GOWAY NAMES HEBERT NEW VP AMERICAS
Goway has appointed travel industry veteran Sean Hebert as its new Vice President, The Americas with a mission to spearhead the company’s transformation of its North American and Latin American product lines.
News
ROUND-UP: Oct. 14-18, 2024
Airlines, hotels/resorts, cruising, tours, events, FAMS/incentives, deals, destinations and more are covered in our weekly round-up of travel industry news you may have missed.
DIGGING OUT: When Florida sand is not a good thing
When a hurricane sets its sights on Florida, storm-weary residents may think of catastrophic wind, hammering rain and dangerous storm surge. Mounds of sand swallowing their homes? Not so much. Yet, that’s the reality for some after Hurricanes Helene and Milton clobbered Florida’s Gulf Coast with back-to-back hits in less than two weeks.
UNIVERSAL ORLANDO TO OPEN FOURTH RESORT NEXT MAY
Universal Orlando Resort announced it will open its fourth theme park – Universal Epic Universe – on May 22, 2025. The park will feature themed areas based on Harry Potter, Super Nintendo and “How to Train Your Dragon,” as well as monster movie brands, Universal officials said Thursday.
NOISY, SMELLY, AND SHY: Endangered penguin is New Zealand’s newest star
Travelling bird watchers take note: New Zealand’s elusive hoiho – believed to be the world’s smallest penguin – is New Zealand’s bird of the year, having won the country’s recent fiercely fought avian election and offering hope to supporters of the endangered bird that recognition from its victory might prompt a revival of the species.
WORLD SPA AWARDS NAMES TOP CANADIAN VENUES
Guerlain Spa Toronto, situated within Hotel X Toronto, was named Canada’s Best Hotel Spa 2024 at the World Spa Awards. In its 10th year, the international awards program celebrates the very best in the global spa industry.
EGYPT TAKES BITE OUT OF VISA BURDEN FOR CANADIANS
Starting Dec. 1, Canadian citizens will again be able to obtain their Egyptian visa upon arrival in the country, or electronically, reversing a controversial pre-entry requirement implemented by the Middle Eastern country last October that forced applicants to obtain their documents via mail from Egyptian consulates in Ottawa or Montreal.
GEOPOLITICAL INSTABILITY A GROWING CONCERN FOR TRAVELLERS
Travellers are becoming increasingly concerned about the evolving risks in international travel, according to a survey of frequent travellers conducted by travel risk experts Global Rescue. Based on the survey of its members, the company says nearly a third (30%) of respondents revealed that geopolitical instability is their most significant perceived travel risk.
WESTJET WILL WING IT TO GRENADA THIS WINTER
The Grenada Tourism Authority reports that new direct service by WestJet from Toronto to Grenada will start Dec. 15 and operate weekly until April 27, 2025. Flights to ‘the Spice Island’ are now open for booking.
TWO VICTORIA FALLS HOTELS THAT WILL MAKE YOU JUMP FOR JOY: And an audience with Africa’s famed medicine man
When in Africa, you’ll often hear passing reference to Zimbabwe’s outstanding hospitality, and there’s nowhere better to appreciate it than at the iconic World Heritage Site of Victoria Falls. Everyone smiles warmly and greets you like an old friend – they’re all genuinely delightful. And how could they not be, living at a World Heritage site?
LEARN & EARN WITH CARNIVAL
Carnival Cruise Line has announced an announced an enriched Learn & Earn training platform as part of its Loyalty Rocks! program for travel advisors. Travel advisors will now have new curriculum options, as well as access to more than 50 video-based courses designed to sharpen expertise on a variety of Carnival topics, including ship overviews, industry trends, and tools like social media training.
LH FINED FOR DENYING BOARDING TO ORTHODOX JEWS IN 2022
The United States has fined German airline Lufthansa $4 million for its treatment of a group of Jewish passengers who were denied boarding a 2022 flight in Frankfurt after they had flown to Germany from New York.
TAKE MY WIFE – PLEASE!
An annual event involving dirt, beer and cash once again drew dozens of eager competitors to a ski resort in Maine last weekend. More than 30 couples competed in the North American Wife Carrying Championship, a 254-metre race during which contestants splash through water, leap over logs and trudge through mud – all while
TOP TIPS FOR NEW TRAVEL AGENTS (AND EVEN THOSE WHO AREN’T)
With an increasing number of newbies joining the ranks of travel advisors in Canada, it’s critical that the wisdom and experience of veteran agents be passed on to ensure their success and the continued success of the industry, says ACTA. With this in mind, at its recent Summit event in Toronto the association enlisted a panel of prominent travel sellers and career coaches to share some “actionable insights and proven strategies to help make their journeys a success.”
THE ‘F–K IT’, NOT BUCKET, LIST: 7 surprising luxury trends
From to ‘F–k-it Lists’ to ‘Silver Bullet Wellness’ and ‘Raceteering,’ Virtuoso has revealed the latest surprising luxury trends based on a survey of its high-net-worth/ultra-high-net-worth clientele. Conducted in partnership with travel trend forecasting agency, Globetreder and referencing data from its 2024 Brand & Travel Tracker Survey, the network’s ‘Luxury Travel Trend Watch: 2025’ identifies seven trends that it says will shape the luxury travel landscape in the new year and beyond.
