Cruise passengers arriving in Santorini and Mykonos will soon be expected pay a little more for the privilege of visiting the popular Greek islands with the introduction of new fee likely to be implemented by next summer. The Greek government announced the €20 (approximately $30) levy as a means to help manage the strain on the destinations due to a surge in visitors.
The Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority is set to honour its top producing travel professionals – including 25 Canadians – at a gala event on island in December. The inaugural Antigua and Barbuda Black Pineapple Awards will celebrate “the outstanding achievements of hard-working travel agents from around the world,” culminating in a gala black-tie dinner and awards ceremony.
The US government is examining the four largest US airline frequent-flyer programs and how they devalue points that consumers have earned and frequently change the number of points or miles needed to book flights.
Expedia’s TAAP Autumn Sale is back, offering travel agents the opportunity to secure at least 25% off thousands of hotels worldwide. This deal is now available for bookings made through Oct. 13, for travel until March 31, 2025.
A Florida county is in talks to acquire a storied but aging ocean liner in a proposed deal that could create the largest artificial reef in the world. But the plan has hit a snag, after local officials in coastal Okaloosa County in the Florida panhandle postponed a vote on the plan to buy and purposefully sink the SS United States.
While many experts consider it requisite posturing during a labour negotiation – and an outcome too dire to ultimately be allowed to happen – Air Canada says it is working on contingency plans that would see it suspend most of its operations in the event that an agreement with its pilots union is not reached by Sunday (Sept. 15) when a 72-hour strike or lock-out notice could be triggered.
The union representing Air Canada pilots says the company’s “corporate greed” is what’s holding up successful contract negotiations between the two sides, with the Air Line Pilots Association claiming Monday that Air Canada “continues to post record profits while expecting pilots to accept below-market compensation.”
Like everything else, the traditional family holiday is changing, not least due to the pandemic, and Beaches Resorts polled more than 1,000 North American families with respondents ages 25-45, to find out how.
Travel Leaders Network has announced the dates of its fall regional dates, featuring three events across the country. Registration is now open for member advisors in Vancouver (Oct. 8), Calgary (Oct. 10), and Toronto (Oct. 17).
The Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) has selected Antigua and Barbuda as the host destination for its next Caribbean Travel Marketplace (CTM). Scheduled for May 18-22, 2025, the 43rd annual event is the region’s signature travel trade event, attracting major global buyers, regional suppliers and media. This year’s event was hosted by Jamaica.
Air Canada says contract talks with its pilots are nearing an impasse over what the airline says is the union’s wage demands. The airline says it’s preparing a contingency plan to suspend its flights gradually over three days if a 72-hour strike or lockout notice is issued.
New data shows that travel experts double the pre-trip excitement for Canadians, long before takeoff. The new study from Flight Centre Canada (based on data collected by YouGov) reveals that 25% of Canadians feel that their holiday starts during the planning and booking stage, with those who use travel agents being almost twice as likely to experience this early surge of excitement compared to their DIY counterparts.
Canada has updated its health advisory on Oropouche virus disease (OVD) – otherwise known as “sloth fever” – amidst an increase of outbreaks in the Americas, including Brazil, Bolivia, and Cuba. The update further warns that outbreaks have been spreading to regions where the midge and mosquito-borne disease hasn’t been seen before.
More than a hundred golfers turned out last Thursday to help TravelBrands raise funds for The Hospital for Sick Children at the company’s 9th Annual Charity Golf Classic, held just north of Toronto. The picture-perfect day at Eagles Nest Golf Club was eclipsed only by the $308,000 raised at the event – funds earmarked for the SickKids Foundation to help fuel vital research, clinical care, and new initiatives at the hospital.
Passengers and crew from a cruise ship had an unexpected encounter with a polar bear on Sept. 2. that led to a quick retreat back on board the vessel while it was stopped at Alexandra Fjord on the eastern coast of Ellesmere Island. Seventy passengers and 14 employees were ashore at the time, but all got back safely on board.
