Surpassing all previous records, the Bahamas welcomed over 9.64 million visitors in 2023, marking a historic milestone the Caribbean nation. The figure represents a 38% increase over 2022 and a 33% increase compared to the previous 2019 record.
The Eiffel Tower reopened to visitors on Sunday after a six-day closure because of striking employees demanding better maintenance of the historic landmark, showing traces of rust, and salary hikes. The operator of the 330-metre tower said it reached an agreement with unions representing the workers after promising to allocate an “ambitious 380-million euro (about $412 million) investment by 2031” for renovation work.
It was a bad week for bankruptcies: In the bombshell of the week, Lynx Air announced it was ceasing operations, and a US-based cruise line blamed the pandemic for its demise. In other round-up news, StatsCan said the price of air fares is dropping, American Airlines gave the proverbial middle finger to travel advisors, Air Canada unveiled a land link between airports in Ontario, and Royal Caribbean revealed plans for its next ship.
UPDATED: Officials with the Calgary-based ultra low cost carrier Lynx Air announced Thursday evening that it is ceasing operations, effective at 12:01 a.m. MT on Feb. 26, 2024, after filing for creditor protection. Lynx Air has advised passengers with existing bookings to contact their credit card company to secure refunds for pre-booked travel.
A new study by Blue Cross says Canadians are still eager to travel and, buoyed by an optimistic attitude are finding creative and cost-efficient ways to do so in the face of rising – and the perception of rising – prices.
In move to improve regional connectivity for passengers, Air Canada has launched a pilot project connecting passengers from John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport and the Region of Waterloo International Airport in southern Ontario to its hub at Toronto Pearson via luxury motorcoach.
United Airlines says it plans to resume flights to Israel next month, reviving a route that was suspended in October at the start of the Israel-Hamas war. The airline said Wednesday that it will start flights from Newark, New Jersey, to Tel Aviv with a stop in Munich on March 2 and March 4.
From traditional rustic wooden cabins to avant-garde culinary experiences, sugar shacks come in many forms. Long wooden tables draped with checkered tablecloths set the stage for a hearty Québécois meal where almost every dish is bathed in maple syrup. Besides serving up delicious food, sugar shacks are a social hub for friends and family – and a favourite for visitors to La Belle province.
Has the Four Seasons Yachts project hit the rocks? The mystery persists in the wake of the abrupt resignations of cruise superstar Larry Pimentel, who was President and CEO, along with co-founder Philip Levine from the company developing ultra-luxury ships in a partnership with Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts.
Women in matching checkered aprons, headscarves, and a rainbow of running shoes limbered up as they prepared for the centuries-old pancake race in the English country town Olney. They rolled their shoulders in unison, raised up on their toes and did squats before stepping to the starting line – frying pans in hand.
Dave Matthews… backed by Dead & Company (remnants of The Grateful Dead)… playing the Bob Dylan classic “All Along the Watchtower”… via Jimi Hendrix… What more, I ask you, could you ask for?
After a milestone year for the industry in 2023, resulting in the busiest and least interrupted year for business travel in over four years, and with traveller confidence on the rise, FCM Consulting is predicting another big year for business travel in 2024.
ACTA says its is deeply concerned and “strongly objects” to American Airlines’ decision to limit traveller loyalty points accrual to direct bookings and a select group of travel agencies – a move it says “effectively marginalizes a vast number of travel agencies and travel advisors.”
There was certainly no shortage of top-of-mind topics at Atout France’s annual Canadian roadshow this week – a four-city tour that winds up in Vancouver Thursday after gala event in Montreal, Toronto, and Calgary. After all, the Summer Olympic Games awaits the starters gun July 26 in Paris, D-Day will be thoughtfully remembered in Normandy on its milestone 80th anniversary on June 6, and the long-awaited re-opening of Paris’s landmark Notre Dame Cathedral is scheduled for Dec. 8 (it was famously devastated by fire 2019).
