It had been three years and eight months since I was last in Nassau. I can say that with definitiveness thanks to the cheery “welcome back” message I received on my WiFi log-in at the Grand Hyatt recently that indicated as much – although I would have recalled the precise timing of the visit since it was my last travel trip just before the pandemic struck. A lot has changed in the Bahamian capital in that time.
In this week’s round-up, Ensemble reveals details of its newly launched luxury certification program; Virtuoso cruise icons are treated to a trip to Tahiti, and First in Service (F1S) agents convene for the organization’s second annual summit in Orlando, Florida.
A growing demand for connections to Greenland – including tourism – has helped get weekly direct flights between Iqaluit and Nuuk off the ground this summer. But concerns remain about the sustainability of the flight to the Greenland’s largest city from Canada, which was cancelled in 2015 due to low ridership.
Iberostar Beachfront Resorts has unveiled the latest evolution of its brand identity and hotel portfolio, built around three new brand segments that are designed to enable customers to select the hotels, experiences, and services that best suit their beachfront holiday aspirations.
Elephants trampled to death a Spanish tourist at a South African wildlife reserve after he left his vehicle and approached a herd to take photographs, according to police and local government authorities. The 43-year-old man was killed on Sunday at Pilanesberg National Park in North West province, about 180 km. from Johannesburg.
After causing deaths and shattering records in the West and Pacific Northwest over the weekend, a long-running heat wave continued to grip Western Canada and much of the U.S. on Monday. Nearly two dozen daily temperature records – including one that had stood for almost 120 years – were broken in British Columbia, pushing the mercury over 40 C in some areas.
Boeing will plead guilty to a criminal fraud charge stemming from two crashes of 737 Max jetliners that killed 346 people – in Indonesia and Ethiopia – the US Justice Department says, after the government determined the company violated an agreement that had protected it from prosecution for more than three years.
As Amsterdam limits cruise ships (see story below) and Barcelonians squirt water at tourists while shouting “go home,” Copenhagen is introducing a novel approach to tackling sustainable tourism: paying tourists to do it. “CopenPay” rewards visitors’ climate-friendly actions – like cycling, participating in clean-up efforts, or volunteering at an urban farm – into currency to be used for cultural experiences in the city.
Visit Orlando has launched a suite of enhanced websites to promote the Orlando region to all audiences – domestic and international leisure visitors, meeting planners, meeting attendees, travel professionals and more. The include VisitOrlando.com, OrlandoMeeting.com, VisitOrlando.org, MagicalDining.com and French-Canadian sites.
With Kelly Fontenelle taking charge of the St. Kitts Tourism Authority, the organization is bidding farewell to Ellison “Tommy” Thompson – a familiar face to the travel trade in Canada – who, as CEO of the organization for the past two-and-a-half years, critically helped steer St Kitts tourism’s pandemic recovery.
Aeroplan is marking its 40th birthday with a special “Aeroplan-niversary” celebration and offering the Air Canada loyalty program’s 8 million-plus members a chance to win one of 40 prizes of 1 million Aeroplan points each. Additionally, there will be numerous exclusive offers available during the promotion period through July 17.
Jamaica did not suffer any major fallout from Hurricane Beryl late last week and is “open for business,” say tourism officials on the island. Other destinations in the region weren’t so lucky, but one tourism group – One Caribbean Canada – is emphasizing that damage has been devastating, but localized, and that the best way to offer aid is to “keep travelling” and not avoid the region altogether.
The union representing Canada’s border workers says members have voted 91 percent in favour of a new collective agreement. More than 9,000 Canada Border Services Agency workers were planning job action in June, but the strike was averted when a tentative agreement was reached with the federal government.
Air travel to and through the US got more miserable last year, if the number of consumer complaints filed with the US government is any measure. The US Transportation Department said Friday that it received nearly 97,000 complaints in 2023, up from about 86,000 the year before. The department said there were so many complaints that it took until July to sort through the filings and compile the figures.
Luxury travellers are making some surprising choices this season as they shake off inflation and seek out cultural immersion, new experiences, and ways to beat the heat and the crowds. What’s more, they’re willing to pay to get exactly the experience they want, according to luxury and experiential travel specialist Virtuoso.
As the Bahamas’ Atlantis Paradise Island resort celebrates its 25th anniversary, the iconic pink property – called by some the Disney of Nassau – has completed a US$150-million resort-wide top-to-bottom transformation, including updates to the casino, guestrooms, restaurants and lounges.
