As the allure of the enigmatic monuments and history of Egyptian empires attract increasing numbers of tourists, AmaWaterways has doubled its Nile River fleet. The luxurious new AmaLilia, featuring 41 staterooms, including 13 suites is welcoming guests as part of an 11-night cruise and land experience.
Sometimes all there is to say is “wow.” It’s hard to match powerhouse vocalist Roger Daltrey, but Debo Ray makes it a conversation on this rendition of The Who classic “Love Reign O’er Me” in a performance from just last September.
Allianz’s Summer Vacation Confidence Study reveals that summer vacation confidence is on the rise with nearly two-thirds (61%) of Canadians planning to take a trip this summer. The first-annual summer study paints a rosy picture of the travel landscape in Canada, suggesting a greater balance between winter and summer trips.
Global luxury and experiential travel network Virtuoso recently hosted its annual Symposium in Dubai with more than 400 travel professionals from 37 countries in attendance. Attendees took part in industry discussions, thought leadership sessions, deep dives into travel trends and business optimization and one-on-one networking, while also getting views on both the present and future from the upper echelons of the organization.
Citing strong demand, Porter Airlines says it is doubling capacity on its routes from Toronto Pearson to Las Vegas and Los Angeles, starting Aug. 29 and Sept. 5 respectively. Both cities will be served by twice daily flights on new 132-seat Embraer E195-E2 aircraft.
Cunard says it registered record-breaking bookings following the launch of its new ship Queen Anne. The 3,000-guest vessel set sail on its maiden voyage on May 3 before returning to her homeport of Southampton on May 24 to begin a celebratory British Isles Festival voyage, which included a spectacular naming ceremony in Liverpool.
The annual rainy season has arrived with a deluge in much of Florida, where a disorganized disturbance of tropical weather from the Gulf of Mexico has caused street flooding and triggered tornado watches, but so far has not caused major damage or injuries.
Singapore Airlines has offered compensation to passengers of a flight that hit extreme turbulence last month, in a rare case that killed one passenger and injured dozens. The Being 777 jet, carrying 211 passengers and 18 crew from London to Singapore, ran into sudden turbulence over the Irawaddy basin on May 20, hurling people and items around the cabin.
In 1964, Universal City Studios invited tourists to take a whirlwind adventure for a first-hand look at Hollywood moviemaking in action. Five times a day, for approximately just over two hours, Monday through Friday, iconic red and white Glamour Trams, with their ruffled awnings, would whisk eager tourists through its studio backlot to be a fly on the wall in the making of Universal movie and television productions. Since then, over 200 million visitors have experienced the now iconic Los Angeles-area attraction.
Workers at Canada’s borders are no longer planning to go on strike after their union reached a tentative agreement with the federal government. The Public Service Alliance of Canada said Tuesday it reached a deal with the government for Canada Border Services Agency employees after working “around the clock.”
The union representing mechanics at WestJet says its members voted overwhelmingly to reject a tentative agreement with the airline. The Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association, which represents some 670 aircraft maintenance engineers and other skilled trade positions at the carrier, says about 97 percent of its members cast a ballot against the deal.
LGBTQ+ travellers continue to face significant challenges, according to new research from Booking.com. The online retailer reports that more than half (63%) of Canadian LGBTQ+ travellers have experienced discrimination when travelling – a number that has increased by 10 percent since last year’s ‘Travel Proud’ survey.
Tahiti is preparing for its moment in the sun, when the eyes of the world will be on the French Polynesian paradise as it hosts the surfing competition for this summer’s Olympic Games. An overseas territory of France, the island seemed like a more natural setting for the competition than landlocked Paris.
Canadian members were recognized at Travel Leaders Network’s annual international conference in Washington DC, while TRAVELSAVERS Canada leaders learned about Sandals Saint Vincent; also, in the Round-Up, Playa Hotels & Resorts honoured its top agents, including a number of Canadians.
On Jan. 19, 1874, Winnipeg’s first city council met. Back then, the main attraction for the city’s nearly 2,000 inhabitants was a large muddy road connecting a handful of roughly assembled wood houses, along with the stone gate of Upper Fort Garry. Fast forward 150 years, and now visitors will find a host of world-class attractions, performance groups, sports facilities, gardens, cultural centres, and vibrant neighbourhoods – and a pretty stylish park surrounding the Fort.
