A parliamentary committee is launching an investigation into accessibility at Canadian airlines, with a focus on the country’s two largest carriers. Following a motion put forward on Monday by NDP lawmaker Taylor Bachrach, the federal transport committee voted to undertake a study on the state of accessible transportation for Canadians living with disabilities as well as the regulatory regime surrounding it.
The way Valerie Damaseau sees it, the reason for her recent visit to Canada was simple: “To bring some sunshine into your lives!” And while she may have been speaking hypothetically, as president of the tourist office of sunny St. Martin, it didn’t seem out of the realm of possibility.
With Amex’s 2023 Global Travel Trends reporting that 86% of Canadians want to travel to a place they’ve never been before and 73% wanting to explore lesser-known destinations, American Express Travel’s just-released 2024 trending report leans into the non-traditional, going beyond well-known vacation spots to uncover hidden gems and new experiences that travellers, particularly Millennials and Gen-Z, are looking for.
Hong Kong Disneyland opened its first ‘Frozen’-themed attraction on Monday, with thousands of eager visitors turning up to experience the new rides, some lining up for hours to get an early start. The opening comes after Disney announced in September a US$60-billion expansion of its parks and cruises over about a decade.
Travel industry leaders Roger Dow, former president and CEO of the US Travel Association, Elliott L. Ferguson, II, president and CEO of Destination DC, and Peter F. Herschend, co-founder of Herschend Enterprises, were inducted into the US Travel Association Hall of Leaders at a ceremony last week. Dow was the 2022 inductee while Ferguson and Herschend were the 2023 honorees.
Webinars have been around for a while and have become an essential communication tool for disseminating knowledge, promoting products, or connecting with a wider audience. What makes them great, due to their digital nature, is accessibility, cost-efficiency, and above all, interactivity.
A new report says the country’s two biggest airlines ranked last for on-time performance among large North American carriers last month. But it’s getting better.
With tourism to this country projected to grow significantly in the coming years, the federal government has launched an investment program that will provide $108 million over the next three years to support tourism projects across the country to help meet the goal of attracting 40% more visitors by the end of the decade.
WestJet has announced new, year-round, daily service connecting Regina and Minneapolis – service the airline says reflects its ongoing commitment to providing connectivity to Saskatchewan and further enhancing Regina’s air access to popular destinations. The flights will begin April 28, 2024.
With its latest launches to Florida over the weekend, low-cast Lynx says it is well on its way to its goal of offering nearly 10,000 seats in and out of the Sunshine State per week by December. On Saturday, the carrier took flight from Vancouver to Orlando, while on Friday Tampa service began from Montreal.
Ensemble recently hosted its annual Horizons conference in Las Vegas with more than 800 owners, managers, and advisors, as well as preferred partners, in attendance for the “human centric” extravaganza. It was the first time the entire consortium has been together since an acquisition and rehaul of the brand.
The Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) recently brought the spirit of the island to Canadian travel advisors and consumers during Canada Trade Week – a cross-country promotional campaign that included travel agent engagement events in Calgary, Montreal, and Toronto, followed by the first-ever Jamaica Travel Expo consumer event at the Pearson Convention Centre in Toronto.
The keyboard and drums from a musical show thump just yards from a mountain of storm debris and fractured hotels left by Hurricane Otis a month ago. On the northern end of Acapulco Bay, hairdressers and masseuses sweep branches from a beach as across the Pacific resort of Acapulco, residents work with a singular purpose: to restart the tourism engine of the city of one million people as soon as possible.
Canadian snowbirds are increasingly spreading their wings. According to a recent survey conducted by Snowbird Advisor, the US is still the top destination by a wide margin for the lucky cohort who can escape a Canadian winter, but interest in international destinations is growing, particularly among newer snowbirds.
Most major travel markets in the Americas – including Canada – have recovered from the pandemic, apart from the US which is due to get back to 2019 levels next year, according to new research conducted by World Travel Market.