The world’s biggest event of the year for adventure travel professionals – The 2024 Adventure Travel World Summit – is set to place Oct. 7-10 in Panama City, Panama, with registration now open until Sept. 13. This year, the Summit celebrates its 20th anniversary, while promising to look ahead to the next 20 years of the adventure travel industry.
ACTA called for help from the federal government to head off the potential Air Canada pilot strike; WestJet ordered three new planes; New Zealand tripled its tourism tax; and Sunwing revealed its annual ‘Best of the Best’ list. All this and more in last week’s round-up.
Did you, or someone you know, endure a 22-hour flight seated next to a Tasmanian devil? Did your luggage go on a separate vacation? Spend half the week in the hospital after a “dining adventure?” Leading travel insurance provider Travel Guard says it has heard almost every conceivable travel nightmare. But this fall, they’re hosting a contest and sweepstakes to identify the all-time worst.
The United States is the world’s most powerful Travel & Tourism market, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) in its just-released 2024 Economic Impact Trends Report. The sector contributed a contributing a record-breaking $2.36 trillion to the nation’s economy last year.
Lanette Canen and Johan Bodin gave up life on land to become seaborne nomads on a years-long cruise. Months later, the couple has yet to spend a night at sea. Their ship, the Odyssey, is stuck in Belfast undergoing repair work that has postponed its scheduled May departure for a 3- 1/2-year round-the-world voyage.
It’s every parent’s worst nightmare, but a 4-year-old boy who accidentally broke a rare 3,500-year-old jar in an Israeli museum has been forgiven, and even invited back, as curators hope to turn the disaster into a teachable moment.
ACTA is urging the federal government to intervene and help find a resolution to Air Canada’s labour dispute with its pilots before it becomes “another significant challenge” to the Canadian travel industry and Canadian public. The pilots, who have voted overwhelmingly to strike if negotiations with the company fail to result in an agreement, are in a position to do so on Sept. 18.
TravelBrands has announced that, for the first time ever, its silent auction at its 9th Annual Charity Golf Classic – taking place today – will be open to all travel industry professionals, regardless of attendance at the event. The annual tournament is aiming to raise even more funds for the SickKids Foundation by expanding participation in the charity auction.
On Oct. 28 in Toronto, Goway’s Africa & Middle East Gathering 2024 will connect travel advisors with the tour operator’s destination specialists and over 25 travel partner suppliers from across Africa and the Middle East. The annual event is one of the largest and most comprehensive travel events focused on African and Middle Eastern nations in Canada; and new this year is a virtual option.
Virtuoso welcomed a new advisory board in Canada; Ensemble launched a new certification program, Flight Centre has a profitable fiscal year, and an amazing Edmonton travel agent celebrated 50 years in travel!
They’re versatile! Following a visit early this summer designed to highlight arts and culture (culminating in tickets to a performance of the Philadelphia Orchestra), delegates from the Philadelphia Visitors and Convention Bureau returned to Toronto Wednesday, this time (ball) cap in hand while hosting select members of the trade at a Phillies-Jays game at the Rogers Centre.
In a small auditorium in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, Christopher Columbus and other colonial-era figures came under scrutiny recently in a lengthy debate punctuated by snickers, applause and outbursts. The government had asked residents of the diverse, twin-island nation in the eastern Caribbean if they supported the removal of statues, signs and monuments with colonial ties and how those spaces should be used instead.
With the launch – relaunch, actually – of Virgin Atlantic from Canada next May, company executives Simon Hawkins and Kathryn Stanley were in Toronto recently to talk about “everything and anything” regarding the colourful British carrier and its imminent, and much anticipated, return to this country.
A tourist visiting Canada is questioning the safety of Via Rail after he says his phone was snatched from him by an employee when he was documenting a train delay that left passengers stranded as they ran out of food, water and working toilets.
Starting Oct. 1, New Zealand will raise its visitor fees, nearly tripling the levy to NZ$100 from NZ$35 (about $84 Canadian). The move is designed to support public services (including tourism sites and facilities) and conservation, says the government, but critics claim it will discourage visitors