Viking has launched a new and improved travel advisor portal designed to provide advisors with the tools and resources needed to sell the cruise line’s river, ocean and expedition voyages. The updated platform offers a comprehensive suite of features to enhance the booking experience and streamline the marketing process.
A new survey of experienced travellers has revealed that women value travel experiences over material possessions at nearly twice the rate as men. Three out of four women (77%) surveyed indicated that travel experiences hold greater importance than acquiring material goods, a 40% higher rate than 55% of men who feel the same way.
Norwegian Cruise Line has expanded its Military Appreciation Program to include active Canadian service members, veterans, and their dependents from the Canadian Army, Royal Canadian Navy, Royal Canadian Air Force and Canadian Coast Guard. Eligible members of the Canadian armed forces will receive special onboard experiences, amenities, and a 10 percent cruise fare discount across all sailings on all ships throughout the entire NCL fleet.
As part of the recent Aviation Career Exploration (ACE) week in Edmonton, Elevate Aviation and Air Canada invited a group of 17 women from diverse backgrounds in the city to be introduced to the Aircraft Maintenance Engineer (AME) profession as part of a Women Employment skills training program.
As Club Med continues to expand in North America and worldwide, the all-inclusive resort chain has named Jacinda Lowry as Associate Vice President of Sales in Canada with an “ambitious” mandate of gaining market share in the English Canada, and particularly Ontario. Toronto-based Lowry moves into the post from her current position as meetings and events sales director Canada.
The avenues, monuments and gardens in the park surrounding Sanssouci Palace, a sprawling green oasis in the heart of the German city of Potsdam and a UNESCO world heritage site, look as magnificent as ever. But a closer look shows that all is not well with the park’s trees, which increasingly are struggling with the effects of climate change.
Tropical Storm Debby reached Florida’s gulf coast early Monday as a hurricane, bringing with it catastrophic flooding as it slowly passed over the northern part of the state. It was later downgraded to a tropical storm, but forecasters warned that record-setting rain could pummel coastal Georgia and South Carolina in the coming days as the system heads east.
Global Affairs Canada is again telling Canadians to avoid all travel to Israel and also warning that those wishing to leave should not count on the Canadian government to help them. Issued over the weekend, the advisory cited the unpredictable security situation in the region due to ongoing conflicts said that an escalation in the armed conflict in Israel could affect people’s ability to leave the country on commercial flights.
When Penny Martin walked into Toronto’s Sheraton Centre last Thursday, she thought she was standing in for Flemming Friisdahl at an Air Canada event that he had said he couldn’t attend due to other commitments. Was she surprised when a roomful of travel types yelled “SURPRISE?” You bet. And, an even bigger and better surprise, her son and sister had flown into town for her retirement party from The Travel Agent Next Door.
Amex GBT aims to improve accessibility for disabled clients, Travel Leaders Network Elite affiliate members cruised to Japan and South Korea, and Virtuoso announced appointments and changes to its senior leadership team in this week’s round-up from the world of retail.
Crystal has launched a new booking engine today (Aug. 1). The cruise line say its innovative platform is designed to streamline the booking experience for travel advisors, offering “unparalleled ease of use, advanced features, and robust support tailored to meet the needs of today’s travel professionals.
An airline passenger who tried to craft a shank from plastic cutlery and open the cockpit door during an American Airline flight and was thwarted by a flight attendant who hit him over the head with a coffee pot has been sentenced to 19 months in prison.
In the round-up this week, Canada’s airlines are under fire, the Caribbean is bouncing back from Hurricane Beryl, Air Canada raised money for kids, WestJet introduced two new destinations in California, Southwest is making history, Sandals is set to make a switch in The Bahamas, and much more.
A recent study has revealed that despite Canada being one of the most popular destinations for solo travellers, less than half of Canadians (46%) are aware of the HELP signals used by people who travel alone. Further, the survey found that 63% of Canadians have travelled alone at least once in their lives, but that only 21% know how to proceed once someone signals distress.
