After taking delivery of its debut ship EXPLORA 1 last week, Explora Journeys, the luxury lifestyle brand of the MSC Group, will officially set sail on Aug. 1 after an initial delay. The maiden voyage will depart from Copenhagen, Denmark, for a seven-night sailing to Reykjavik, Iceland, with visits enroute to Lerwick, Shetland Islands, and Kirkwall, Orkney.
Amsterdam wants to move a cruise liner terminal out of the heart of the historic capital city as the latest step in its ongoing battle against pollution and hordes of tourists clogging its narrow, cobbled streets.
Sunwing released its winter sun schedule last week, offering an overall capacity boost over the previous winter season, including more options in particular from The Prairies and Atlantic Canada, plus over 700 hotels and a couple of new destinations. We checked in with Sunwing President of Tour Operations Andrew Dawson for a quick-hit three-question Q&A to find out what’s trending, and why the tour company is so confident about the season ahead.
Some 19,000 people have been evacuated from the Greek island of Rhodes as wildfires continued burning for a sixth day on three fronts, Greek authorities said on Sunday. The Ministry of Climate Change and Civil Protection said it was “the largest evacuation from a wildfire in the country.”
Iceland and Morocco are proving to be top favourites for Canadians this summer, according to Intrepid Travel. The former boast three tours in the small group tour operator’s top 10 for 2023, while the North African nation ranked twice.
American Empress graces the Vancouver, Washington, waterfront, a gleaming white vision of early Americana, her red paddle wheel accented by the Stars and Stripes flaring high in the breeze, her jaunty prow poised to navigate the Columbia River.
Never mind the toothbrush or razor, as part of its popular ‘Forgot It? We’ve Got It!’ program, Kimpton Hotels guests will now have complimentary access to seasonal accessories – from sunglasses to purses and belts – during their stay at participating US properties this summers.
An Arizona woman who suffered fractured vertebrae and collapsed lungs after being gored by a bison in Yellowstone National Park has said “yes” to her boyfriend’s hospital proposal.
Inflation is starting to affect travel planning according to a new poll; Canada’s passport value rose this year; Sunwing revealed its winter flight/package schedule; and Experience Kissimmee says thank you at a Partner’s Event.
A new poll says a third of Canadians have changed or cancelled their vacation plans due to inflation. In addition to concerns about inflation, Canadians are also feeling the sting of flight delays and cancellations with almost half of Canadians surveyed said they think airlines aren’t reliable when it comes to their departures and arrivals.
Firefighting aircraft and ground crews from other countries headed to Greece on Thursday to help battle wildfires that have intensified as a heat wave baked much of southern Europe in temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit).
With record temperatures ravaging regions from Europe to the US, health officials are warning locals and travellers alike to heed the heat and take precautions against heat illness.
It’s estimated there are more than 41,000 airports in the world. And while it would be impossible to visit them all, British-based company Artemis Aerospace has channelled its eye-in-the-sky ethos to come up with a shortlist of six must-see runways that provide rare and beautiful vistas, guaranteeing a great start, or end, to a visitor’s journey.
San Francisco’s iconic Anchor Brewing Company – dubbed “the birthplace of craft beer” – says it is shutting down for good. The 127-year-old brewing company, known as a trailblazer of craft beers, announced it would close after years of declining sales and tough economic conditions. The tap room will remain open until the end of the month.
Scenic Group is planning a warm waterfall season with three of its ocean-going yachts – Emerald Azzurra, Emerald Sakara and Scenic Eclipse II – island hopping in Caribbean. It’s a new destination for all three yachts, and there’s a wide variety of itineraries, amenities, and excursions.
Collective Soul is touring this summer (new album), including multiple dates across Canada. I caught the band in Kitchener, Ont. a couple of weeks back, at last crossing one of my all-time faves off my concert bucket list.
Toronto’s Pearson airport says a staffing boost and other initiatives have ‘tangibly improved’ service, and issues that sparked chaos at Canada’s largest airport last summer have been addressed. And no longer is the Toronto hub rated last globally in on-time performance.
Officials have warned residents and tourists packing Mediterranean destinations to stay indoors during the hottest hours as the second heat wave in as many weeks hits the region and Greece, Spain and Switzerland battled wildfires.
Air Canada has added a host of new features for passengers, from check-in to inflight. The upgrades include expanded in-flight food and beverage offerings, more family-friendly options in the airline’s in-flight entertainment library, as well as additional advances to the Air Canada App.
Rising water from the Yamuna river on Wednesday reached the outer boundary walls of India’s iconic Taj Mahal and submerged one of its adjacent gardens after record monsoon rains swelled rivers across northern India over the last three weeks.
TRAVELSAVERS has partnered with Trees4Travel and there were some very exclusive accolades for several Canadian cruise agents from Direct Travel in this week’s Retail Round-up.
Carnival Cruise Line continues to expand the use of facial biometric technology to expedite the debarkation process and its partnership with US Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The cruise lines says over three million guests have already used utilized the new technology, with helps make disembarking from ships faster and easier.
The Italian tourism ministry thought it had a sure-fire way to bring travellers into the country: turning a 15th century art icon into a 21st century “virtual influencer.” But the ad campaign has faced significant backlash – with critics calling it a “new Barbie” that trashes Italy’s cultural heritage.
Heat-related closures notwithstanding, tourists are waiting more than two hours to visit the Acropolis in Athens. Taxi lines at Rome’s main train station are running just as long. And so many visitors are concentrating around St. Mark’s Square in Venice that crowds get backed up crossing bridges – even on weekdays.
The Association of Canadian Independent Travel Advisors (ACITA) is urging independent travel advisors to check their CRA accounts to see if their federal support payments during the pandemic have been recalled.
With Canadian demand for leisure travel to sun destinations continuing to be strong, Sunwing Vacations has unveiled its 2023-24 winter schedule featuring flights on board Sunwing Airlines from 23 airports from coast to coast to 26 sun destinations in the Caribbean, Mexico, Central America, and the US.
Canadians can claim the world’s 7th-most valuable passport – up from 8th last year – according to the respected Henley Passport Index, which ranks the world’s 199 passports according to the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa. Singapore took top spot in the ranking in a major poll shakeup as Japan placed third after reigning for five straight years.
ACTA is adding two additional experiential learning opportunities for travel advisors in 2023. Trips to the Dominican Republic (Aug 15-21) and Alentejo, Portugal (Nov. 13-19), join the sold-out ACTA – Avalon Waterways European River Cruise Summit taking place in October.
Visitors to Las Vegas this week stepped out momentarily to snap photos and were hit by blast-furnace air. But most will spend their vacations in a vastly different climate – at casinos where the chilly air conditioning might require a light sweater.
An emergency evacuation slide fell from an airliner and landed in the backyard of a home near Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, causing no injuries but damaging a roof, officials and witnesses said.