RIU Hotels and Resorts have been a favourite with Canadians since the 1990s when The Riu Taino opened in Punta Cana, in the Dominican Republic. RIU had, of course, long been popular holiday hotel choices for European and international travellers since the 50’s when the Riu family acquired their first hotel in Playa de Palma (Mallorca, Spain).
The US federal government is fining American Airlines $4.1 million for dozens of instances in which passengers were kept on board planes without a chance to exit during long ground delays. The Department of Transportation said it is the largest such fine against an airline since rules covering long ground delays took effect about a decade ago.
The changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace may draw tourists from far and wide, but on Sunday visitors to the landmark were treated to a different sort of spectacle: a parade of corgis dressed up in crowns, tiaras, and royal outfits.
The tiny Caribbean nation of Antigua and Barbuda is flying high. Literally. On Aug. 10, two citizens of the island ventured into space on the Virgin Galactic 02 Spacecraft, making Keisha Schahaff and her daughter Anastatia Mayers worldwide celebrities, but also blasting their country into the international spotlight.
There’s still time to support Intrepid’s annual charity marathon on Sept. 10, with the tour company giving away five trips on its 10-day Vietnam Express Southbound itinerary to top fundraisers.
Norwegian Cruse Lines returned to Maui on the weekend. Earlier in August, the cruise line paused its calls to the island, to avoid stressing local resources due to the devastating wildfires in Lahaina on the island’s west side.
Among last week’s news highlights, ACTA launched a loan relief campaign, tropical storm Idalia ravaged Florida and Georgia, China finally dropped COVID testing for arrivals, Air Canada slashed routes from Calgary, and Transat completed a deal to sell land it owned in Mexico.
The United States remains the preferred choice for shopping while on holiday, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council. The news comes ahead of the WTTC’s ‘Retail Report,’ to be released early next month.
Beijing and Ottawa are in talks aimed at increasing flights between China and Canada, following American deals and the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions, but a number of factors, including discord between the two countries, could prolong the turbulence.
With hurricanes always a threat when travelling south and thousands of people having to evacuate ahead of wildfires in Canada alone this summer, travellers are being urged to know what to do – and what not to do – in case a trip is ever cut short by a natural disaster.
From T-Rex racing to bog diving, and incidents of note involving both ham and hamburgers, we continue to bring you the latest from our weird and wacky world.
Some 15,000 people, including many tourists, pasted each other with tomatoes Wednesday as Spain’s annual “Tomatina” street battle took place in the eastern town of Buñol.
You can visit the world’s biggest penis collection, dance until dawn and take a quick jaunt to an active volcano and a steaming Blue Lagoon. What’s not to love about Iceland’s capital city with its clean, walkable streets of quaint shops painted in vivid colors that could have been imagined by a theme park set designer?
As an all-time favourite of mine, I could (but won’t) launch a Supertramp September of videos, with little limit of great song choices from which to choose (but not many decent clips to accompany). Instead, here’s something from co-frontman Roger Hodgson’s successful solo career, which followed the unfortunate break-up of the British band.
Hurricane Idalia made landfall Wednesday in Florida as a Category 2 storm and unleashed devastation along a wide stretch of the Gulf Coast, submerging homes and vehicles, turning streets into rivers, unmooring small boats and downing power lines in an area that has never before received such a pummeling.
Air Canada is eliminating six major routes out of Calgary this winter, in part due to an industry-wide pilot shortage. The airline will no longer offer non-stop flights from Calgary to Ottawa, Halifax, Los Angeles, Honolulu, Cancun, or Frankfurt as of the end of October.
China no longer requires a negative COVID-19 test result for incoming travellers, representing, a milestone in its reopening to the rest of the world after a three-year isolation that began with the country’s borders closing in March 2020. The new measure (or lack thereof) was announced Monday and came into effect Wednesday (Aug. 30).
In this week’s round-up, Ensemble agents get cozy with Antigua-Barbuda, Flight Centre pledges to plant trees, and TRAVELSAVERS introduces a new business director for British Colombia.
Dubai International Airport, the world’s busiest for international travel, announced it served 41.6 million passengers in the first half of this year — exceeding figures for the same period in 2019 as travellers return to the air after the lockdowns of the coronavirus pandemic.
Couples planning a romantic all-inclusive getaway filled with stunning beaches, a warm and inviting culture, and resorts with everything they need for an unforgettable stay should keep Cuba at the top of their destination wish list, says Suwning.
A recent Saturday evening Mass at Sagrada Familia parish in Barcelona, Spain, had all the hallmarks of a neighbourhood worship service. But it also featured security checks to get in and curious tourists peering down to take photos of the worshippers from above. The regular Mass is held in the crypt of modernist architect Antoni Gaudí’s masterpiece church, one of Europe’s most visited monuments.
A recent survey by ACTA on Debt and Government Pandemic Loans conducted in July reveals that 27% of travel businesses owe at least $100,000, 56% owe at least $50,000 and 80% owe at least $10,000.
The union representing pilots at Jazz Aviation claims that their employer and Air Canada have breached the Canada Labour Code, even as it ratified changes to their collective agreement. Jazz, a subsidiary of Chorus Aviation Inc., provides regional service for the country’s biggest airline under the Air Canada Express brand.
Karine Gagnon, General Manager of Transat Distribution has announced the of Dianne Jackson as Director, Franchise and Affiliate Members at TDC, effective September 11, 2023. Jackson will be part of the leadership team and will report directly to Gagnon.
Caribbean low-cost carrier Arajet – a new entrant in the Canadian market – will add connections to Argentina from Toronto and Montreal, enhancing a roster of recently announced service from Canada to Sao Paulo, Brazil; Santiago de Chile; Cartagena and Medellin, Colombia; as well as several Caribbean islands, such as Jamaica, Aruba or Curaçao.
Citing the success of its inaugural spring shows in April, Oakville, Ont.-based Granite Travel Trade Expos has announced new regional travel trade show dates in the fall, including more Ontario cities plus locations in Western Canada.
The Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc. (BTMI) in partnership with BookBarbados and Tripian has launched the Barbados ‘World of Difference’ Experiences Campaign, an innovative initiative designed to enhance the value proposition of the experiences that can be enjoyed in Barbados while driving the on-island spend of visitors.
Floridians hope that when Idalia hits the Gulf Coast it won’t join the long list of destructive Atlantic Ocean storms whose names started with “I.” Since 1955, 13 Atlantic storm names beginning with “I” have been retired, according to the National Weather Service. That happens when a storm’s death toll or destruction is so severe that using its name again would be insensitive, according to the World Meteorological Organization, which oversees storm naming.
Thousands of airline passengers faced delays on Monday after Britain’s air traffic control system was hit by a breakdown that slowed takeoffs and landings across the UK on one of the busiest travel days of the year.
Intrepid Travel has launched a new travel consortium in partnership with Flight Centre, one of the world’s largest travel agency groups, marking the first major collaboration aimed at measuring and addressing modern slavery supply chain risks across the industry.