Visit Myrtle Beach has released a children’s book titled “Splish, Splash, Squawk! Finding Joy in a Sensory-Friendly Vacation.” designed to inspire families with children on the autism spectrum to explore the joys of travelling together. The initiative is the latest addition to an extensive program that the destination is extremely passionate about, according to VMB executives.
IHG Hotels & Resorts newest midscale conversion brand Garner hotels is set to grow, with locations now earmarked for IHG’s Europe, Middle East, Asia & Africa region. Designed to offer guests a high quality, distinct experience at a price that’s hard to find, Garner’s goal is to have more than 500 hotels in the next 10 years, and 1,000 hotels over the next 20 years.
Airport screening officers at Pearson International Airport will vote this week on a tentative agreement reached late Friday night that averted a strike at the facility that had been set for the weekend. According to the news outlets, the deal would give Canadian Airport Workers Union (CAWU) a 24 percent pay raise over the next three years.
When it comes to taking vacations, nearly six in 10 Canadians (58%) claim to be “vacation deprived,” according to a new consumer survey. That’s an increase from 2023, but still less than our neighbours south of the border, where 65% of people say they don’t take enough time off.
American Airlines has put an unspecified number of employees on leave for their involvement in an incident in January in which several Black passengers were removed from a flight in Phoenix, allegedly over a complaint about body odor. American CEO Robert Isom wrote in a note to staff that the incident was unacceptable.
WestJet says it will be launching a new travel agent learning portal later this year and is seeking input from the trade to help make it the most valuable that it can be. Agents are invited to take a short multiple-choice survey to express their opinions, which will be factored into the design of the tool.
Air Transat has introduced several new route options from Montreal. Year-round flights are now available to Nantes, France, while additional frequencies have been added to Marrakech, Morocco, and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. All options are now open for booking.
June marks the start of Pow Wow season and a host of events will take place across the Canada, some taking place this weekend. Open to all, the powerful gatherings bring together multiple generations in a celebration of food, cultural traditions, community building, and spiritual healing in honour of Indigenous life, culture and traditions.
A new report last week confirmed that domestic airfares have been rising, and will continue to do so this summer, while another said the number of Canadians planning on using a travel advisors is on the up. Meanwhile, Pearson airport is preparing for higher-than-normal traffic this summer, and ACTA announced that registration is open for its three September cross-country summits.
Boeing CEO David Calhoun defended the company’s safety record during a contentious US Senate hearing this week, while lawmakers accused him of placing profits over safety, failing to protect whistleblowers, and even getting paid too much. Relatives of people who died in two crashes of Boeing 737 Max jetliners were in the room, some holding photos of their loved ones, to remind the CEO of the stakes.
WestJet and its airplane mechanics have agreed to resume negotiations, removing a strike threat that had been set to begin Thursday evening – a possibility that had resulted in the carrier cancelling nearly 50 flights in the days preceding in preparation.
Stonehenge monuments that have stood for thousands of years appear unscathed after climate protesters sprayed orange paint on them. Workers cleaned the stones and the roughly 4,500-year-old monument was visibly undamaged, and ready to welcome thousands of revelers celebrating the summer solstice today (Friday), the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.
Molly Brandt, executive chef for in-flight catering company Gate Gourmet, sees her role as similar to that of a fashion designer creating haute couture. Her tasting events for airline clients are similar to a runway show, she said, in that she unveils one-of-a-kind menu items that have taken months to develop.
The names roll off the tongue will familiarity: Venice, Malibu, Santa Monica… The world-famous beach cities of Los Angeles offer sun, sand and surf, along with wellness and outdoor recreation, street art and shopping, nightlife, and some of the best cuisine found in Los Angeles. They also offer another, sometimes unexpected, side of the US’s second largest metropolis, help reduce the city to manageable – and marvellous.
Breaching whales, polar bears on the prowl, other-worldly landscapes and cultures whose traditions date back to pre-history. No summer travel destination can give you an entirely new view of the world like an Arctic experience. I can vouch for that because a Northwest Passage crossing I did on the luxury expedition ship Seabourn Venture last year is still inspiring my dreams.
