In this week’s round-up: Top Transat agents were feted in France; TTAND held its 10th annual – and first international – conference in Jordan; TRAVELSAVERS mulled ‘blended’ travel; TLN’s new tool for travel advisors (coming soon to Canada) is a SNAP; and Ensemble asked the question, “Tennis, anyone?”
Air Canada Vacations has launched a new Dubai guided tours program, creating further options for clients in the vibrant United Arab Emirates destination. The year-round tours are designed to feature immersive experiences while highlighting the flamboyant city’s modern architecture, luxurious lifestyle, premium shopping, and rich cultural heritage.
Westin Hotels and Resorts is unveiling a new version of its signature ‘Heavenly Bed.’ Developed in collaboration with leading sleep experts and guests, the next-gen bed “fortifies the brand’s mission and 360-degree wellness approach, empowering discerning travellers to not only maintain but enhance their well-being while travelling,” says the company.
Once a shrine to the world’s most popular soft drink, the building that housed the original World of Coca-Cola is going flat at the hands of Georgia’s state government. Crews are demolishing the onetime temple of fizz in downtown Atlanta near the state capitol, with plans to convert the site to a parking lot.
With the G7 summit in Italy having concluded on the weekend, new data from the Angus Reid Institute offers a window on Canadians current likes and dislikes when it comes to countries on the international stage. While opinions are based on politics and other general perceptions, not the viability of travel to or in the destination, the former can unquestionability colour choices for the latter.
WestJet Encore has averted a strike at the regional airline after pilots gave the green light to a deal with their employer. The Air Line Pilots Association says its members have ratified a five-year contract that offers higher pay, more flexible schedules and “a better work-life balance.”
Virtuoso has released survey findings that offer a glimpse into the preferences of the world’s luxury cruise passengers. Drawing on the insight of more than 300 professional travel advisors who specialize in cruising, Virtuoso found that 58% believe it will emerge as the strongest tourism sector in 2024-25, surpassing land-only experiences.
Cicada chaos is flourishing and flying. Emerging after 17 years underground, trillions of once-hidden baby bugs are in the air, on the trees and perching upon people’s shirts, hats and even faces. They’re red-eyed, loud and frisky.
Airports are demanding $4.1 million in unpaid fees and debt from the defunct discount carrier Lynx Air, which already faces more than $200 million in claims from creditors. In court filings, authorities for the Calgary, Vancouver, Edmonton, Halifax and Winnipeg airports asked for an order instructing Lynx to hand over airport improvement fees that the Alberta-based airline held in reserve.
The French Pacific territory of New Caledonia is shortening its overnight curfew and reopening its international airport, which has been closed to commercial flights for more than a month because of deadly violence that wracked the archipelago where pro-independence Indigenous Kanaks want to break from France.
A strike by Canadian border workers was averted. Also, last week, Transat was on the road to Marrakech; Virgin Atlantic announced its return to Canada in 2025; Goway unveiled a new website and its first rebrand in nearly 55 years; and UN Tourism revealed the world’s top tourism destination. Read on to find out where…
Car rental rates are expected to stabilize after more than three years of volatility, according to a new report released today from American Express Global Business Travel (Amex GBT), however, Ground Monitor 2024-2025 projects rates in Canada to still increase by 3.4% in the period ending March 2025.
Air Transat operated its first flight between YUL Montréal-Trudeau International Airport to Marrakech-Menara International Airport (TS396) Wednesday night. The exclusive non-stop service, the only one between Canada and Marrakech, will operate year-round: twice weekly during the summer (until October) and once weekly during the winter (from November to April).
With school ending and the busy summer travel season beginning, as well as a surge in 10-year renewals, Service Canada is eager to ensure that Canadians have their passport in hand in plenty of time to ensure no unexpected disruptions in travel plans. From how and when to apply to wait times and tracking receipt, here’s everything an expectant traveller needs to know.
One of Canada’s most prominent museums is reopening after an 18-month upgrade for retrofitting that would allow it to survive a once-in-2,500-year earthquake. The Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia’s campus in Vancouver reopened to the public yesterday (June 13) with two new exhibits, along with a $40-million upgrade on the building originally opened in 1976.
Allianz’s Summer Vacation Confidence Study reveals that summer vacation confidence is on the rise with nearly two-thirds (61%) of Canadians planning to take a trip this summer. The first-annual summer study paints a rosy picture of the travel landscape in Canada, suggesting a greater balance between winter and summer trips.
