Marking a historic milestone in its 75-year history, Inuit-owned airline Canadian North named its first Inuk president & CEO, Shelly De Caria, who had been serving in an interim capacity for the carrier, which connects remote and northern communities in Canada’s Arctic.
With the closing of 2023 just around the corner, one message is clear: Don’t let the holiday season be a signal to wind down PR efforts. Instead of succumbing to the temptation of festive relaxation, seize the opportunity to set the stage for a successful 2024. During the holidays, winding down pitching efforts is a mistake.
A new study says leisure travel will be “robust” for at least the next decade – including forecasted outbound spending and growth from Canada by the year 2033. And while that’s good news for the travel industry, the Oxford Tourism Economics study portends changes in global patterns and holiday destinations that are already starting to take shape now.
Airfares look set to stabilize across key routes around the world during 2024, according to a new forecast from American Express Global Business Travel (Amex GBT), which predicts in its Air Monitor 2024 report that there will be marginal price rises on some regional and international business travel routes, but decreases on others.
Citing strong East Coast demand, Porter Airlines is increasing capacity on three Halifax routes. Beginning March 31, the Halifax-Ottawa route will have three daily, roundtrip flights, while St. John’s and Montreal will operate with two daily roundtrips, increasing to three daily in May – all operated by larger Embraer E195-E2 aircraft.
Calling it an industry first, TTC Tour Brands, the collection of tour brands from The Travel Corporation that includes Trafalgar, Contiki, Luxury Gold, Insight Vacations, Brendan Vacations and Costsaver, says it will no longer be ordering branded merchandise for gifting. In its place, the money that would have been spent will be repurposed to projects that fight climate change.
The Bahamas has surpassed eight million visitors this year, a record-breaking achievement that the ministry of tourism attributes to the natural charm of the islands, but also effective tourism strategies of stakeholders, including the ongoing enhancement and regeneration of tourism products such as Nassau’s new cruise port.
With two of the travel industry’s foremost trade shows – WTM London and ITB Berlin – fixed in place, trade members who attend such events eagerly anticipate the rotating roster of US Travel’s signature show, IPW (formerly International Pow Wow), typically set some years in advance.
An influencer who staged a California plane crash in 2021 to make a YouTube video of himself parachuting to safety – dubbed “I Crashed My Airplane” – has been sentenced to six months in a US federal prison for obstructing the investigation by destroying the wreckage.
With the recent “value for money” audit of the Office of the Auditor General of Ontario calling into question the efficiency, effectiveness, and even existence of the Travel Industry Council of Ontario (TICO), the province’s tour operators say any changes to travel industry regulation in Ontario must be “realistic” and not simply be repealed, like in Australia.
Canada has received a C grade on flight safety and oversight – down from an A+ and far below most of its peers – according to a draft report from a United Nations agency. The confidential audit from the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) says the country has fallen precipitously to a score of 64 out of 100. Canada’s score topped 95% in the UN body’s previous report in 2005.
Visit Orlando, in association with a full delegation of theme park, hotel, transportation and attraction partners, called in Calgary, Toronto and Halifax last week for the tour association’s annual “Orlando Canadian Sunshine Tour,” attracting close to 500 enthusiastic travel advisors across the three events that resulted in record-breaking attendance for the mission.
Air Canada has unwrapped its annual holiday video, a 1:30-minute animated spot designed “to capture the joy of reuniting with loved ones at the most wonderful time of the year.” “Once upon a Tree” is the story of two button-cute nutcracker bears who, after a year of being tucked away together, find themselves on separate sides of the tree.
Fifty of Jamaica’s top-selling travel agents, including 15 Canadian members of the Jamaica Travel Specialist (JTS) program, were honoured by the island’s tourist board last week during the annual One Love Affair gala and incentive trip in Montego Bay.
Ottawa and Quebec have announced their intention to protect the waters near a picturesque territory in the Gulf of St. Lawrence that was recently named a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The governments said they’re taking the first steps toward creating a protected marine park off Anticosti Island.
