One hundred and fifty travel advisors from across the Canada took part in ACTA’s first International Destination Conference in Portugal’s Azores islands last week. Travel Industry Today was there, pen – and camera – in hand. Yesterday, we reported on the conference (scroll down in the newsletter if you missed the story); today we offer some flavours and faces from the corresponding FAM.
Pronouncing Azores properly, which is to say, in Portuguese, is an undeniable challenge for the English-speaking human mouth – so, in this case we’ll go with the Canadian version – ‘Eh-zores.’ Fortunately, almost everything else about the amazing archipelago – nine volcanic islands peaking out of the mid-Atlantic ocean 1500 kms (and a two-hour flight) due west of Lisbon – was much easier to grasp for 150 travel advisors from this country attending last week’s first annual ACTA International Destination Conference.
ACTA’s inaugural International Conference kicked off in Portugal’s Azores Wednesday with 150 travel advisors from across the country, plus several partners and media, including Travel Industry Today, for a program of learning and on-the-ground experience in the island archipelago.
Dennis DeYoung called it the Styx song that the record company “missed.” The Chicago band’s ultimate masterpiece, “Suite Madame Blue,” anchored the 1975 album Equinox, challenging and encouraging a “changed” America to “lift up your heart and make a new start” to be a mature and worthy world leader once again.
Gastronomy and cooking were on the front burner this week during the annual visit by a representative from the Florida Keys to Montreal and Toronto, the latter including a trade event featuring a cooking demonstration by Key West chef Paul Menta at the Dish Cooking School.
World Travel Market attendees seemed to take the US election results in stride last week – beyond at least one avowed Democratic who was considering seeking asylum in the UK – instead focussing on the business of travel at a time it was being reported that international tourism arrivals are expected to hit 1.5 billion this year, surpassing 2019 values (the global benchmark for record tourism numbers).
On almost every level It’s hard to compare Fiona Apple with Fats Domino, but that doesn’t mean the exceptional American singer doesn’t do justice to the great early rock and roller. From John & Yoko to Cheap Trick, plenty of artists have covered “Ain’t That a Shame,” but Apple and her collection of talented friends give it their own rootsy treatment, which is fun and refreshing.
This week marks the anniversary of one of my most memorable days in the travel trade: when Trump won! It was eight years ago at World Travel Market, which kicks off tomorrow (Tuesday) in London, with expectations of close to 50,000 people from across the global travel industry in attendance.
US Travel wants to play ball with Canadians. And hockey. Plus, all the other sports and entertainment offerings, like concerts (can you say Taylor Swift?). That was the theme for last week’s Discover America Day Canada, an annual accounting of travel affairs south of the border as revealed by a couple of dozen partners ranging from all corners of the country.
Blue Oyster Cult’s “Don’t Fear the Reaper” is a rock classic, but has always seemed a little creepy, nonetheless. Which is to say, the perfect song for Halloween this year! Having said that, we’ll take the edge off a little (and mostly because all the BOC videos are quite long), with a version by the rather more wholesome Choir! Choir! Choir!, a Canadian-based initiative we introduced recently doing Bowie’s “Space Oddity.”
Goway held the latest edition of its long-standing annual Africa & Middle East event Monday at the Chelsea Hotel in Toronto with approximately 125 travel advisors in attendance for a day of learning and networking, plus trade show featuring over two dozen supplier partners – “from Saudi Arabia to South Africa” – on hand as well.
If you grew up in the ‘70s, odds are that “Frampton Comes Alive” in some way penetrated your existence – if not spinning hundreds of times your turntable, then certainly on the radio and TV. The double album came out of nowhere in 1976 and went on to be the best-selling live album of all time (at the time), and ultimately setting in motion the wheels that led to the English singer-songwriter being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last weekend.
The Jamaica Tourist Board recently held a gala reception recognizing close to 60 partners from across the country representing the trade, media/influencers and the Jamaican diaspora. Held at the tony Hazleton hotel in Toronto, Canadian regional director for the JTB Angella Bennett said the event was meant to celebrate the success of Brand Jamaica and thank those who contributed to it.
Travel Leaders Network (TLN) wrapped its cross-country fall regional PEAK showcases last week boasting “biggest ever” numbers. Such was the turnout in Toronto – 160 members plus 72 supplier partners – that the TLN was forced to relocate to a larger venue near Pearson Airport than was required in previous years.
Recently we ran an early-days clip of U2 when the band were hardly recognizable as what they would become. Here’s another – of AC/DC – from 1976 on Australian TV, though the band isn’t so much unrecognizable as just kinda funny.