Global luxury and experiential travel network Virtuoso recently hosted its annual Symposium in Dubai with more than 400 travel professionals from 37 countries in attendance. Attendees took part in industry discussions, thought leadership sessions, deep dives into travel trends and business optimization and one-on-one networking, while also getting views on both the present and future from the upper echelons of the organization.
Citing strong demand, Porter Airlines says it is doubling capacity on its routes from Toronto Pearson to Las Vegas and Los Angeles, starting Aug. 29 and Sept. 5 respectively. Both cities will be served by twice daily flights on new 132-seat Embraer E195-E2 aircraft.
Cunard says it registered record-breaking bookings following the launch of its new ship Queen Anne. The 3,000-guest vessel set sail on its maiden voyage on May 3 before returning to her homeport of Southampton on May 24 to begin a celebratory British Isles Festival voyage, which included a spectacular naming ceremony in Liverpool.
The annual rainy season has arrived with a deluge in much of Florida, where a disorganized disturbance of tropical weather from the Gulf of Mexico has caused street flooding and triggered tornado watches, but so far has not caused major damage or injuries.
Singapore Airlines has offered compensation to passengers of a flight that hit extreme turbulence last month, in a rare case that killed one passenger and injured dozens. The Being 777 jet, carrying 211 passengers and 18 crew from London to Singapore, ran into sudden turbulence over the Irawaddy basin on May 20, hurling people and items around the cabin.
In 1964, Universal City Studios invited tourists to take a whirlwind adventure for a first-hand look at Hollywood moviemaking in action. Five times a day, for approximately just over two hours, Monday through Friday, iconic red and white Glamour Trams, with their ruffled awnings, would whisk eager tourists through its studio backlot to be a fly on the wall in the making of Universal movie and television productions. Since then, over 200 million visitors have experienced the now iconic Los Angeles-area attraction.
Workers at Canada’s borders are no longer planning to go on strike after their union reached a tentative agreement with the federal government. The Public Service Alliance of Canada said Tuesday it reached a deal with the government for Canada Border Services Agency employees after working “around the clock.”
The union representing mechanics at WestJet says its members voted overwhelmingly to reject a tentative agreement with the airline. The Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association, which represents some 670 aircraft maintenance engineers and other skilled trade positions at the carrier, says about 97 percent of its members cast a ballot against the deal.
LGBTQ+ travellers continue to face significant challenges, according to new research from Booking.com. The online retailer reports that more than half (63%) of Canadian LGBTQ+ travellers have experienced discrimination when travelling – a number that has increased by 10 percent since last year’s ‘Travel Proud’ survey.
Tahiti is preparing for its moment in the sun, when the eyes of the world will be on the French Polynesian paradise as it hosts the surfing competition for this summer’s Olympic Games. An overseas territory of France, the island seemed like a more natural setting for the competition than landlocked Paris.
Canadian members were recognized at Travel Leaders Network’s annual international conference in Washington DC, while TRAVELSAVERS Canada leaders learned about Sandals Saint Vincent; also, in the Round-Up, Playa Hotels & Resorts honoured its top agents, including a number of Canadians.
On Jan. 19, 1874, Winnipeg’s first city council met. Back then, the main attraction for the city’s nearly 2,000 inhabitants was a large muddy road connecting a handful of roughly assembled wood houses, along with the stone gate of Upper Fort Garry. Fast forward 150 years, and now visitors will find a host of world-class attractions, performance groups, sports facilities, gardens, cultural centres, and vibrant neighbourhoods – and a pretty stylish park surrounding the Fort.
Animal rights activists pasted a cartoon image over a portrait of King Charles III on Tuesday at a London art gallery, the latest in a series of incidents at UK museums as campaigners use vandalism to publicize their causes. A group called Animal Rising shared a video of campaigners pasting a picture of a character called Wallace, from the “Wallace and Gromit” comedy series, over the king’s head.
On previous occasions announcing Virgin Atlantic service to Canada, Richard Branson descended from a helicopter in full hockey gear over an ice rink at Toronto’s Harbourfront. Another time, he arrived in aircraft accompanied by an emerging local pop star named Drake. It remains to be seen if Sir Richard will again be on hand and what may be planned when the airline launches service next year between Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) and London Heathrow (LHR).