With the pandemic firmly behind it, Japan is uniformly rated as one of 2024’s most desired destinations, and one of the most tantalizing features of a visit is seeing sakura – cherry blossoms – which paint the landscape in cities and countryside a magnificent pale pink from March through May.
Oceania Cruises is charting a 180-day round the world course for its newest ship Vista in 2026. One of the longest world cruises ever, the circumnavigation will visit 101 ports across 43 countries on a 1,200-guest ship that sets a new standard for comfort and convenience.
It’s International Women’s Day, so what better time to check in with Cyndi Lauper, the one-of-a-kind pop star who is still synonymous with the 1983 song “Girls Want to Have Fun” – an instant feminist anthem that went on to influence a generation of female performers (and listeners) while also becoming an expression in the everyday vernacular. Lauper, now 70, is in the news this week, having just entered a partnership with the Swedish masterminds behind the immersive virtual concert ABBA Voyage.
A decade ago on March 8, a Malaysia Airlines flight vanished without a trace, becoming one of aviation’s biggest mysteries. Investigators still do not know exactly what happened to the plane and its 239 passengers. But Malaysia’s government says it may renew the hunt for MH370 after an American marine robotics company that tried to find the plane in 2018 proposed a fresh search.
“We are a country of cruisers,” says Una O’Leary. As evidence, the Canadian GM for Virtuoso points to a “staggering” rise in future cruise bookings across the network – and figures showing that cruising comprised nearly half (48%) of all 2023 sales in the region.
With the belief that use artificial intelligence can “unlock efficiencies, inspire product innovation, and elevate user experiences,” Amex GBT has launched a new AI initiative, including the creation of a special task force, to focus on the developing technology within the corporate travel management ecosystem.
‘Senses of Ireland,’ Tourism Ireland’s new concept event series, is rolling through eastern Canada this week, kicking off March Irish Heritage Month in Canada. Along with industry partners from across the island of Emerald Isle, Tourism Ireland is aiming to transport the travel trade and on a sensory journey through Ireland while its diverse product offerings.
A pair of familiar names – Sunwing Vacations and the Cuba Tourist Board – are in the spotlight this week as the pair collaborate as series sponsors and in-program travel partners on the launch of the 12th season of Big Brother Canada.
Visit California has officially revealed its new ‘Ultimate Playground’ global brand platform, the state’s first brand evolution in more than a decade. Launched this week with the “Let’s Play” global campaign, the Ultimate Playground aims to inspire global travellers, including Canadians, to stay and play in California on their next holiday.
In a competitive business environment, keeping track of how the competition operates and strategizes is essential. Data is critical because it can be culled and can serve as the impetus for your next marketing or sales strategy or inspiration for a big idea. Either way, data collection and monitoring are fundamental. Here’s what you should consider:
Miami Beach is trying to break up with spring break, but it’s not yet clear whether spring break will take the hint. After three consecutive years of spring break violence, Miami Beach officials are implementing monthlong security measures aimed at curbing the chaos.
Canadian professionals aged 18-34 are leading the rise in the ‘bizcation’ trend with a growing desire to blend remote work and vacations, according to a new study by Allianz Global Assistance, which found that almost half (47%) of young professionals plan to work remotely while travelling in 2024.
Lynx Air is the latest in a long line of low-cost airlines to fail in Canada. The airline ceased operations on Feb. 26, four days after announcing it had entered creditor protection on Feb. 22. This scenario is not novel in Canadian commercial aviation; Canada has had its fair share of discount carrier failings due to poor financial health.
First it was football, now Taylor Swift has been accused of disrupting tourism in Southeast Asia as the influential singer performs a series of exclusive concerts this week in Singapore. Swift is performing six exclusive concerts in the city-state through Sunday, prompting some Southeast Asian neighbours to complain that the Singapore deal deprives them of the tourism boom her concerts bring to hosts.
Ensemble served up a new incentive program for top performers, Flight Centre posted positive profit numbers, and CAA stepped up to help confused air travellers. Also making retail news in this week’s round-up were Air Canada Vacations and the Jamaica Tourist Board – both with incentive prizes up for grabs.