Even the biggest rock bands in the world had to start somewhere and, in this case, the year was 1978 and a first-ever appearance on Irish TV captured a teenage Paul David Hewson and David Howell Evans in their formative years, showing their chops, if not the style, that soon took them to the top of the pops.
Another day, another strike deadline – this time by screening officers at Toronto Pearson airport, who have set Saturday at midnight for labour action, according to a report in the Toronto Star. Until then, the private company that employs the workers, Garda World, says that negotiations will continue with the union representing 2,800 workers.
Four in 10 Canadians travellers (40%) – and even more in Quebec (45%) – plan to plan to book their next vacation with the help of a travel professional, according to new research by Transat Distribution Canada. The survey, conducted by Ipsos, shows a significant increase over 2023, when 31% of Canadian and 38% of Quebec customers registered similar sentiment.
Most visitors – including Canadians – see Hawaii as a safe and secure destination, according to the islands’ latest Visitor Satisfaction and Activity Survey (VSAT), which surveyed visitors from multiple destinations who visited Hawaii in the fourth quarter of 2023. More than 90% of visitors from all markets rated Hawaii as “excellent” or “above average” when it comes to being a safe and secure destination, including 99.0% from Canada.
Air Canada Vacations is encouraging the trade travel to help it support the 401 Bike Challenge, which benefits the Pediatric Oncology departments at Toronto SickKids, Ottawa CHEO and Montreal Children’s hospitals. ACV is the title sponsor of the event, which takes place Aug. 14-16.
Intrepid Travel is accelerating its strategic expansion plans into new verticals, which includes accommodation, with the announced the appointment of French hotel veteran Celine Hurelle to lead its expansion into the sector.
Kimpton Hotels is headed for Hawaii with the IHG brand’s first property in the islands. Following a historically sensitive restoration of the landmark Coco Palms resort in Kauai – known as a premier destination during the golden era of Hollywood, with such guests such as Elvis Presley, Rita Hayworth and Gene Autry – the Coco Palms, A Kimpton Resort is anticipated to open in 2026.
Olympia, London’s famed events venue – and original home of World Travel Market starting in 1980 – is putting on a new face. The nearly 140-year-old exhibition hall in West Kensington neighbourhood is being redeveloped into the in British capital’s newest cultural and entertainment destination and what is being called a “global landmark.”
WestJet mechanics say they are poised to walk off the job early as Thursday night after serving the airline with a 72-hour strike notice yesterday. In response, the airline has started cancelling and consolidating flights “in order to park aircraft in a safe and organized manner.”
From serene nature retreats to silent walking, the quest for quietude has become one of modern travel’s latest trends. Condé Nast Traveler said recently it was “the travel trend we’re most obsessed with this year.” For many, quiet travel goes beyond escaping the cacophony of everyday life while on vacation. It can be a shift toward introspection; a deeper connection with where we are both literally and figuratively.
Transat has pledged its support to Flash Forest, a Canadian aerial reforestation company whose mission is to rebuild healthy resilient forests at scale through a data-driven, biodiversity-centric, and community-led approach. By 2025, Transat says it will have helped finance the replanting of a forest devastated by wildfires, with over 70,000 trees or 48 hectares. This will allow for the sequestration of nearly 29,411 tonnes of CO2 over the course of the trees’ lifetime.
If there was only one takeaway for travel advisors from the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) event in Burlington, Ont., this week, it was to recognize the overwhelming variety of the destination – a sentiment stated succinctly by Sarah Chensky of MGM Resorts, who said, “There’s a different Vegas for different people.”
Intrepid Travel has unveiled a new-look North American leadership team and that includes current Chief Customer Officer Leigh Barnes moving into the role of President of the Americas and Canadian travel industry stalwart Christian Wolters being appointed to a newly created position of President of Canada.
Ontario’s first Curio Collection by Hilton is now open, bringing a new level of flair to Toronto’s entertainment district. The theatrically themed, 224-room Revery Toronto Downtown is located at 92 Peter St., a short walk from the Princess of Wales and Royal Alexandra theatres, and the TIFF Lightbox.
A big, round, 4,000-year-old stone building discovered on a Cretan hilltop is puzzling archaeologists and threatening to disrupt a major airport project on the Greek tourist island.