Wales is in the spotlight this week in Canada as Wrexham FC arrives to play the Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday (July 27). The team, co-owned by Vancouver-born actor Ryan Reynolds, and featured in the documentary series ‘Welcome to Wrexham,’ has become a global phenomenon as the team channels its Hollywood ownership with success on the field, rising from non-league football/soccer to Britain’s League One in just a couple of years.
Anti-government protesters in Kenya’s capital clashed with an emerging pro-government group on Tuesday, escalating weeks of turmoil in East Africa’s economic hub that have led to dozens of deaths, the firing of most Cabinet members, and calls for President William Ruto’s resignation. The military made a rare deployment as the protests focused on the country’s main airport.
US federal officials are investigating an incident in which a Southwest Airlines jet flew as low as 45 metres (150 feet) over water while it was still about 8 kilometers from its intended landing spot at the airport in Tampa, Florida. The pilots skipped over the Tampa airport and landed instead at Fort Lauderdale, 320 km away.
The WestJet Group, which includes both the mainline carrier and Sunwing Airlines, has announced its complete 2024/25 winter schedule, providing Canadians more non-stop sun destination routes than any other airline, the company says.
As other carriers returned to normal operations after Friday’s worldwide technology outage, Delta Air Lines said it was still struggling on Monday – suffering through a fourth straight day of cancellations and disruptions that have stranded tens of thousands of passengers.
On Aug. 1, tourists to the Galapagos Islands will be asked to pay twice as much in entry fees ($200) amid concerns that a rise in visitor numbers is putting pressure on the ecologically sensitive destination. But more than a cash grab, the move is an important reaction to a “deepening issue,” according to Intrepid Travel.
“Liverpool is the place that changed the face of music forever,” declared tour guide Jay as we rolled out on The Beatles-inspired Magical Mystery Tour to discover where the world’s most famous rock band first found fame. Boarding the technicolour tour bus at the city’s Albert Dock, a drumbeat signified the start of the two-hour tour and instantly put everyone into a Fab Four frame of mind.
Air Canada is lowering its 2024 forecast as it grapples with tough competition in international markets and its planes aren’t as full as it anticipated during the second half of the year. The airline says it now expects its adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization for the year to be within $3.1 billion to $3.4 billion, down from its previous outlook of $3.7 billion to $4.2 billion.
Tourism partners in the Caribbean have come together to promote crisis protocols in the event of hurricanes, pandemics, or other natural disasters, with the aim of improving the safety and health of visitors, residents, and stakeholders.
Sure, Washington DC is the capital of the US, and its politics permeate every aspect of most people’s lives – even Canadians – but there’s so much more to the city that gives it its own unique charm that Canadian travellers may not be aware of. Here are 10 unique things that visitors can see and do in the District of Columbia that focus on the city’s vibrant blend of art, culture, food, and urban parks – all beyond the political façade.
Travel and transport industries continued to get systems back online on the weekend after a widespread technology outage on Friday that threatened to cause travel delays for days, according to experts. Airlines were hardest hit by the global security outage, with thousands of flights cancelled on Friday, and many more passengers delayed or stranded into the weekend.
A man stabbed a woman at Miami International Airport Saturday night, setting off fears that an active shooter was in the terminal, and hundreds of other travellers were evacuated as a precaution, authorities said.
Germany’s Cabinet has approved legislation that would impose tougher penalties on people who break through airport perimeters, a response to incidents such as disruptive protests by climate activists. The move follows airport protests in recent years by that caused disruption to flights.
In a blow to selfie-inspired tourism, authorities in Mexico have slapped a “closure” order on a 3-metre aquatic statue of the Greek god of the sea Poseidon that was erected in May in the Gulf of Mexico just off the town of Progreso, Yucatan. In the few months it has been up, tourists have gathered to take pictures of themselves with it as a striking background.
RIU Hotels and Resort has opened its much-anticipated hotel in the Windy City, the Riu Plaza Chicago. The newly built four-star 390-room establishment is strategically located in the heart of Magnificent Mile shopping district, and from September will also offer guests and visitors panoramic views of the city from the 27th floor of the building in the hotel’s bar, The Rooftop.
Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) has announced its 2026 spring/summer itineraries to the Caribbean, Bahamas, Bermuda, Alaska, and Canada and New England, as well as a new season of voyages from the Port of Philadelphia (PhilaPort) for the first time in many years.
In this week’s round-up, there are ruff times ahead for Canadian dog owners travelling to the US; one of the world’s oldest family-owned travel companies is being sold; StatsCan confirmed that airfares are still going up; Sabre welcomed Air Canada full NDC content to its roster; ACV revealed its fall product launch dates; and a famous Las Vegas hotel-casino closed its doors for the final time.
Taking Fido across the US border is about to get a lot more complicated, despite the U.S. Centers for Disease Control conceding a slightly longer leash to Canadians when new rules aimed at controlling the spread of rabies come into effect Aug. 1.
Cruise lines may be forced to start avoiding popular ports in Europe in the face of NIMBY-ism and growing protests by citizens opposed to overtourism – some of which have targeted cruise visitors, such as sightseers being sprayed by squirt guns in Barcelona – says CLIA.
Perhaps it’s time to rethink next year’s holidays plans. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited a major tourism site being constructed on the country’s eastern coast and discussed steps to open the zone by 2025, state media reported Thursday, though the country still blocks visits by most foreign tourists.
Great waterfronts help make great cities, for both residents and tourists who might be inclined to visit. But, clogged with condos, chocked by construction and traffic, and cut off by the crumbling Gardiner Expressway, it’s clear to anyone that Toronto doesn’t have one.
Buckingham Palace’s summer opening of its state rooms has now begun, this year featuring the East Wing opens for the first time. The East Wing encompasses the famous façade of the London Palace and features the iconic central balcony, where the Monarch and members of the Royal Family have gathered for public appearances since 1851, most recently for Trooping the Colour in June.
As southern Ontario rung out the towels from torrential rainfall and flooding, across the world in Athens, the Acropolis – Greece’s biggest cultural attraction – faced a different sort of tumult, closing for several hours in the middle of the day Wednesday, amidst an extreme heat wave in southern Europe that has sent temperatures spiralling.
Airfares rose two percent year-over-year in June – and continue to soar above pre-pandemic levels. Figures from Statistic Canada’s consumer price index show the increase follows a 4.5% year-over-year bump in May and a fairly flat April. Prices also stood nearly 19% above what travellers paid for their plane tickets in June 2019.
Sabre and Air Canada have announced the launch of Air Canada’s full content via new distribution capability (NDC) in Sabre’s travel marketplace. This launch allows travel agencies to consume Air Canada’s expanded NDC offers and services, enabling them to provide a more personalized travel experience to the customers they serve, the companies say.
In this week’s retail round-up, The Travel Agent Next Door was honoured by Sandals; Travel Leaders Network and TRAVELSAVERS Canada welcomed new agencies in the first half of 2024; and Ensemble spread its wings Downunder.
In celebration of Sunwing’s Partner of the Month for July, Aston Hotels, the travel company is offering special deals, including upgrades and rate reductions, plus travel incentives for agents based on bookings to Cuba made by July 31.
The Mirage is about to vanish from the Las Vegas Strip. Gambling ended and the doors closed Wednesday at the iconic tropical island-themed hotel-casino that opened in 1989 with a fire-spewing volcano outside, and Siegfried & Roy’s lions and dolphins inside.
The Travel Corporation (TTC), the iconic travel brand founded, owned, and operated by the Tollman family for over a century is being sold. The company, which counts Trafalgar, Insight, Contiki, and Uniworld River Cruises amongst its portfolio of 40 brands, has entered an agreement to be acquired by global asset manager Apollo, which counts Yahoo and the Venetian resort in Las Vegas amongst its US$671 billion of assets under management.
Trevello Travel Group is planning to expand into the U.S. – “and beyond” – after 30 years in Canada. Travel industry veteran Elizabeth Crabill has been tapped to lead the efforts, operating as Chief Executive Officer of Trevello World Holdings (TWH). Reporting to Crabill, Zeina Gedeon remains CEO of Trevello’s Canadian operating company and will add responsibility as COO of TWH.