Love at first sight

Paradisus takes the guess work out of finding the perfect resort with a pre-wedding package

ASHLEY ROCHEFORT Some people spend entire lifetimes dreaming of their perfect day. So it can be a huge leap to book a lavish destination wedding based on a single glossy brochure. Paradisus, Meliá’s luxury brand with nine all-inclusive resorts across the Caribbean and Mexico, is giving couples the confidence to book with their Love At First Sight package. The pre-wedding tour invites...

 

Thailand’s tourism authority opens Toronto office

Reason for celebration

IAN STALKER The Tourism Authority of Thailand has opened a downtown Toronto office, a move that reflects the growing importance it attaches to the Canadian market and one which bucks a trend in recent years that sees many tourism boards opting to have their staff work from home. The TAT’s new office – found in Toronto’s financial core – marks the first time it has had dedicated Canadian...

 

Ethiopian city believed to be home to long-lost ark

Exploring a mystery

IAN STALKER (Photo above: Standing before the Chapel of the Tablet during an Ethiopian Airlines fam trip are Veejay Singh, PanEx Travels & Tours; Harold Ho of Royal Scenic; a local tour guide; and Ed Radonic of RadonicRodgersStrategy, which promotes Ethiopian Airlines in this country.) Does a smallish sanctuary in the Ethiopian city of Axum hold the answer to one of religion’s great...

 

The Travel Agent Next Door’s model for success

W i n . W i n . W i n .

BOB MOWAT In the first of a two-part series on The Travel Agent Next Door, CTP sits down with its founder, Flemming Friisdahl for a conversation about the group’s remarkable success. A headline on a June 2017 Forbes article – “Why Win-Win-Win propositions are the future of business” – made me wonder whether or not Flemming Friisdahl could predict the future? You see, four years...

 

Nicaragua: I like you just as you are

IAN STALKER (Photo above: A cathedral is among impressive sights in the Nicaraguan city of Leon, known for its colonial architecture.) photo courtesy THE NICARAGUAN TOURIST BOARD Nicaragua is hot literally and figuratively. Those vacationing in the Central American country can expect the hot, tropical weather sun-seekers want, and Ana Garcia of the Nicaraguan Tourism Board told a recent...

 

Millennials make their mark

TED DAVIS (Photos courtesy of CONTIKI) A generation once principally associated with smartphones and social media is now raising families and becoming the largest consumer force in North America. The travel habits and preferences of millennials were the subject of the recent Future of U.S. Millennial Travel webinar, which was based on a survey conducted by the Resonance Consultancy of...

 

Scotland has a spirit of its own

ANN RUPPENSTEIN/ Photos courtesy Visit Scotland Being a filming location for a certain popular TV show has certainly boded well for tourism to Scotland. “We cannot talk about Scotland and not talk about Outlander,” says Keith Campbell, assistant market manager – Americas for Visit Scotland. “It’s huge for Scotland. We’re developing an Outlander filming location map. We’re...

 

Korea looks to build on Olympic success

IAN STALKER John Hyungkwan Park is inviting Canadian schussers to hit the same Korean slopes that Olympic gold medalists have won glory on. Park, director of the Korea Tourism Corporation’s Canadian office, says the glitch-free PyeongChang Winter Olympics have provided his homeland with opportunities to make further inroads in the Canadian market. And that includes among skiers, he says,...

 

Vienna invites tourists to step on to dance floors

IAN STALKER (Photo above: The Vienna State Opera building is just one of many musical venues that await those vacationing in Vienna.) photo courtesy the Austrian National Tourism Office Austrian tourism officials say it’s easy for tourists to have a ball in Vienna. And that’s particularly true for those visiting at the beginning of each year at the height of the season when the...

 

Experience the wonders of Spain

IAN STALKER Laura Pena Alberdi is promoting her homeland in an artful manner. Pena, who oversees the Tourist Office of Spain’s Canadian operation, says a country that draws huge numbers of European sun-seekers to its long coast is also keen to showcase its cultural side, including its having been home to the likes of Goya, Picasso and El Greco, who became household names in the art...