Canada’s airlines have agreed to make changes to improve the travel experience for disabled passengers, says the government, following last week’s national summit on air accessibility – a gathering that followed several high-profile incidents that placed the spotlight on problems in the industry.
Air Vanuatu filed for bankruptcy protection late last week after the South Pacific state-owned carrier cancelled all international flights, stranding thousands of travellers. But despite the filing, the carrier is looking to resume operations as soon as possible.
Pearson airport reported that it was packed with passengers in the first quarter of 2024, while Orlando was crawling with Canadians. In other round-up news from last week, the annual US Travel mega trade show IPW took place in LA with plenty of Canadians on hand, Cunard’s Queen Anne set sail on its long-awaited maiden voyage, ACV introduced India, and Goway is going to Utah.
Close to 150 Canadians may have been a drop in the bucket amongst the 5,700 attendees at IPW – US Travel’s signature international trade show – in Los Angeles this week, but the delegation had an outsized presence and proudly waved the flag as befits the US’s top international market.
Canada “made history” in Orlando in 2023, sending more than 1.2 million visitors to the theme park capital, according to Visit Orlando, which revealed the “big announcement” at the IPW US travel trade show in Los Angeles this week. The record-breaking numbers also ensured that Canada remained the destination’s No. 1 market ahead of the UK (877,000) and Brazil (696,000).
Overpacking is by far the biggest traveller mistake, according to some of the world’s most experienced travellers responding to the 2024 Winter Global Rescue Traveller Sentiment and Safety Survey. More than a third of respondents (35%) said overpacking was their biggest boo-boo, along with flying with connections and overly ambitious itineraries.
With up to 176 daily flights to 27 destinations from the city’s two airports, Porter Airlines is promising its most substantial summer schedule to date from Toronto. And by August, the carrier says it will be the third-largest carrier flying from Toronto Pearson International Airport, with up to 74 daily flights to 16 destinations across Canada and the United States.
An artisan roastery based in the Helsinki has introduced a coffee blend that has been developed by artificial intelligence in a trial in which it’s hoped that technology can ease the workload in a sector that traditionally prides itself on manual work. It is only apt that Kaffa Roastery’s “AI-conic” blend was launched in Finland, a Nordic nation of 5.6 million that consumes the most coffee in the world at 12 kg per capita annually, according to the International Coffee Organization.
Quick: where’s Banjul? How about Cotonou or Lome? Suddenly, places along the west and east coasts of Africa that are likely to have even veteran travellers doing where in the world? Google searches are being asked to quickly arrange docks and shore excursions for multiple cruise ships.
Sorry, Diana Ross. You too, Keanu Reeves (who sidelines as a bass player in the band Dogstar when not cracking skulls as John Wick). The star performer at this year’s edition of the US travel trade show IPW, held in Los Angeles this week, was Ziggy Marley.
Thousands of ride-or-die Taylor Swift fans who missed out on her US concert tour last year or didn’t want to buy exorbitantly priced tickets to see her again found an out-of-the-way solution: Fly to Europe. The pop star is scheduled to kick off the 18-city Europe leg of her record-setting Eras Tour in Paris on Thursday, and planeloads of Swifties plan to follow her across the pond in the coming weeks.
Hosting the world’s largest mammal migration, hippo population, man-made lake, and second largest wildebeest migration – not to mention one of the world’s most famous waterfalls – Zambia is gaining an increasing profile among North American travellers seeking travel authenticity.
Wyndham Hotels & Resorts is expanding into the upscale extended stay segment, launching a strategic relationship with industry innovator WaterWalk. The deal adds 11 hotels and over 1,500 rooms to the Wyndham ecosystem, rebranding them under the newly created WaterWalk Extended Stay by Wyndham brand, the 25th in Wyndham’s portfolio.
A cruise ship worker from South Africa was arrested Tuesday in Juneau, Alaska, accused of attacking a woman and two security guards with scissors. The suspect, from South Africa, was recently hired by Norwegian and boarded its Encore cruise ship in Seattle on Sunday. The ship left that day for a weeklong, round-trip excursion to Alaska with stops including Glacier Bay National Park and Victoria, British Columbia.
Prior to the 1980s, Cayo Largo was less frequently visited and, in fact, was not a home to permanent residents at the time, but the tides turned quickly when it became a sought-after destination for many all-inclusive resorts and earned its rightful place as one of the sunniest and most beautiful Cuban destinations for tropical vacations.
