
Sunquest Introduces goGuide
Sunquest is reinventing the travel brochure with the release of its new goGuide: The Caribbean & Mexico Collection, Vol. 1. Adorned with a bright and very noticeable red cover, available in both official languages, and filled with photography and useful destination information, officials say the new goGuide kicks off what will be a very exciting time for the brand. Built around the new tagline “go your own way,” the Sunquest goGuide is “intended to be an inspirational piece for consumers; a resource they can use in creating the vacation of their dreams, travelling when...
Signature Reintroduces Popular Hot Spot, Los Cabos
Signature Vacations has reintroduced its all-inclusive packages to Los Cabos, Mexico, from nine Canadian gateways. Operated by Sunwing Airlines, travellers will be able to take advantage of twice weekly non-stop flights from Toronto together with weekly non-stop services from Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver. Later this month, a weekly schedule of direct, non-stop flights will also be added from Regina, Saskatoon and Victoria; weekly services from Montreal and Winnipeg resume from mid-December onwards. Andrew Dawson, chief operating officer for the Sunwing Travel Group, commented,...
Transat Expands Cuba Program
Transat has announced the addition of a new direct Hamilton, Ont.-Cayo Coco flight to its Cuban program. Transat Holidays and Nolitours offer nine hotels in Cayo Coco, designed to meet all preferences and budgets. Meliá Hotels features four properties at the destination, including the Meliá Cayo Guillermo Elegance Club, with its exclusive Distinction Collection services. Also available are the Iberostar Daiquiri, Allegro Club Cayo Guillermo, Hotel Playa Coco, TRYP Cayo Coco and Pestana Cayo Coco. Air Transat’s service to the Jardines del Rey airport will run every...
Free BlueBay Upgrade
Sunquest is holding a flash sale on all packages booked at Mexico's BlueBay Grand Esmeralda – offering clients a free upgrade to “Premier” category. Representing a value of $140 per couple, per week, travellers booking either a garden or ocean view category room between Nov. 4 and Nov. 10 for travel anytime and out of any gateway will be upgraded to the resort’s Premier garden or Premier ocean view categories, respectively. With that comes a number of value-added extras, including exclusive private check-in; free in-room Wi-Fi; dedicated concierge service; a 20% discount on spa...
Globus Launches ‘Client Connect’
The Globus family of brands is wrapping up its “Year of the Travel Agent” with the launch of the “Client Connect” online referral tool, directly connecting potential clients with agents. “When a consumer visits any of our four brands’ sites and asks to be referred to a travel agency, not only do we suggest an agency within a specific geographic radius, but now we’re recommending actual individual agents of that agency who have been designated as Specialists of the Globus family’s four distinct travel brands,” says Stéphanie Bishop, the company’s Canadian managing...
A Memorable Event
Visit Flanders welcomed about 300 travel trade types to an event in Toronto this week that gave them an opportunity to savour the taste of both Flanders and Belgium itself. Line Vreven, director, North America for Visit Flanders, told the gathering of agents, operators, meetings & incentive partners that in the last couple of years, the northern Belgium destination had seen its traffic from Canada grow by 25% and for the first six months of 2014, visitor numbers were up by 8.3%. Vreven told Press Today, that Flanders attracted the well-educated traveller who is interested in...