MSC Cruises’ new “Open Booking” program allows guests to make a future holiday at-sea reservation without the need to commit to a particular vessel, itinerary or sailing date. The initiative complements MSC’s ‘Future Cruise’ program. Notably, travel advisors who made the original cruise reservation will also receive full commission on the new cruise once the ship and sail date is selected.
American Queen Voyages (AQV) says that “despite great efforts” it has been forced to shut down and all future cruises have been cancelled.
A New York City man who admitted to smuggling three Burmese pythons in his pants through a US-Canadian border crossing has been sentenced to a year of probation and fined $5,000, US federal prosecutors said.
When it comes to public relations, standing out from the crowd is critical to making a lasting impact. Amidst the noise of competing messages and attention-grabbing campaigns, one strategy reigns supreme: personalization.
American Airlines says that starting with tickets issued on May 1, customers will have to buy tickets directly from the airline or its partner carriers, or from preferred online travel agencies, if they want to earn points in its AAdvantage loyalty program. The airline said it will list the preferred travel agencies in late April. Corporate travellers won’t be affected.
The price of a plane ticket fell more than 14 percent on average in January compared with a year earlier, according to new data from Statistics Canada. Airfares also dropped nearly 24 percent between December and January, the agency’s consumer price index report said, as holiday demand gave way to stay-at-home habits last month.
The cruise ships dot the Nile like planes coming into an airport, though the procession belies the fact that they are operating at half capacity or less as Egyptian tourism continues to be rocked by the country’s perceived proximity to the war in Palestine – despite the fact that the distance from Gaza to Giza is close to 500 km., and through the Sinai desert no less.
With Icon of the Seas newly having just entered service and Utopia of the Seas set for summer sailing, Royal Caribbean Group says it is already dreaming up its next vessel, which is a now a step closer with the announcement of an agreement with French shipbuilder Chantiers de l’Atlantique.
Travel advisors are invited to connect with JTB Canada team during virtual drop-in sessions as the tourist board launches a new virtual travel agent engagement series with the Jamaica Winter Open House, taking place today (Wednesday, Feb. 21) from 1 to 3 p.m. ET. Further sessions are planned throughout the year.
Discover the World has announced the retirement in March of Karen Evans after 30 years at the company. She will be succeeded in her role as National Sales Manager for SATA Azores Airlines by her colleague Andrea Thornton, who has worked alongside Evans for many years
For anyone with even a passing acquaintance with London, the city’s Tube map is as iconic as the red buses or the black cabs. But for the past few years, there’s been something not quite right about the map originally designed by Harry Beck in 1933 – a collection of orange train lines, mostly orbiting the inner city, known as the London Overground.
Air Canada continued its post-pandemic recovery in the last quarter of 2023, earning roughly 10% higher profits year-over-year and, more importantly, registering a nearly $4-billion swing into the black for the year compared to 2022.
Springboarding off a “phenomenal” year of tourism, which included $125 million in revenue from the tourist development tax – the second highest in its history – Visit Lauderdale has unveiled a series of ambitious destination marketing initiatives for 2024 designed to “share our message of inclusion and diversity to travellers who are looking for fun, bold, immersive, and interactive experiences.”
In a case of you can’t make this stuff up, a New York City man who lived rent-free for five years in a landmark Manhattan hotel has claimed ownership of the entire building. Prosecutors say Mickey Barreto filed paperwork saying the New Yorker belongs to him – and tried to charge another tenant rent.
Visitors to Greater Fort Lauderdale will discover a destination where the Sunshine state’s magic collides with the region’s vibrant beats. Beyond breathtaking landscapes and balmy weather, Florida’s musical soul finds its home here, resonating with the rhythm of diversity that makes this destination exceptional.
WestJet chief executive Alexis von Hoensbroech has apologized for incidents where the airline failed to accommodate people living with disabilities, and says the airline is “committed to doing better.”