A cruise ship sailed into a New York City port with a 44-foot (13-meter) dead whale across its bow, marine authorities said. The whale, identified as an endangered sei whale, was caught on the ship’s bow when it arrived at the Port of Brooklyn on Saturday, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration fisheries spokesperson Andrea Gomez said.
It is now easier than ever for Canadian digital nomads to work remotely from Türkiye. With the new Digital Nomad Pre-Application platform Digital Nomad GoTürkiye, digital nomads can now easily initiate their application process online. Gaining popularity following the COVID-19 pandemic, digital nomads capitalize on remote work by travelling the world and logging on wherever they have an internet connection.
Qantas Airways agreed to pay AU$ 120 million Australian dollars (CA $104.2 million) in compensation and a fine for selling tickets on thousands of cancelled flights. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission sued the Sydney-based airline in the Federal Court last year. The commission alleged that Qantas engaged in false, misleading or deceptive conduct by advertising tickets for more than 8,000 flights from May 2021 through to July 2022 that had already been cancelled.
A British Airways transatlantic flight bound for London from Bermuda had to abort take-off due to a bomb threat to the aircraft. The threat was emailed to LF Wade airport just as the flight with 197 people on board was due to leave Sunday night. Passengers disembarked and were accommodated in Bermuda overnight.
The transformative power of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its role in shaping the future of Travel & Tourism are examined in new reports by the World Travel & Tourism Council, which cites its commitment to a digital future that prioritizes safety, ethical considerations, and responsible AI adoption.
Travellers on Air Transat heading to Brussels from Montreal-Trudeau International Airport on May 5, were treated to a Wonka-themed flight celebrating the arrival of the movie on the airline’s in-flight entertainment system. The whimsical experience was the result of a first-time collaboration between Air Transat, Warner Bros. and Quebec-based Chocolats Favoris.
With outdoor adventure and escaping the hustle and bustle of day-to-day life remaining a top reason to travel, Visit Scotland says there’s never been a better time for travel advisors to get clients thinking about Scotland – a country with “endless options” for being active.
Known for diversity and inclusivity, Orlando has been a pioneer in LGBTQ+ tourism dating back to the original Gay Days in 1991. A winning family travel destination in the 2022 “Gay Travel Awards,” the Florida city promotes inclusivity through events, nightlife, and activities that welcome all and embraces the ethos: “the place where dragons, coasters and Pride flags fly.”
Set to debut in the Western Med. on Seabourn Venture in Spring, 2025, “The Collection” is a series of exclusive sailings featuring unique, one-of-a-kind shoreside experiences that includes exclusive access to private cultural events, fine dining at world-renowned wineries, and premium tickets to iconic tennis tournaments in select marquee ports.
In the latest round of their decades-long battle for dominance in commercial aircraft, Europe’s Airbus established a clear sales lead over Boeing even before the American company encountered more fallout from manufacturing problems and ongoing safety concerns.
A potential strike between WestJet and its mechanics union appears to have been avoided. A statement from the Calgary-based airline Sunday night says a tentative deal between it and the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association has been agreed to. WestJet had issued a 72-hour lockout notice on Saturday to the union, saying it was response to AMFA announcing a strike vote.
MSC Cruises Canada will conduct an exclusive webinar series tailored specifically for travel agents in Canada. The first session will take place May 9. Hosted by MSC business development managers Annie Archambault, Mokhtar Kerkeni, Tammy Thompson and Facinet Yansane, the webinars are designed to offer useful insights into the company while boosting agents’ knowledge and sales skills.
A new awareness campaign will train staff at the Greater Sudbury Airport and educate travellers to recognize and respond to the signs of human trafficking. Angels of Hope Against Human Trafficking, a local non-profit organization providing support to survivors and public education about one of the country’s fastest-growing crimes, will launch a campaign entitled Spot the Signs, Break the Chains on May 12.
The Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority (HTA) has partnered with Kanu Hawai‘i to make it easier for visitors to search and sign up for enriching volunteer opportunities throughout the state. Travellers planning their trips in the Hawaiian Islands can now access the Mālama Hawai‘i Volunteer Dashboard at GoHawaii.com/malama, the state’s official website for visitors.
As more people reconsider how they travel on a warming planet, a small but growing contingent in Europe wants to switch from high-emission, short-haul planes to more climate-friendly sleeper trains. But for all the climate benefits – plus the enduring romance of overnight train journeys – it’s not always simple building a vacation around them.