Pro-Palestinian demonstrators blocked roadways in Illinois, California, New York and the Pacific Northwest on Monday, temporarily shutting down travel into some of America’s most heavily used airports, onto the Golden Gate and Brooklyn bridges and on a busy West Coast highway.
Less than a week after re-instating flights between Canada and Israel, Air Canada cancelled service due to the weekend’s missile and drone attack against the country by Iran. Air Canada stated on its website that operations to Tel Aviv were “paused” with flights cancelled on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. At press time, the carrier said the next scheduled flight is now Thursday, April 16.
Calling American Airlines’ decision to award loyalty points only to clients that book directly or through a small number of “preferred agencies a “punitive measure” against travel agencies that choose to use third-party booking platforms, the World Travel Agents Associations Alliance (WTAAA) warns the policy is “a threat to the travel agent ecosystem.”
Onvigo says it’s a host agency with a “twist.” The brainchild of Chippy Jegathesan, CEO of Canadian consolidator Voyzant, the enterprise recently launched with a “no fees, no (social) barriers” model designed to “empower individuals from all backgrounds to thrive in the travel industry.” The agency also aims to equally appeal to existing independent agents, those who may have been “away” for a while during the pandemic, and especially individuals looking to join the industry.
Discover The Palm Beaches (DTPB), the tourism marketing organization for Palm Beach County, Fla., has created a new resource to help travel professionals learn, sell, engage with, and promote The Palm Beaches.
The Grande Prairie Airport has received $140,000 from the Alberta provincial government to explore renovations that could include adding customs and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA). The money will fund a Canadian Border Services Agency Facilities Study.
Small-ship luxury cruise Windstar Cruises is expanding its fleet with the addition of two all-suite motor yachts, Star Seeker and Star Explorer. The first of the two ships, new-build Star Seeker, is expected to be delivered in December of 2025, followed by Star Explorer in December, 2026.
Toronto’s airports authority has announced a multibillion-dollar plan to update and modernize Toronto Pearson Airport. The program will see the refurbishment of existing airport assets, including high-speed taxi lanes, a modernized airfield electric lighting and control system, and interim terminal facilities.
With total sales revenue of $9.8 billion reported in 2023, Canadian tour operators recorded an “impressive” bounce-back from the difficult days of the pandemic, says the Canadian Association of Tour Operators (CATO).
With rising travel costs and some airlines introducing surge pricing policies on checked baggage, plus new paid seat options, Corporate Traveller Canada’s latest poll paints a vivid picture of the strains facing Canadian business travellers today.
ACTA is launching quarterly professional development sessions focusing on different segments within the travel and tourism industry. The new initiative aims to provide a platform for learning and discussion of industry trends, enhancing industry knowledge and fostering dialogue. The 2024 spring session leadership panel takes place April 26 at 1 p.m. EST and will focus on the cruise segment.
Lufthansa and a union representing cabin crew have reached a pay deal, concluding the last of several major disputes that have led to recent strikes at Germany’s biggest airline and in the country’s wider aviation sector. The UFO union said nearly 19,000 cabin crew will get a pay raise effectively totaling 17.4% in three stages under the three-year deal, plus a one-time payment of 3,000 euros (CDN$4.400) per person to offset inflation. Some bonuses also will be increased.
Universal Orlando Resort’s two newest hotels – Universal Stella Nova Resort and Terra Luna Resort – are set to settle into earthly orbit in early 2025, promising to place guests “in the centre of marvellous galaxies and diverse planetary elements for an experience unlike anywhere else in the universe.” Opening Jan. 21 and Feb. 25 respectively, Stella Nova and Terra Luna are co-owned and operated by Loews Hotels & Co., boasting a combined total of 1,500 guest rooms featuring an extra-terrestrial theme.
This week’s round-up reveals a new Caribbean marketing organization in Canada, a bold move from NCL, extended visa requirements for Brazil (again), an impending strike that could affect meals on flights from YYZ (including Air Canada and WestJet), and it’s National Tourism Week!