The Cuba Tourist Board thanked its agent partners for helping make Canada the country’s No. 1 market at a gala event late last week at Toronto’s Palais Royale – a glittering venue that Canadian tourist board director Lessner Gomez likened to Havana’s famed Tropicana cabaret, even if the weather outside wasn’t quite the same as on the Caribbean island.
As it battles Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and his appointees over their takeover of the district that governs the entertainment company’s massive theme park resort in central Florida, Disney has released a study that shows its economic impact in the state amounting to just over US$40 billion.
Jamaica’s hotel boom continues with the official opening of Hideaway at Royalton Blue Waters, An Autograph Collection All-Inclusive Resort, an adults-only resort located in the heart of Montego Bay.
A cargo jet headed to Belgium from New York had to turn around mid-flight last week after a horse escaped its stall and got loose in the hold, according to air traffic control audio. The Boeing 747 operated by Air Atlanta Icelandic had just started its flight across the Atlantic Ocean when the pilot radioed air traffic control in Boston and said that a horse on board had escaped its stall.
Is travel demand softening? And other headlines from last week: The Israel-Hamas war is having a global effect; Air Canada and WestJet are both boosting international flights; Sunwing is flying high at the start of the winter season; ACTA is urging a last call in its fight for TICO reform; G Adventure has a new luxe line of tours; and meet Canada’s new Canadian director for VisitBritain.
Demand for air travel may be levelling off after soaring to pre-pandemic levels over the summer, says FlightHub’s CEO. Christopher Cave said airline ticket sales dropped from September to October, when they typically rise ahead of the holiday season. However, Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau said last month that demand remains “very stable,” with advance ticket sales in its third quarter up 55% year-over-year.
With the aim of empowering the next generation of women in aviation, Air Canada’s fifth annual 2024 Judy Cameron Scholarship awards are now open to prospective female pilots and aircraft maintenance engineers, with the application window available until Nov. 30.
Sunwing is reporting strong results early in its winter season (starting Nov. 1), in part reflecting key measures designed to “bolster operational readiness” for the peak season to come. The airline says it has already carried nearly 100,000 customers on 600 flights to destinations throughout the tropics – and all of them “successfully completed.”
Overpacking can be bad for the back (hauling around heavy bags), but also worrisome for the wallet as extra fees are now standard fare – including some cruise lines, but especially low-cost airlines, which are notorious for stinging passengers who exceed the suitcase or hand luggage allowance with large fees.
This is a ship that runs on Champagne. Just kidding. But the corks keep popping from the moment you step on board Explora Journeys’ new ship Explora 1. After a smooth check-in at the Port of Miami, where attendants took care of getting our bags on the ship, we’re greeted at the gangway by smiling staff offering trays covered with flutes of complimentary Moet & Chandon Champagne and mimosas.
Earlier this week, a message expressing pets’ space exploration dreams appeared on the large billboard in New York Times Square. The video was displayed on the 61-metre-long Times Square screen, showing scenes of SpaceX Starship launch along with the message: “Hi, Elon! Let’s send our beloved XOOX pets in the Starship to Mars to make history. Together, we can make this dream come true!”
Have you heard the “new” Beatles song yet? Sixty years after the onset of Beatlemania and with two of the quartet now dead, artificial intelligence has enabled the release of what is promised to be the last “new” Beatles song.
Black Friday – the day after US Thanksgiving – has become arguably the biggest shopping day of the year (surpassing Boxing Day), and many travel suppliers are eager to hop on the bandwagon (or airplane, coach, or cruise ship) too with a host of great deals for consumers, some just for the day, others a little longer. (Some even open to agents early). Here’s a round-up of some of the offers we’ve found to make wading through the bargain bin next Friday (November 24) a little easier.
Boosted by a growing fleet of 737 MAX aircraft, WestJet says it’s set to soar in 2024 with the reintroduction of service connecting Eastern Canada and Europe, along with new service to Reykjavik (Keflavik) and new daily service to Tokyo from Calgary.
Soaring profits herald the return of corporate travel, says Flight Centre. Also, this week, TDC advisors take a star turn, and The Travel Agent Next Door was recognized for its educational initiatives.