IAN STALKER
(Photo above: Baja California Sur is known for its abundant sunshine. )
The head of the Los Cabos tourist board says the area his destination is in has clearly been blessed by nature.
Rodrigo Esponda said during Mexico’s annual tourism show Tianguis that the region has “desert, mountains and two seas,” with those seas being the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Cortes, the...
GREG COATES
With a fleet of six vessels, Mariposa Cruises – recently acquired by US-based Entertainment Cruises (see story below) – is keeping Toronto Harbour busy, taking visitors and locals alike out on the waters of Lake Ontario for the past 30 years.
The vessels, which include the Captain Matthew Flinders, the newly refurbished Northern Spirit, Oriole, Showboat, Klancy, and Rosemary,...
IAN STALKER
(Photo above: Steve Dolinsky joins another Chicago resident in holding up a pizza.)
Steve Dolinsky isn’t the least bit bothered by the fact that his Chicago tours are remarkably cheesy.
Dolinsky – in Toronto recently for a Chicago promotional event – launched Pizza City, USA in May, which has tours showcasing the city’s pizza offerings, with those types of tours being...
MIKE DUNBAR
Destination Canada recently bought into IATA’s Global Agency Pro initiative, and the initial results have been so positive that our national tourism marketer will be sharing its experience with some 3,000 delegates attending the airline body’s World Routes Development Forum in Guangzhou, China, later this week.
An IATA backgrounder explains that the GAP intelligence tool...
IAN STALKER
(Photo above: The Nevis Catapult now awaits thrillseekers
Photo courtesy/ Tourism New Zealand
New Zealand’s newest thrill attraction is expected to fling people from far-flung locales.
The latest venture for Henry van Asch – who cofounded AJ Hackett Bungy New Zealand – is the Nevis Catapult, which flings people into the air in the remote Nevis Valley.
Those...
BOB MOWAT
(Photo above: Braginton and Belanger-Warner)
The Virginia Tourism Corporation (VTC) has taken its Canadian marketing activities in-house, picking Brigitte “Bri” Belanger-Warner as its new Canadian marketing representative.
In fact, Belanger-Warner has already been in Canada to meet with some of the state’s key travel agent and supplier partners.
Asked what the reason was...
ANN RUPPENSTEIN
What do travel agents actually do? While on the surface it may seem like the job is about selling airline tickets, hotels and car rentals, Jason Merrithew, president of Merit Travel, says it really comes down to providing expertise, experience and service.
“You have to understand what you actually do – you actually elevate travel experiences,” Merrithew tells Canadian...
IAN STALKER
(Photo above: Patagonia is known for its dramatic landscapes.)
Those visiting northern Chile’s Atacama Desert may find themselves feeling a little star-struck.
Travel journalist Joe Yogerst told a Chile Tourism Board reception in Toronto recently that Atacama – considered the driest place on the planet – has spectacular nighttime celestial displays, with “amazing”...
IAN STALKER
Stephen Martinelli believes the interior Costa Rican community of El Roble de Sarapiqui is looking a little more spic and span these days thanks to a couple of local artisans.
Martinelli, working in Costa Rica with the U.S. Peace Corps, notes Ligia Ecalante and Mayela Lara are fashioning crafts for tourists out of items that might otherwise end up as litter in local...
BOB MOWAT
Part 3
In the third and final part of this three-part series, Meliá Hotels International’s vice-president of global brand strategy, Tony Cortizas talks with CTP about the company’s brand, what makes it stand out and how it is working to help travel agents.
Meliá Hotels International’s vice-president of global brand strategy, Tony Cortizas laughs when you ask him whether...
