Aimed at promoting the Southeast European and Balkans – dubbed ‘the last exotic part of Europe” – and increasing tourism from North America, the New Deal Europe Virtual Marketplace will take place Dec. 12 and 13. Co-funded by the European Union, the event is the largest travel trade event focussed solely on the region.
WestJet is inviting Canadians to nominate a “holiday hero” – someone who will be working away from their loved ones – for the opportunity to reunite with them courtesy of the airline. The gesture is part of WestJet’s 11th annual ‘Christmas Miracle’ campaign, an initiative the company says is meant to “make the impossible possible.”
Air Canada has introduced a new feature to its mobile app that will enable customers travelling within Canada to track the progress of their baggage and mobility aid in real time at key points as it moves with them throughout their journey. The airline says the new tracking feature is designed to provide travellers with added confidence and improve the overall customer experience through greater convenience.
All flights were grounded at Munich’s airport Saturday after a winter storm dumped snow across southern Germany and parts of Austria, Switzerland, and the Czech Republic, affecting travel across the region. After initially announcing a halt in air traffic until noon on Saturday, the airport later announced flights would be cancelled until 6 a.m. Sunday. Other airports in the region, including in the Swiss financial capital, Zurich, also announced weather-related delays and cancellations.
A new team of BDMs for Canada, new and renovated resorts, plus new services – from elite amenities to foamy pool parties – highlight a busy year for RIU Hotels & Resorts, which celebrated the holiday season last week with Sunwing at the travel partners’ 10th annual trade lunch at a venue north of Toronto.
Viking’s newest ocean ship – the 998-guest Viking Vela – was “floated out” on Nov. 30 marking a major construction milestone and the first time the ship has touched water. Scheduled to debut in December 2024, the vessel will spend her inaugural season sailing voyages in the Mediterranean and in Northern Europe.
Citing growing interest in Latin America by Canadians, Air Transat is increasing service from Montreal to San Salvador, El Salvador, and Liberia, Costa Rica, to year-round. Previously, flights to the Central American destinations operated only during the winter season. The new services start as of May 1, 2024.
In last week’s news, Porter and Transat airlines announced a special “alliance” taking advantage of their complementary networks; the latter also was also issued a strike mandate from bargaining flight attendants, though the company says not to worry yet; elsewhere, Canadian are flocking to Florida again amidst record numbers to the state; Copa Airlines announced a boost to flights from Canada; and the Airport Improvement Fee at YUL is on the rise.
A prominent Canadian tour operator executive once famously opined to an audience of travel advisors at a fall product launch, “We’re hoping for a very cold and snowy winter. But not so cold and snowy that people can’t make it to the airport to leave.” With this in mind, we’ve called on The Weather Network’s forecast for this winter, asking what we all need to know: “Will Canada’s winter weather be wild?”
Underscoring how economic conditions continue to drag, the sting of a second year of high consumer prices affecting everything from the cost of bread to room rent has majorities saying they will spend less on holiday preparations this year (55%). But while even more (64%) say they have cut back on discretionary spending overall in recent months, only a third say plan to scale back on travel.
Stealing soaps or pens seems harmless for many hotel guests, however, some are so bold that they carry TVs, pianos, mattresses, or even stuffed animals out of the hotel. Wellness Heaven, a German-based luxury hotel and spa guide, asked 1,376 hotel managers which items are most commonly stolen. And the most bizarre.
In the weeks leading up to Christmas, Québec is truly an enchanting destination bursting with colourful and illuminated events and markets to ring in the most wonderful time of the year. Here are just a few suggestions to help make the most of the city for a December retreat that is sure kindle the Christmas spirit.
With a raise of the glass to the importance and continued growth of wine tourism, the United Nations World Tourism Organization recently hosted its annual conference on the subject in La Rioja, Spain, one of the world’s leading wine tourism destinations.
On any evening, you can find succulent fois gras, classic Dover sole, fresh Maine lobster and Black Angus prime beef on a menu on the new Explora 1. You can head to an oyster bar, enjoy a sushi platter, or find a specialty topped with caviar, and it’s all included.