HOW TORONTO TOURISM IS LEVERAGING TAYLOR TOUR
To encourage Taylor Swift fans and visitors to explore deeper throughout the city during the entertainer’s upcoming series of concerts in the city in November, Destination Toronto has created a website ‘Taylor Swift in Toronto’ web site designed to help fans make the most of their time in town – and leverage its moment in the singer’s spotlight.
GRAND EGYPTIAN MUSEUM OPENS FOR TRIAL RUN
The Grand Egyptian Museum will partially open its main galleries today (Wednesday) including 12 halls that exhibit aspects of ancient Egypt, as part of a trial run. The museum, a mega-project near the famed Giza Pyramids in Cairo, which has cost well over $1 billion so far, will open the halls for 4,000 visitors as a trial run until the official opening date, which is yet to be announced.
ST. MAARTEN INTRODUCES DIGITAL ENTRY: What you need to know
Entry and arrival in St. Maarten is now easier for visitors with the launch of a new a new Digital Embarkation/ Disembarkation (ED) Form and the opening this week of a new arrivals hall at Princess Juliana International Airport.
AZAMARA CONTINUES COMMITMENT TO TRAVEL ADVISORS
Small-ship cruise line Azamara has launched a revamped global reservation system aimed at enhancing the booking experience for travel advisors. Dubbed RezA, the new system is part of Azamara’s broader commitment to improving relationships with its travel partners through its “Listening, Learning, and Linking” initiative.
SNOWBIRDS REEVALUTE FLORIDA MIGRATON
When Julie Riddell and her husband, Gerry, bought their Fort Myers, Fla., vacation property in 2009, it didn’t cross their mind that they might be buying in a hurricane-prone area. “But for at least eight years, we’ve been seeing a lot more action and more frequency (of storms),” the Toronto resident said.
HAVE GUN WILL TRAVEL: Americans redefine ‘packing’
The US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) reports it intercepted 5,028 firearms at airport security checkpoints during the first nine months of 2024. The total represents an average of 18.3 firearms detected per day at TSA checkpoints, more than 93% of which were loaded.
THE MICE WILL PLAY IN 2025
The meetings and events industry is projected to flourish in 2025, with meeting professionals expressing confidence in its future and noting planned increases in meetings budgets, according to Amex GBT Meetings & Events in newly released 14th Annual ‘Global Meetings and Events Forecast.’
BARBUDA BULLISH ON TOURISM: Celebrates new international airport
Barbuda has a brand-new international airport, signalling the start of a new chapter for the island’s connectivity, tourism, and economic growth by offering direct connections to global destinations without a stop in neighbouring Antigua first.
TAKING SOLO TRAVEL TO THE NEXT LEVEL
With more than 50 percent of its global travellers opting to join a small group adventure on their own, G Adventures says it is taking its solo offering to the next level with the launch of ‘Solo-ish Adventures,’ the tour company’s first travel style created exclusively for solo travellers.
ROUND-UP: Oct. 7-11, 2024
Airlines, hotels/resorts, cruising, tours, events, FAMS/incentives, deals, destinations and more are covered in our weekly round-up of travel industry news you may have missed.
AIR CANADA PILOTS RATIFY DEAL, EASE STRIKE FEARS
Air Canada pilots have given a green light to a tentative agreement with the airline, easing any fears of a future strike. The Air Line Pilots Association says its 5,200 members voted 67 percent in favour of the contract, which provides a cumulative wage hike of nearly 42% over four years and goes into effect immediately.
MORE BAD WEATHER STILL POSSIBLE, SNOWBIRDS WARNED
A Canadian meteorologist with The Weather Network says it’s possible more extreme weather could come in the wake of Hurricane Milton’s devastation, and Canadians still in Florida should “take these storms seriously.”
PANDA TOURISM: Hong Kong has high hopes for new arrivals
Hong Kong has welcomed a new pair of giant pandas gifted by Beijing – the third pair of giant pandas to be sent to the city from mainland China since the former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997. Tourism industry representatives are optimistic about the potential impact of housing six pandas, hoping it will boost visitor numbers in Hong Kong.
EXTRAORDINARY JOURNEYS: The slow ride from Churchill to Winnipeg
The setting sun backlights a pristine panoply of pines of different sizes and species. Far northern Canadian countryside rolls by at a leisurely pace of a train ride, viewed through an upper deck glass-enclosed of a special observation car. Waves of green and brown in slightly varying shades sweep by.
‘GET USED TO IT’: Hurricane future ‘looks grim’
Explosively intensifying Hurricane Milton is the latest freaky system to come out of what veteran hurricane scientists call the weirdest storm season of their lives. Before this Atlantic hurricane season started, forecasters said everything lined up to be a monster busy year, and it began that way when Beryl was the earliest storm to reach Category 5 on record. Then, nothing.