With little fanfare, Air Canada has resumed service between Canada and Israel following a six-month pause. The airline says flights between Toronto and Tel Aviv resumed April 9, and a once-weekly flight between Montreal and Tel Aviv will resume in May.
An Australian court has rejected a case brought by five women seeking compensation from Qatar Airways over invasive gynecological examinations conducted on passengers at Doha’s airport in 2020, but their case against the airport’s operator is going ahead.
Find a globe in your local library or maybe your office: Close the eyes, spin it and drop a finger randomly on its curved, glossy surface. You’re likely to pinpoint a spot in the water, which covers 71% of the planet. Maybe you’ll alight on a place you’ve never heard of – or a spot that no longer exists after a war or because of climate change.
The Oakland International Airport has voted to add “San Francisco” to its name to attract more passengers, but its neighbours across the Bay have slammed the rebrand. Oakland airport officials say travellers unfamiliar with the region fly into San Francisco’s airport even if their destination is closer to the East Bay airport. Modifying the name to San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport will change that, they say. The airport’s three-letter code OAK would not change.
With springtime arriving, there are beautiful gardens all around the world filled with flowers getting ready to bloom. But which of these spots deserve a place on one’s travel bucket list?
Big ship orders and a buoyant future for cruising were the buzz at Seatrade Cruise Global, the cruise industry’s biggest confab of the year, held in this week in Miami. Record levels of early booking for 2025 are not a result of left-over demand from the shutdowns of the pandemic era, but the new normal, Josh Weinstein, CEO of Carnival Corp. declared in the State of the Industry panel discussion at the conference.
If you love Elton John (and Bernie Taupin), the performance honouring the pair with the prestigious Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song for 2024 is a must. The gala aired on PBS earlier this week and featured a host of performances, including Joni Mitchell, Brandi Carlisle, and Garth Brooks covering John/Taupin classics. Even Metallica weighed in for “Funeral for a Friend/Loves Lies Bleeding” (oddly, it worked!).
Brazil’s government has postponed until April 2025 tourist visa exemptions for Canadians that had been scheduled to end on Wednesday. The decision (which similarly applies to Americans and Australians) was delivered late Tuesday and marks the third time Brazil has delayed lifting the visa requirement since President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva took office in 2023.
TravelBrands celebrated its relationship with travel advisors and partners at gala evening events held in Toronto (Tuesday) and Montreal (Wednesday) this week. About 1,000 attendees were expected at the Agent Appreciation Events, which featured presentations, reception, and a massive trade show.
Dedicated to sustainable practices and the preservation of natural heritage around the world, Goway has donated $14,000 to Project Rhino, an alliance of dedicated organizations focused on safeguarding the rhinoceros population in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa from poaching.
Strong demand heading into the summer-vacation season is an indication that travellers seem unfazed by recent incidents in the industry that ranged from a panel blowing off a jetliner midflight flight to a tire falling off another plane during takeoff, according to the head of Delta Airlines.
MSC Poesia docked at the Port of Québec April 10, officially kicking off the 2024 Destination Saint Lawrence international cruise season. Nine ports of call are gearing up to welcome 46 different ships from 29 cruise lines in 2024, while bookings to date are estimated to represent over 400,000 passenger-days and some 500 days in port.
2024 and 2025 are shaping up to be especially busy years for property openings in Los Cabos, Mexico, with some of the finest hoteliers in the world expected to introduce new marvels of architecture – each rich in amenities – to the coastlines of Los Cabos’ tourism corridor.
A passenger has been fined for urinating in a cup during a delay in deplaning after landing at Sydney Airport. The incident, after a three-hour Air New Zealand flight from Auckland, occurred last December and a Sydney court fined the 53-year-old man AUS$600 for offensive behaviour in February, officials said Friday.
ACTA says its review of American Airlines’ policy statements on loyalty points and NDCs in February has only reinforced its strong opposition to the measures and is urging the airline to reconsider.
Norwegian Cruise Line Holidays has revealed an “unprecedented decades-long strategy” that includes building eight new vessels across its three brands plus the construction of a multi-ship pier at Great Stirrup Cay, the company’s private island destination in the Bahamas.