New figures show that Scotland experienced a record-breaking influx of international visitors in 2023, welcoming 3.9 million tourists, marking a 15% increase from 2019. The 2023 International Passenger Survey by the Office of National Statistics showed a significant 23% increase from 2022, which saw 3.2 million visitors, and the previous record was set in 2018 with 3.7 million visitors.
Hurricane Beryl dominated the news cycle last week, leaving a trail of destruction across the Caribbean, all the way to Mexico; in Canada, WestJet continued to cancel flights as it recovered from a strike by its mechanics. Other Round-Up items include a new air transport agreement between Canada and Argentina, new planes for Air Canada and a name for the newest Seabourn ship; and G Adventures announced one last chance to win Taylor Swift tickets for Toronto (note: deadline is July 10).
Canadian airlines typically don’t get no respect from many Canadians, as Rodney Dangerfield would say. But how do others see our airlines? Well, they’re not as bad as you might think, at least according to the Skytrax, which recently revealed its annual World Airlines Awards for 2024, otherwise known as the “Oscars of the aviation industry.” So, who are the best this year, and how did we (Canada) do? Read on, you’ll be surprised – and impressed.
WestJet says its operations have “stabilized” after a strike by its mechanics and that no further cancellations are expected as of today (Friday) after eight on Thursday and 30 on Wednesday. The airline says the total number of cancellations due to the strike was 1,171 in just over a week after about 680 workers walked off the job June 28.
Stung by past failures to prepare for hurricanes, the Mexican government on Wednesday began evacuating even sea turtle eggs from beaches ahead of Hurricane Beryl, which was expected to arrive early Friday. Given that Mexico did so little to warn or evacuate residents of the Pacific coast resort of Acapulco during Hurricane Otis in October, this time around officials are being extra cautious, digging up recently laid carey sea turtle eggs for fear they could be washed away by the storm surge.
The Central Florida Expressway Authority (CFX) announces expanded distribution of its Visitor Toll Pass at Orlando International Airport (MCO) with additional pick up and drop off locations in Terminals A, B and C. An alternative to costly rental car toll programs, Visitor Toll Pass is a free temporary toll pass for rental car customers travelling roundtrip through the airport.
One way to help tell how a Tyrannosaurus rex digested food is to look at its poop. Bone fragments in a piece of fossilized excrement at a new museum in northern Arizona – aptly called the Poozeum – are among the tinier bits of evidence that indicate T. rex wasn’t much of a chewer, but rather swallowed whole chunks of prey.
Canadians in the Caribbean scrambled to get out of harm’s way as Hurricane Beryl tore through the region Wednesday, bearing down on Jamaica, which declared a state of emergency and closed its airports. The Category 4 storm has killed at least six people and caused significant damage in the southeast Caribbean, including Grenada, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Barbados.
Travelling to or through the US this weekend? Best to pack some patience as federal officials expect air-travel records to fall as Americans turn the timing of July Fourth on a Thursday into a four-day – or longer – holiday weekend.
The European Commission on Wednesday approved Lufthansa’s takeover of Italian airline ITA with conditions to protect competition in a deal that Italy’s finance minister called “historic.” Lufthansa will invest 325 million euros (US$350 million) to acquire a 41 percent stake in ITA, formerly Alitalia, from the Italian government, gaining full control by 2033 with a total investment of 829 million euros.
A busy week in the neighbourhood: In this week’s Round-Up, TDC treated top owners to a Me cruise; TTAND earned plaudits from Playa Hotels; Direct Travel agents received prestigious nominations; a milestone anniversary for redtag.ca; F1S expanded into the UK; and appointments at the Travel Leaders and Travel Edge networks, as well as TRAVELSAVERS Canada.
Coinciding with Canada Day, Windstar Cruises has unveiled a new Canada-centred booking process designed order to provide better service and value for Canadian guests and the travel advisors who serve them. Canadians can also sail on select cruises for up to 30% off in Iceland, the Mediterranean, and French Polynesia.
Bhutan is booming – at least by its own standards – having doubled in the first quarter the year, compared to a year before. Moreover, March was the third busiest month for tourism to the Himalayan nation since the country’s post-pandemic re-opening, though the highwater mark still only saw just over 16,600 arrivals in May, 2023.
SeaWorld Orlando is celebrating its 60th Anniversary this summer with a host of new attractions and shows, plus a free beer (through July 26) at the Waterway Patio Grill, Marc Swanson, CEO of United Parks & Resorts noting that the latter is “a small token of our deep appreciation for all our guests as we celebrate 60 years of creating enriching, animal care experiences, exhilarating rides and all-around fun for everyone.”