The US Department of Transportation is proposing a new rule that would ban airlines – including foreign carriers – from charging parents more to sit with their young children. Under the proposal, released Thursday, airlines would be required to seat children 13 or younger next to their parent or accompanying adult for free.
Turbulence is knocking a beloved instant-noodle offering off Korean Air’s economy menu. Cups of Shin Ramyun instant noodles, a favourite among Korean Air travellers over the years, will no longer be available for economy-class passengers starting Aug. 15, a spokesperson for the Seoul-based airline said.
Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian says the airline is facing $500 million in costs related to the global tech outage last month that disrupted emergency services, communications, and thousands of businesses. Bastian said that the monetary amount represents lost revenue as well as “the tens of millions of dollars per day in compensation and hotels” for the five-day period.
Porter Airlines is launching non-stop flights to San Diego International Airport (SAN) and Palm Springs International Airport (PSP) from Toronto-Pearson International Airport (YYZ) this December. San Diego is a year-round route, starting Dec. 9, with four weekly flights. Palm Springs is a winter seasonal service, starting Dec. 12 with three weekly flights.
Consumer advocates south of the border are criticizing an appeals court decision that blocks a new US Transportation Department rule requiring airlines to more clearly disclose fees when they advertise prices for a flight. A three-judge panel on the 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans said this week the rule “likely exceeds” the agency’s authority “and will irreparably harm airlines.”
Boeing named a longtime aerospace industry veteran on Wednesday as its next chief executive, who will take over a company that has been rocked by legal, regulatory and production problems, as well as a just-reported US$1.4 billion second quarter loss. Robert “Kelly” Ortberg, a former CEO at Boeing supplier Rockwell Collins, will succeed David Calhoun as CEO and president effective Aug. 8.
Sandals Resorts International (SRI) says it is accelerating plans to expand the family-friendly Beaches Resorts brand with the development of Beaches Exuma. The first Beaches in the Bahamas will replace Sandals Emerald Bay, which will close on Aug. 15 to undergo the transformation and rebranding before reopening in the fall.
Vowing to “take low-fare travel to new heights,” Spirit Airlines is moving farther away from its history as a fee-happy budget airline and will start selling tickets that include some of its most popular extras in a single bundle.
Government backing has been approved to enable the Tampa Bay Rays to finally build a new ballpark for the team, replacing arguably major league baseball’s most dismal venue. But local officials see the Field of Dreams development as more than that: an opportunity to transform the west-Florida city into a “world-class tourism destination” at the same time.
A new study has uncovered the most coveted airplane seats by passengers. The results of a travel survey conducted by Texas-based Upgraded Points reveal preferences based on seat location, airline comfort, and specific needs, providing a comprehensive guide for passengers and, at the same time, aiming to settle once and for all the great debate: window or aisle?
Air New Zealand scrapped its 2030 carbon emissions reduction targets on Tuesday, citing lags in producing new planes, a lack of alternative fuel and “challenging” regulatory and policy settings.
WestJet and Air North have announced a new interline agreement directly connecting both carrier’s networks. Starting today (July 31), guests can book a single ticket with a connected itinerary between WestJet’s global network and the Yukon and Northwest Territories with single point check-in and through-checked bags for connecting itineraries.
Britain’s new Labour government has axed a construction project on a controversial traffic tunnel bypass near Stonehenge as part of austerity measures resulting from what it called an unexpected 22-billion-pound shortfall in the public finances.
In an unusual first-look roll-out of details of its newest ship, taking place over three days, Disney Cruise Line (DCL) has revealed the first details of the heroes and villains-inspired Disney Destiny, which will set sail in late 2025 from Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
As the world worries about war between Israel and Hezbollah, prompting some airlines to cancel flights to Lebanon, it appeared to be business as usual Tuesday at the Beirut airport, where many travellers greeted the situation with a shrug.
TV and film is a proven driver of tourism interest and Sweden is once again in the spotlight with the recent third season debut of “Vikings: Valhalla” on Netflix, a show that has rated in the network’s top 10 since its 2021 debut. With this in mind, Visit Sweden as has curated a lengthy list of sites and experiences to inspire fans who want to delve into Viking history in the epicentre of the Norseman’s world.