Shane MacGowan, frontman of Irish band The Pogues, died Thursday at age 65. His songwriting and boozy, rabble-rousing persona made him an iconic figure in contemporary Irish culture, and some of his compositions have become classics – most notably the bittersweet Christmas ballad “Fairytale of New York,” which Irish President Michael D. Higgins said “will
It feels like the wildest ride in the wilderness. Like soaring high above Pandora—on a banshee. Like meeting a favourite Disney Character face to face for the first time. And like taking control of the Millennium Falcon…with your crew.
Enter a world of adventure where the sea calls and you answer. Where uncharted destinations meet tropical paradise. Where the unending horizon meets days spent together filled with magic. And where every journey meets memories you’ll treasure forever.
Welcome! Welcome! To the all-tooned-up Mickey’s Toontown at the Disneyland® Resort! With plenty of places to explore, hop, bop and say “Hi ya” to some favourite toons!
If it seems that Canadian airlines are announcing or inaugurating new routes almost every day, it’s because they are. And while that’s great news for consumers as the increased competition helps drive down fares from unprecedented peaks at the tail end of the pandemic, as one industry observer stated at a travel event in Toronto this week: “It’s like the old days – there’s too much capacity out there.”
There’s always an asterisk when tourism recovery numbers are assessed: it doesn’t include China and its massive middle class, which hasn’t yet fully returned to pre-pandemic travel levels. But that’s about to change, not just in the present, but over the next decade, during which the country is poised to become world’s most dominant tourism market.
Air Canada has earned two honours in the recently announced federal Employment Equity Achievement Awards, presented by the minister of labour. This is the fifth year that the awards are presented, and this year marks the second time that Air Canada has been recognized.
The first commercial airliner to cross the Atlantic on a purely high-fat, low-emissions fuel flew Tuesday from London to New York in a step toward achieving what supporters called “jet zero.” The Virgin Atlantic Boeing 787 flight was powered without using fossil fuels, relying on so-called sustainable aviation fuel made up largely of tallow and other waste fats.
Swan Hellenic’s Antarctica 2024 season will open on Nov. 13 with a 20-night cruise on SH Diana from Cape Town to Ushuaia, exploring Tristan Da Cunha, South Georgia, and the Antarctic Peninsula. The cruise line will boast two boutique five-star ice-class ships in the polar region with journeys continuing into 2025.
Cape Town Tourism has launched “Limitless Cape Town,” a first-of-its-kind universal access movement designed to make the city more inclusive to all individuals, giving them equal opportunity and access to the region’s tourism environment, regardless of their social class, ethnicity, or physical disabilities.
In the dynamic world of travel and tourism, keeping the Press Room pages of websites up to date is crucial, not only for the convenience of the media but also for enhancing a website’s search engine optimization (SEO) performance.
Citing “highly complementary” route networks, Air Transat and Porter Airlines are creating a joint venture “alliance” that the companies say will transform the current Canadian aviation competitive landscape. To be implemented gradually in 2024, the arrangement will extend the airlines’ existing code-sharing agreement to give travellers access to a broader network through enhanced commercial collaboration and optimization.
A record number of passengers traveled through US airports over Thanksgiving weekend, but travel was relatively smooth despite the crowds, reported the Transportation Security Administration, which said it screened just over 2.9 million passengers on Sunday, surpassing the previous record of 2.88 million set on June 30.
With earnings this year surpassing 2019 levels, Alexis von Hoensbroech says he’s cautiously optimistic about the company’s prospects for 2024. Speaking to staff in Calgary last week, the Westjet CEO hailed their efforts in the company’s return to profitability this year – and announced the welcome return of profit sharing to employees. And despite economic headwinds, he mused that this year’s momentum will carry the carrier successfully into the new year.
In this week’s round-up, Ensemble was jamming with Jamaica, Marlin welcomed new agencies, Amex GBT lent a helping hand, TTAND went coast to coast, and TRAVELSAVERS was dining and dashing.
Over seven years in the making, including 900 days of construction, Royal Caribbean has welcomed Icon of the Seas to its fleet in gala hand-over ceremony from Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland. The ship is set to debut in Miami in January,