The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) has announced the resignation of Liz Ortiguera as its Chief Executive Officer. Ortiguera took the reigns in May, 2021, succeeding Dr. Mario Hardy, and was the first Asian female CEO in the organization’s 72-history.
French based hospitality company Accor boasts 5,300 properties and 10,000 food and beverage venues throughout 110 countries. And with more than 40 luxury, premium, midscale, and economy hotel brands – names like Raffles, Novotel and Mercure – it stands to reason that there is always something in the pipeline. Among the dozens of properties this year alone, here is a shortlist of 10 new and notable hotels due to come onstream in 2023.
The UN World Tourism Organization has heralded the re-opening of China as “the final piece in tourism’s recovery” from the biggest crisis in the sector’s history. Before the pandemic, China was the largest source market for tourism in the world.
Porter Aviation Holdings Inc. (PAHI) is entering a partnership with Montréal Saint-Hubert Airport (YHU) to develop a new terminal capable of serving over 4 million passengers annually. Construction will begin in mid-2023, with a scheduled completion by late 2024, providing a second airport for Porter to serve the Montréal market.
When MSC Cruises’ new flagship is officially named in Copenhagen on June 8 it will take the name Euribia – after the ancient Greek goddess who harnessed the winds, weather, and constellations to master the seas. But for MSC, the name represents its mission to master the deployment of state-of-the-art sustainable technologies to protect and preserve the world’s precious marine ecosystem.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday signed a bill that gives him control of Walt Disney World’s self-governing district, punishing the company over its opposition to the so-called “Don’t Say Gay” law.
Former Air Canada president and CEO Calin Rovinescu has joined the board of directors and become an investor in Montreal-based Plusgrade, a provider of ancillary revenue solutions for the global travel industry.
Peel Regional Police say they have charged a second suspect in an airline ticket scam allegedly operating across the Greater Toronto Area. Between June and December 2021, police allege the two suspects misrepresented themselves as working for travel agencies based out of the United Kingdom to gain access to a secure online booking portal for a major European airline.
Instead of occasional – and more typical – flooding, Venice now has the opposite problem – some of its canals have practically dried up due a prolonged spell of low tides, frustrating boat crews and bewildering tourists.
With Russia’s invasion of Ukraine passing the one-year mark on Feb. 24, a prominent tourism analytics firm has assessed the war’s impact on travel over the past 12 months, revealing a number of trends – some surprising, some not.
The outlook for travel to Europe this year is promising despite global pressures such as high inflation, the war in Ukraine and consequent energy crisis, and prospects of a looming economic recession, says the European Travel Commission (ETC).
Even as eastern Canada shivers under frigid temperatures, the National Capital Commission says Ottawa’s Rideau Canal Skateway will not open this season due to warm temperatures.
Ahead of this year’s World Cup of Rugby this Fall, rugby fans around the world are also celebrating the 200th anniversary of the sport’s birth this year. And interest and activities are most notable in British town of Rugby at the West Midlands school where it is said to have all begun.
Business was booming at the Outdoor Adventure Show in Mississauga over the weekend with the massive annual event at the International Centre boasting one of its largest list of travel suppliers ever, enhancing the usual roster of camping, adventure, and outdoor providers and products.
A high school student confessed to sending a hoax bomb threat via AirDrop that resulted in an American Airlines flight recently being diverted from the tarmac at a Texas airport, authorities said.
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.