Ontario’s auditor general questioned the operations, and need for, TICO in Ontario, Other highlights of the week: a study blamed high airfares in Canada to federal fees, a familiar face joined Canada Jetlines, and Air Canada introduced bag tracking on its app, and Riviera Nayarit welcomed a new Riu resort.
The high cost of domestic air travel is largely due to the various fees the federal government charges airlines and airports, according to a Montreal Economic Institute (MEI) study released yesterday. Among the different fees that drive up ticket prices, the study focuses on three main ones: airport rents, security fees, and the fuel tax.
We’re in the travel business, so we know the earth is, um, round, right? Not so fast. About five percent of Canadians think the earth is as flat as a pancake, according to recent survey by Leger. Oh, and we’ve also been secretly contacted by intelligent beings (intergalactic travellers?) from other planets, and Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin did not land on the moon in 1969.
When the winter gets tough in central Europe the tough get… festive, as age-old Christmas markets spring up across the region to help cast a warm glow over the snow. Among the most famous are markets in Germany, where most of the historic Weihnachtsmarkt/ Christkindlmarkts are now in full swing (most starting in mid to late November and continuing until just before Christmas and in some cases a few days after).
Breaking a bottle of Champagne against the hull, getting blessings from a godmother (or godfather) and making a gala sail-away. It seems there’s a new ship getting christened every few days lately. Here’s a look at some splashy namings in the news.
Despite claims of cruelty from opponents, Mexico’s Supreme Court has overturned a ban on bullfighting in Mexico City, opening the way for events to resume. The activity was banned in 2022 when it was ruled that bullfights violated city resident’s rights to a healthy environment free from violence.
Florida is getting set to stage a true only-in-Florida spectacle, popping the question in an unusual place, moose tracks and tarantula tales, plus the heist of a solid gold toilet from a British tourist attraction all rate in this month’s recounting of stories you may have missed that are truly “strange but true.”
Myles Goodwyn, the legendary Canadian musician and songwriter who shot to stardom as the lead singer of April Wine, died this week at age 75. The band, which still tours, has sold 10 million recordings worldwide and was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 2010. The band was also added to Canada’s Walk of Fame this fall.
The cost of maintaining the Travel Industry Council of Ontario (TICO) may outweigh the provincial regulator’s benefits to consumers, says Ontario’s auditor general in it’s just-released “value for money” audit. The wide-ranging report extensively, though not exclusively, examined the province’s tourism sector (including government), providing third-party observations and suggested “actions.”
The US federal government says it will give more than $6 billion to a pair of high-speed electric rail routes in California – from Los Angeles to both Las Vegas and San Francisco – injecting new life into long-stalled projects hailed by supporters as the future of public transportation but bemoaned by critics for their high price tags and lengthy construction times.
Long time tour operator executive Maureen Maheu has joined Canada Jetlines as Director of Product USA/Cruises. Maheu who has considerable experience in product south of the border, will work with Canada Jetlines to expend their US product offerings.
ACTA members got the poop on Portugal on a recent FAM; Travel Edge Network introduced a new training program, Direct Travel rewarded top producers with an Ama river cruise; Flight Centre has a video YouTube video series; and F1S in Britain-bound.
rontier Airlines has settled a lawsuit filed by female pilots who accused the airline of discriminating against pregnant or breastfeeding employees. In the agreement announced Tuesday, Frontier will let pilots pump breast milk in the cockpit during “noncritical phases” of flights.
The quiet of Stanley Park’s forests has been splintered as chainsaws roar in a multi-year project to remove about one quarter of the trees that make up what’s considered a Vancouver jewel. On the road to Prospect Point a parking lot that in warmer months would be part of a picnic area, is now a work site where heavy machinery brings in large, cut sections of trees and crushes smaller branches.
Disney Cruise Line is polishing up its newest gem, the Disney treasure, which will set sail from Port Canaveral, Florida, a year from now, beginning December 2024. The ship will embark on a roster for cruises in both the Eastern and Western Caribbean.