It’s Australia month at Goway and any mention of DownUnder always gets me thinking about my favourite singer, the amazing Aussie Paul Kelly – a multi-talented singer-songwriter-poet I have previously introduced in this space, comparing his band and style to Blue Rodeo.
More than half of travellers surveyed by Virtuoso say global developments in 2023 have encouraged them to travel more responsibly, citing geopolitical conflicts, overtourism, and the effects of climate change, such as natural disasters, pollution, and rising temperatures.
Citing strong financial results– including record annual revenue – Air Canada issued its 2023 Annual Report highlighting the carrier’s achievements for the year, including progress made on several key strategic initiatives.
Viking “floated out” its newest ship for the Nile River – the 82-guest Viking Hathor— late last week, marking a major construction milestone and the first time the ship has touched water. Set to debut in August, the Viking Hathor will join the company’s growing fleet of state-of-the-art ships for the Nile River and will sail Viking’s popular 12-day ‘Pharaohs & Pyramids’ itinerary.
In this week’s retail round-up, Direct Travel agents are “pulling off the impossible,” while TRAVELSAVERS and Virtuoso are welcoming new team members; plus, a couple of countries have specialist news.
During the pandemic, the Ontario government implemented several measures to help reduce the burden on Ontario’s registered travel agencies and tour operators and to assist certain travellers impacted by the pandemic. While some of the changes were permanent, others were time limited. Now, TICO is reminding that the final two temporary amendments are set to expire this year, beginning next week.
Passengers at busy Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas can test self-screening at customs – a new system that US federal airport security officials are calling “a step into the future.”
France’s capital resurrected a 110-year-old race for its servers Sunday. The dash through central Paris celebrated the dexterous and, yes, by their own admission, sometimes famously moody men and women without whom France wouldn’t be France.
Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun will step down from the embattled plane maker at the end of the year after a series of mishaps at one of America’s most storied manufacturers. Board Chair Larry Kellner has also told the company he doesn’t plan to stand for re-election in May. Boeing also said Monday that Stan Deal, president and CEO of its commercial airplanes unit, will retire immediately from the company.
Port Everglades, the world’s third largest cruise port, is among the top gateways for Canadians heading off on a Caribbean cruise vacation. And located only 15 minutes from downtown Fort Lauderdale – and even less from the airport – it’s perfectly positioned for clients who want to add on extra time in sophisticated and fun South Florida to their cruise vacation.
Italy followed France on Monday in stepping up security following the attack on a suburban Moscow concert hall and the claim of responsibility by an affiliate of the Islamic State group.
Travel professionals can discover special deals and not-to-be-missed attractions now that Visit Lauderdale, the official destination marketing organization for Greater Fort Lauderdale, has launched its new VIP Passport for travel advisors.
American Express Global Business Travel (Amex GBT) is buying CWT. Subject to customary conditions, the “definitive agreement” between the two business travel giants is valued at approximately US$570 million, with a closing date expected in the second half of the year.
Greater Fort Lauderdale’s tropical paradise offers a sweet retreat for all who visit. Better still, there are countless free ways to explore local gems, annual events, and worldclass art venues and attractions, no matter the interest or party size.
G Adventures and its non-profit partner, Planeterra, have confirmed that the second annual GX Community Tourism Summit will be held in India this fall. The destination has been a closely guarded secret by G since the inaugural event in Cusco, Peru in 2023.
By the simplest measurement, the answer to that question is ‘no’ but you would never know that by reading about the torrent of flight problems in the last three months. The last deadly crash involving a North American airliner (Colgan Air, which operated for Continental Express, United Express and US Air Express) occurred in February 2009 – 15 years ago – an unprecedented streak of safety, especially given there were 9.6 million flights in the US alone last year.
US Federal regulators are increasing their oversight of United Airlines following a series of recent issues including a piece of the outer fuselage falling off one jet, an engine fire and a plane losing a tire during takeoff.
Two crew members on a Holland America cruise ship died during an “incident” in the ship’s engineering space, the cruise line said. The unidentified crew members died Friday while the Florida-based Nieuw Amsterdam was at Half Moon Cay in the Bahamas, Holland America said in a statement.
Blue Diamond Resorts is mapping its entire portfolio with immersive 3D scenarios that take each resort into the metaverse and make it easy for travellers and travel professionals to experience 360° virtual tours of all on-property details through an easy-to-use interface.
Goway is celebrating having booked 500 group vacations worldwide in the past year – a milestone the tour company says marks its Groups Only division’s most profitable period to date and showcases the burgeoning demand for custom group travel experiences.
In a decision hailed by an environmental group as a historic victory, an Amsterdam court has ruled that Dutch national airline KLM misled consumers in statements about sustainable aviation in a case that accused the carrier of “greenwashing.”
ACTA and Avalon Waterways are combining for a 2024 cruise summit and TTAND turned 10; in other news highlights, there were glad tidings for all-inclusives, and plenty of cruise happenings – not least a name for Disney’s newest ship, a date for the MSC World America debut, and release of NCL’S latest agent tool.
Call them ‘travelebrities’ – the celebrities, icons, and digital influencers who are increasingly shaping the travel desires of a younger demographic when it comes to planning their ‘scenecations,’ according to a new survey from the Flight Centre.
Conditions on federal loans to Transat A.T. Inc. mean the tour operator’s CEO lost out on nearly half a million dollars in compensation last year. A document prepared by the Montreal-based company for its shareholders shows that strings attached to $743 million in emergency loans from Ottawa during the pandemic deprived chief executive Annick Guérard of $489,500 in cash in 2023.
Avalon Waterways and ACTA are reprising their successful European River Cruise Summit for a second year during which 130 Canadian travel advisors will be invited to sail the Danube River aboard the Avalon Illumination on Oct. 28, 2024. Deadline to apply is April 8.
On March 24, 80 years ago, in one of the most ingenious and audacious acts of defiance of World War II, 76 prisoners of war tunneled out of a German POW camp into a snowy forest. For most of the escapees, it ended tragically. Three made it to safety, but the others were recaptured and 50 of them were executed.
It’s really unusual to get a birth announcement a year in advance. But MSC Cruises thinks the arrival of its new flagship MSC World America is an event cruisers need to make a priority in their planners for 2025.
Canadians are not only polite, but also a punctual bunch, observe execs at Buffalo Niagara International Airport. With this in mind, the facility – a popular gateway for southern Ontarians heading to New York, Florida, and other points in the US – is eager to point out to travellers from north of the border that it has plenty of options and activities for those who arrive early at BUF before winging off to somewhere else.
These are a few of my favourite things: Jimmy Buffet, New Orleans, and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. And now the three of them have amazingly come together with the unexpected new video of a song recorded in 2023 just before the late singer’s untimely death.
Canadian arrivals numbers to the Caribbean reached 88.1 percent of pre-pandemic levels in 2023. And with an estimated three million tourist visits by the end of the year, the performance of Canada represented a whopping 46.1 percent increase over 2022, according to the Caribbean Tourism Organization.