The US the Department of Justice has launched a criminal investigation into the Boeing jetliner blowout that left a gaping hole on an Alaska Airlines plane this January. Citing documents and people familiar with the matter, the Wall Street Journal says investigators have contacted some passengers and crew – including pilots and flight attendants – who were on the Jan. 5 flight.
All signs point to success for the travel industry in 2024, according to organizers of ITB Berlin, held in the German capital last week. Moreover, despite global crises, the industry showed its confidence at the world’s largest travel trade show, underpinned by evidence that people’s desire to travel appears unabated.
Last week was a tough week for United Airlines, which experienced four separate incidents aboard its flights, including an emergency landing, lost tire, engine fire, and runway roll-off. No injuries were reported as a result of any of the incidents.
The Turks and Caicos Islands has emerged as the best-performing destination in the Americas for 2023, according to the latest UN Tourism Barometer, with the Caribbean nation seeing an arrivals jump 127% since (pre-pandemic) 2019.
ACTA has announced its networking and education events for 2024 including the ACTA Travel Industry Golf Event and three ACTA Travel Industry Summits. Registration will open soon, but in the meantime, members are advised to save these dates.
The famed – and troubled – Miami Seaquarium, an old-Florida style tourist attraction that was used as a setting in the “Flipper” TV show and more recently home to Lolita, the beloved Orca that died last year, is being evicted from the waterfront property it leases from Miami-Dade County.
In this week’s round-up of last week’s news, we detail a plethora of agent incentives, reveal Allianz’s data on the ‘bizcation’ trend, reveal what’s cooking at Air Canada, check in for a significant hotel development in Bangkok, and see what’s new at SeaWorld Orlando, plus lots more.
Take a look at these women. They are hugely responsible for making our industry what it is today. To make it personal – every one of them, perhaps even without knowing it, has played a part in any accomplishment or success I have had in business and in life. Some I have known for decades, some I have never actually met in person. However, I have either worked with, travelled with, interviewed and written about, or even just emailed, phoned, or video-conferenced, with every one of them.
The woman in the Instagram video appeared shaken. Her face was swollen and bruised. Sitting beside her husband, she began recounting her ordeal. “Something happened to us that we wouldn’t wish on anyone,” she said in Spanish, with captions in English.
From offering childcare subsidies to elevating women into leadership roles, global travel service provider Trip.com Group has been at the forefront of promoting female empowerment in travel for close to 25 years. This International Women’s Day (March 8), the company is continuing to its efforts by celebrating the achievements of women in the industry and by launching a series of mentoring and social impact events around the world.
When holidaying in the some of the world’s top cities, travellers can find themselves with an opportunity to take in (and load up on) some of the world’s most luxurious shopping streets – names that resonate on the big screen, in the pages of glossy magazines, and maybe in our dreams. From the Champs-Élysées to Rodeo Drive, here are seven sensational streets where one can shop till they drop, and, with a little luck, maybe even mingle with the rich and famous.
In conjunction with International Women’s Day, G Adventures and its non-profit partner Planeterra are announcing the introduction of five new community tourism projects designed to empower local women in the countries the travel company visits, supporting the nearly 500 women who help operate the five social enterprises.
With the pandemic firmly behind it, Japan is uniformly rated as one of 2024’s most desired destinations, and one of the most tantalizing features of a visit is seeing sakura – cherry blossoms – which paint the landscape in cities and countryside a magnificent pale pink from March through May.
“We are a country of cruisers,” says Una O’Leary. As evidence, the Canadian GM for Virtuoso points to a “staggering” rise in future cruise bookings across the network – and figures showing that cruising comprised nearly half (48%) of all 2023 sales in the region.
With the belief that use artificial intelligence can “unlock efficiencies, inspire product innovation, and elevate user experiences,” Amex GBT has launched a new AI initiative, including the creation of a special task force, to focus on the developing technology within the corporate travel management ecosystem.
