Last week, in which the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was marked, the Canadian trade also saw the return of the annual Destination France roadshow, a glimpse of the future of travel from Air Canada, a unique promotion from Swoop, the opening of a new hotel for visitors to Toronto, and retirement news from a well-known travel industry figure.
On the “sad” occasion of the one-year anniversary today (Feb. 24) of Russia’s unconscionable invasion of its neighbour, the world’s tourism industry remains firmly in support of Ukraine, says the secretary-general of the United Nations Tourism Organization (UNWTO).
Eugene Levy admits he’s not really a fan of the cold or the heat. He doesn’t really like eating strange things, and, well, insects freak him out. He’d rather stay home, to be honest.
Air Canada and United Airlines have announced that through their enhanced transborder joint business agreement they will offer more than 260 daily transborder flights and two new routes this summer.
Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings & Honeymoons has launched its 2023 collection of bridal gowns and the first-ever collection of Disney Princess-inspired bridesmaid dresses. Also unveiled at Disney Weddings is a new coach at Disneyland, as the company showcases its venues for nuptials around the world coinciding with this year’s 100th anniversary celebrations.
St. Kitts is launching a distinctive, first-of-its-kind “Kittitian RumMaster” program for both rum aficionados and other visitors simply wanting to learn more about the island’s historic spirit, while also getting a taste of Kittitian culture and history.
Hoping to persuade cruise lines decide to anchor elsewhere, the city council in Monterey, California has voted to take away city services for handling passengers arriving at the city’s dock.
Who’d’ve thought Depeche Mode would be all the rage in 2023, close to 40 years after the band’s 1980s heyday? But the British electro-pop giants have exploded on streaming services after their 1987 classic “Never Let Me Down Again” was used in an episode of the latest greatest TV show “The Last of Us.”
With the upcoming coronation of a new king, and the legacy of its previous monarch, along with other high-profile events in the UK in 2022 such as The Commonwealth Games, there is no better time to be selling Britain, says the country’s tourist board chair.
Airlines are warning that travel to and from Central Canada may be affected by a winter storm sweeping in from the west. The blizzard conditions were expected to cause delays to flights into and out of airports in Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal on Wednesday and Thursday. Meanwhile, brutal winter weather hammered the northern US Wednesday with “whiteout” snow, dangerous wind gusts and bitter cold, shutting down roadways, closing schools and businesses and prompting dire warnings for people to stay home.
Atout France has been on the road this week, rolling out its annual Destination France events for close to 350 agents, including events in Vancouver tonight (Thursday), Calgary last night, plus Montreal and Toronto. On average, close to two dozen suppliers are taking part, bolstered by nearly a dozen-strong supplier delegation from the Occitanie region of southern France.
Citing human trafficking as one of the fastest-growing crimes in Canada, the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) says it has renewed its partnership with #NotInMyCity, an organization dedicated to preventing and ending the abhorrent activity.
Virgin Hotels New York City has opened its doors to guests, though an official inaugural event is still to come this Spring. Located on Broadway, Virgin’s sixth US property (and seventh in the portfolio) takes up an entire block between 29th and 30th streets in the booming NoMad neighbourhood.
With the addition of two aircraft to its fleet, interCaribbean Airways will offer an expanded flight schedule to service Antigua, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent & The Grenadines.
Hawaii residents feel that more effort is being made to balance the economic benefits of tourism and quality of life for residents, according to the State of Hawaii Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism’s Fall 2022 Resident Sentiment Survey.
The US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) says it intercepted a record 6,542 guns – nearly 18 a day – last year at airport checkpoints across the America. And while experts don’t think this indicates an epidemic of would-be hijackers – nearly everyone caught claims to have forgotten they had a gun with them – they emphasize the danger even one gun can pose in the wrong hands on a plane or at a checkpoint.
Calling the process, simple, seamless, and safe, Air Canada has launched digital identification for passengers, becoming the first airline in Canada with approval to use facial recognition technology to confirm identification. The pilot project is currently underway for select customers departing from YVR for Winnipeg, and entering the Air Canada Café at Toronto Pearson, but will be expanded to other locations.
A Japanese startup has announced plans to launch commercial space viewing balloon flights that it hopes will bring an otherwise astronomically expensive experience down to Earth. The company CEO said passengers do not need to be billionaires, go through intense training or have the language skills needed to fly in a rocket.
Glittery and outrageous costumes were prepared again. Samba songs were ringing out ’til dawn at Rio de Janeiro’s sold-out parade grounds. And hundreds of raucous, roaming parties were once again flooding the streets over the weekend as the city’s iconic returned to form for the first time since the pandemic.
The US National Transportation Safety Board says is investigating a December flight in which a United Airlines plane nose-dived to within less than 250 metres of the ocean surface after taking off from Hawaii. The NTSB said it expects to issue a preliminary report in about two weeks. The agency said that it had been asking United questions about the incident before deciding whether to launch a formal investigation.
Carnival Cruise Line has a unique new member joining the top ranks of its loyalty club – a retired US Army service dog named Sarge. While sailing on Carnival Celebration earlier this month, Sarge reached Diamond status of the Very Important Fun Person (VIFP) Club – though in this case, the “P” could also stand for “pooch.”
The chair of the British Museum says that the UK and Greece are working on a deal that would see his institution’s Parthenon Marbles displayed in both London and Athens.
Voluntary “tips” from tourists could be just the ticket to help create a resilience fund that would support tourism-dependent nations in periods of disruption, according to tourism executives attending the first official Global Tourism Resilience Day (Feb. 17) in Jamaica last week.
Louisiana can properly claim the title “festival capital of the world,” with more than 400 festivals and events scheduled annually around the state.
Having carried 36 million passengers in 2022 and posting record passenger and operating revenues in Q4, Air Canada says it has a “positive outlook” for the start of 2023 and beyond. The carrier also reported achieving 83% of its pre-pandemic passenger revenue recorded in 2019.
Even if you consider yourself a Mardi Gras expert, we’re here to say you haven’t seen anything yet! Let’s go over a few basic terms you’ll want to know before you don a mask and head out for your Carnival experience, shall we?
MSC Cruises is inviting travellers to “discover the future of cruising” in a newly launched campaign that highlights the company’s commitment to the future of the industry – and the planet – not least with its intention of having zero-impact cruise operations by 2050.
There’s no shortage of ways to explore the Louisiana outdoors! Avid outdoorsmen can’t come to Louisiana without stopping by one (or more) of its 21 state parks that offer opportunities for camping, fishing, paddling, hiking, horseback riding and more.
George Myers, a well-known and popular tourism figure in the Bahamas, died last week at the age of 83. A pioneer of tourism in the islands, and integral in the development of Paradise Island, he was executive VP and COO of Resorts International for 15 years from 1977 to ’92 and subsequently his company ran Radisson Cable Beach Resort for 13 years.
Last week, ACTA continued its letter writing campaign for federal support; the Jamaica Tourist Board was on the road in Canadian cities; WestJet unveiled its summer service, including big Edmonton news; Machu Picchu re-opened; and a Mexican airline announced it was ending operations.