Starting Dec. 1, Canadian citizens will again be able to obtain their Egyptian visa upon arrival in the country, or electronically, reversing a controversial pre-entry requirement implemented by the Middle Eastern country last October that forced applicants to obtain their documents via mail from Egyptian consulates in Ottawa or Montreal.
With an increasing number of newbies joining the ranks of travel advisors in Canada, it’s critical that the wisdom and experience of veteran agents be passed on to ensure their success and the continued success of the industry, says ACTA. With this in mind, at its recent Summit event in Toronto the association enlisted a panel of prominent travel sellers and career coaches to share some “actionable insights and proven strategies to help make their journeys a success.”
Any conversation about rock’s best vocalist typically begins and ends with Freddie Mercury. But those of a Canadian persuasion sometimes tentatively proffer an alternative: Burton Cummings, the legendary Guess Who frontman, and subsequent solo star.
With the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games firmly in the rearview mirror, Britain’s West Midlands region is still building on the legacy of the Games with new tourism product and itineraries, not least when it comes to leisure tourism, which has typically lagged behind business tourism in the region.
Nassau-Paradise Island has no shortage of great places for visitors to stay – from small to (very) big, and ancient to all-new. Yesterday we examined four of note – Atlantis, Baha Mar, British Colonial, and Margaritaville. Here we round out our Great 8 accommodation options in the Bahamian capital with four more marvellous mainstays: Four Seasons, Goldwynn, Graycliff, and Sandals.
From the small boutique properties of Cable Beach to the book-ending behemoths Atlantis and Baha Mar, and with both new options and old favourites, Nassau-Paradise Island (NPI) has dozens of hotels of different stripes sure to appeal to very type of visitor to the popular destination.
From a first reservation conducted by telegram in 1970 to a just-launched state-of-the-art reservation system that took five years to develop, Goway has certainly come a long way. And still has a long way to go, says company founder, 81-years-young Bruce Hodge, who officially introduced “the new Goway” Thursday at a gala event in Toronto as the tour company enters its 55th year with a fresh look and renewed ambition.
Kris Kristofferson, a Rhodes scholar with a deft writing style and rough charisma who became a country music superstar and an A-list Hollywood actor, died earlier this week. Starting in the late 1960s, the Brownsville, Texas native wrote such country and rock ‘n’ roll standards as “Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down,” “Help Me Make it Through the Night,” “For the Good Times” and “Me and Bobby McGee.”
“Travel agent” consistently rates as one of the most desirable professions in consumer polls (sorry, rock/movie star is even better!), yet attracting new personnel to the retail industry is clearly not as easy as it would seem.
Transat Distribution Canada is ‘humbly, carefully’ confident about the prospects for 2025, says the network’s GM Karine Gagnon, who notes that 2023 was an exceptional year for members. And while 2024 has not been quite as a strong, it has not been far behind. And “for me,” she says, “that’s a great place to be.
Air Canada Vacations wrapped its fall ‘DreamMakers’ series of cross-Canada fall product launches Thursday with an enthusiastic crowd of close to a thousand travel advisors at a venue north of Toronto. The event also attracted one special guest: Sandals Resorts executive chairman Adam Stewart, who received a standing ovation when entering the stage.
One of the great Canadian band of the classic rock era, Saskatchewan’s Streetheart scored several hits in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, including covers of Them/Van Morrison’s “Here Comes the Night” and “Under My Thumb,” which in my humble estimation improved on the Stones’ original. My favourite, however, was/still is “What Kind of Love Is This?,” arguably their most memorable hit.
It’s being called the “normal-normal” – that is, the state of things beyond post-pandemic and its subsequent “new normal.” Back to where things were (travel-wise) before COVID. And that may be. But what about when normal includes the threat of pandemic as more than a one-off; never-ending and escalating wars; raging wildfires and drowning floods; tourism – and tourists – under siege by the locals; endless industry strikes; and plane parts (from Boeing at least) literally falling from the sky?
In a travel world bursting at the seams with overpacked, over-touristed destinations, travellers could use a little St. Kitts and Nevis – two Caribbean sister islands that can bring a little calm to our frenetic lives – according to St.Kitts’ new tourist authority CEO.
Furthering the ‘90s musical revival, Malmö Opera in Sweden is hosting ‘Joyride the Musical,’ a new feel-good production paying tribute to the music of Swedish pop band Roxette. The musical takes audiences on a joyful, humorous journey that since its debut Sept. 6 has received rave reviews from audiences, comprised in large part by international visitors.