Animal rights activists pasted a cartoon image over a portrait of King Charles III on Tuesday at a London art gallery, the latest in a series of incidents at UK museums as campaigners use vandalism to publicize their causes. A group called Animal Rising shared a video of campaigners pasting a picture of a character called Wallace, from the “Wallace and Gromit” comedy series, over the king’s head.
On previous occasions announcing Virgin Atlantic service to Canada, Richard Branson descended from a helicopter in full hockey gear over an ice rink at Toronto’s Harbourfront. Another time, he arrived in aircraft accompanied by an emerging local pop star named Drake. It remains to be seen if Sir Richard will again be on hand and what may be planned when the airline launches service next year between Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) and London Heathrow (LHR).
Summer travel has begun and Booking.com has aggregated the latest Canadian data to determine where Canadian families are travelling, and why. The survey is based on booking data and flight and accommodation search volume from the online retailer, and from Kamloops to Kalamata, Greece, some of the choices are sure to surprise!
While the communities of Greater Phoenix attract much of the attention in Arizona, nearby Tuscon has its own unique allure, not least over 300 days of sunshine a year and winter temperatures that are guaranteed to appeal to Canadian snowbirds and vacationers eager to escape the cold up north.
ACTA will host an online Leadership Panel on Friday (June 14) focussing on the importance of selling travel health insurance. It is the second panel for ACTA, which in April announced a series of quarterly professional development sessions focusing on different segments within the travel and tourism industry.
Uniworld Boutique River Cruises’ new Uniworld University course for 2025 is now available in its online travel advisor education program. The course details what’s to come in 2025 for the luxury river cruise line, including five new itineraries, expanded land extensions, more ‘MAKE TRAVEL MATTER’ experiences, and a new ship setting sail next year, the SS Elisabeth.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) and Star Alliance are enhancing their long-standing relationship in the field of travel compliance solutions, with the Alliance adopting a next-gen travel documentation and verification system that supports contactless travel for its 26 member airlines.
The bustling and high-stress atmosphere of airports can be challenging for neurodiverse individuals. To address this concern, Vancouver International Airport (YVR) and Pacific Autism Family Network (PAFN) have launched of a series of interactive travel training videos that simulates the travel experience from the curb to cloud, enabling individuals to familiarize themselves with various travel processes and empowering them to approach real travel situations with confidence.
As France readies for a tourism surge for this summer’s Olympic Games, UN Tourism has revealed that the country is already the world’s most visited destination, easily maintaining its status for the second year in a row with 100 million international tourist arrivals in 2023. But who’s next?
The union that represents 9,000 CBSA workers say they won’t strike until at least Wednesday, as mediation continues. The Public Service Alliance of Canada had initially said border workers were set to strike as early as 4 p.m. Friday if the two sides hadn’t reached a deal. But shortly after the deadline, a spokesperson for the union said negotiations would continue.
A new state-of-the-art new website and continuing commitment to travel advisors – and their clients – is at the heart of Goway’s first rebranding in the company’s 54-year history. The effort also includes a new logo designed to capture the “forward-thinking spirit of a company that has pioneered tailor-made trips for globetrotters for over 50 years.”
With Santa Monica having been a key partner at the recent IPW travel trade show – the destination dubbed LA’s “beach city” was the site of after-show festivities for delegates, including Canadian attendees, over the course of two nights – the timing was right last week for Team Santa Monica to follow up with their annual Canadian mission to engage and update the trade in this country on the latest happenings in the SoCal destination.
MSC Cruises has unveiled an expanded slate of itineraries for guests departing from the line’s four US homeports: Miami, Port Canaveral, New York, and Galveston, Texas. The company’s Winter 2025/26 season will feature seven ships, including MSC Grandiosa’s debut in the US from Port Canaveral; the cruise line’s inaugural season sailing from Galveston; and MSC World America’s first winter season sailing from Miami, following her debut as the line’s newest flagship in April 2025.
Sandals Resorts International (SRI) is commemorating the 15th anniversary of its non-profit arm, the Sandals Foundation with a new, year-long campaign titled, Empower 15. The project aims top harness the strength of the Caribbean sun to bring sustainable solar energy to Caribbean schools, ensuring a much-needed power supply that allows for digital learning to continue uninterrupted.
IATA said last week that flight fares are expected to rise. Also in the Round Up, Transat reported rising revenue, but overall losses; WestJet went back to basics, while Air Canada set it sights on inflight snacks; Disney got back on track for future growth in Florida, and Sunwing introduced an incentive in conjunction with partner Melia; plus, our usual categories, including cruise, incentives, tours, and hotels/resorts.