‘Senses of Ireland,’ Tourism Ireland’s new concept event series, is rolling through eastern Canada this week, kicking off March Irish Heritage Month in Canada. Along with industry partners from across the island of Emerald Isle, Tourism Ireland is aiming to transport the travel trade and on a sensory journey through Ireland while its diverse product offerings.
A pair of familiar names – Sunwing Vacations and the Cuba Tourist Board – are in the spotlight this week as the pair collaborate as series sponsors and in-program travel partners on the launch of the 12th season of Big Brother Canada.
Visit California has officially revealed its new ‘Ultimate Playground’ global brand platform, the state’s first brand evolution in more than a decade. Launched this week with the “Let’s Play” global campaign, the Ultimate Playground aims to inspire global travellers, including Canadians, to stay and play in California on their next holiday.
In a competitive business environment, keeping track of how the competition operates and strategizes is essential. Data is critical because it can be culled and can serve as the impetus for your next marketing or sales strategy or inspiration for a big idea. Either way, data collection and monitoring are fundamental. Here’s what you should consider:
Miami Beach is trying to break up with spring break, but it’s not yet clear whether spring break will take the hint. After three consecutive years of spring break violence, Miami Beach officials are implementing monthlong security measures aimed at curbing the chaos.
Canadian professionals aged 18-34 are leading the rise in the ‘bizcation’ trend with a growing desire to blend remote work and vacations, according to a new study by Allianz Global Assistance, which found that almost half (47%) of young professionals plan to work remotely while travelling in 2024.
Lynx Air is the latest in a long line of low-cost airlines to fail in Canada. The airline ceased operations on Feb. 26, four days after announcing it had entered creditor protection on Feb. 22. This scenario is not novel in Canadian commercial aviation; Canada has had its fair share of discount carrier failings due to poor financial health.
First it was football, now Taylor Swift has been accused of disrupting tourism in Southeast Asia as the influential singer performs a series of exclusive concerts this week in Singapore. Swift is performing six exclusive concerts in the city-state through Sunday, prompting some Southeast Asian neighbours to complain that the Singapore deal deprives them of the tourism boom her concerts bring to hosts.
Ensemble served up a new incentive program for top performers, Flight Centre posted positive profit numbers, and CAA stepped up to help confused air travellers. Also making retail news in this week’s round-up were Air Canada Vacations and the Jamaica Tourist Board – both with incentive prizes up for grabs.
American Airlines announced a massive order for new planes, splitting 260 new aircraft between Boeing, Airbus and Embraer in a move designed to meet growing travel demand and increase the airline’s supply of premium seats. American said it placed options for up to 193 more planes over the next several years.
With the 63rd Annual Can-Am Days set to kick off Saturday (March 9) – coinciding with some school breaks – Canadians will begin their annual seasonal migration to Myrtle Beach. But while the festivities and special offers continue through March 17th, the Grand Strand region of South Carolina has a host of new offers and attractions that carry on throughout 2024.
Warm weather has upended winter recreation across North America and Europe this year, cancelling a 400-km dog sled race in Maine, opening golf courses in Ontario, and requiring snow saved from the previous year to run a ski race in Austria. A warm, dry El Niño weather pattern coupled with global warming is to blame, scientists say, and has put the threat to winter on centre stage.
Thousands of flights and trains are expected to be cancelled again this week in Germany after two unions on Monday called for more strikes over wages and working conditions. While negotiations continue for ground staff of Lufthansa and Deutsche Bahn train drivers, the strikes have been called for Thursday and Friday.
Spring is in the air in Arizona – and that means spring training baseball, desert blooms, and plenty of Canadians. And while the former are annual rights of Spring, the latter is especially welcome news as the southern US state expects to at last surpass pre-pandemic numbers in 2024.
JetBlue and Spirit Airlines are ending their proposed US$3.8 billion combination after a court ruling blocked their merger. The announcement was a win for consumers dependent on lower fares, but a disappointment for the carriers who, together, hoped to challenge the U.S. ‘Big 4’ airlines.