American Airlines announced a massive order for new planes, splitting 260 new aircraft between Boeing, Airbus and Embraer in a move designed to meet growing travel demand and increase the airline’s supply of premium seats. American said it placed options for up to 193 more planes over the next several years.
With the 63rd Annual Can-Am Days set to kick off Saturday (March 9) – coinciding with some school breaks – Canadians will begin their annual seasonal migration to Myrtle Beach. But while the festivities and special offers continue through March 17th, the Grand Strand region of South Carolina has a host of new offers and attractions that carry on throughout 2024.
Warm weather has upended winter recreation across North America and Europe this year, cancelling a 400-km dog sled race in Maine, opening golf courses in Ontario, and requiring snow saved from the previous year to run a ski race in Austria. A warm, dry El Niño weather pattern coupled with global warming is to blame, scientists say, and has put the threat to winter on centre stage.
Thousands of flights and trains are expected to be cancelled again this week in Germany after two unions on Monday called for more strikes over wages and working conditions. While negotiations continue for ground staff of Lufthansa and Deutsche Bahn train drivers, the strikes have been called for Thursday and Friday.
Spring is in the air in Arizona – and that means spring training baseball, desert blooms, and plenty of Canadians. And while the former are annual rights of Spring, the latter is especially welcome news as the southern US state expects to at last surpass pre-pandemic numbers in 2024.
JetBlue and Spirit Airlines are ending their proposed US$3.8 billion combination after a court ruling blocked their merger. The announcement was a win for consumers dependent on lower fares, but a disappointment for the carriers who, together, hoped to challenge the U.S. ‘Big 4’ airlines.
When it comes to safety culture at Boeing, there is a “disconnect” between senior management and workers, and employees responsible for checking the company’s planes question whether they can raise issues without fear of retaliation, according to a panel of outside experts.
Carnival Cruise Line has announced plans for a US$100-million pier extension that will double the arrival capacity of Celebration Key, Carnival Cruise Line’s new exclusive destination scheduled to open on Grand Bahama island in the summer of 2025. With the additional $100- million pier extension investment, the now $600-million flagship project remains the largest of its kind ever undertaken by Carnival Corp.
Who needs planes when you can fly like Iron Man? Last week, Dubai hosted what it called its first-ever jet suit race. Racers zipped along a route with the skyscrapers of Dubai Marina looming behind them, controlling the jet engines on their hands and their backs.
Saudi Arabia welcomed over 100 million tourists in 2023 with the Kingdom having also seen a 56 percent increase in international arrivals since 2019. The results – achieved seven years ahead of expectations – mark the emergence of a new global tourism “powerhouse,” say both UN Tourism and the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC).
WestJet flight WS34 from Toronto touched down in Dublin on Friday, marking the return of transatlantic flying by the carrier between eastern Canada and Europe. The service to the Irish capital also kicked off the 10-year anniversary of WestJet’s entry into Europe, commemorating the airline’s inaugural transatlantic flight between St. John’s and Dublin in 2014.
Celebrating record sales for 2023 – and a 22 percent jump over the year previous – luxury travel network Virtuoso hosted its annual Canada Forum last week at the Four Seasons Hotel. The annual gathering brought together more than 100 owners and managers from Virtuoso’s travel agency members in Canada and preferred partners from around the globe.
MSC Cruises today announced it will base a ship in Spain’s Canary Islands for the winter to replace its previously planned Red Sea winter 2024-25 program, which is cancelled in light of the current risk to shipping in the region.
RIU Hotels and Resorts newest Jamaican property – it’s seventh – is set to open its doors May 4. Located in the Falmouth, Trelawny, 15 minutes from the airport in Montego Bay, the five-star all-inclusive Riu Palace Aquarelle is exclusive to Sunwing Vacations and boasts a beachfront location, water park on site, and international dining options.
A powerful blizzard that a meteorologist termed “as bad as it gets” howled in the Sierra Nevada mountains, closing a long stretch of Interstate 80 in Northern California, forcing ski resorts to shut down, and leaving thousands of homes without power.