The Jamaica Tourist Board recently teamed up with Playa Hotels & Resorts to host an exclusive FAM trip for travel advisors from Escapes.ca. Twelve lucky agents were selected to visit the island for an immersive destination experience that included tours of Playa’s five Jamaican properties and a full itinerary of island activities.
The US Travel Association has unveiled a weeklong preview of its popular Daily Getaways program. Officially launching for sales on June 12, the month-long Daily Getaways features exclusive offers for travellers – including Canadians – from major travel brands that include discounts up to 50% off loyalty points, theme park tickets, vacation packages and hotel stays.
Familiar face Richard Todd has returned to Sandals and Beaches Resorts in Canada in the newly created role of Senior Sales Consultant. The appointment takes effect immediately, says Maureen Barnes-Smith, VP Sales and Marketing Canada, Unique Vacations Canada.
Margaritaville Beach Resort Riviera Maya has officially opened its doors, welcoming guests – “all of those tourists covered in oil,” as Jimmy Buffet sang in the song – ¬to the first adults-only resort within the all-inclusive Island Reserve collection.
Flair Airlines Ltd. has the highest number of complaints per 100 flights of all the major airlines in Canada, according to the Canadian Transportation Agency, as airlines have had a rocky recovery year with delayed and cancelled flights.
Canada has regained its position as Florida’s top international market – status it officially but briefly lost (to Colombia) during the pandemic. But when borders re-opened, this country quickly regained its typically unassailable position atop Visit Florida’s visitor logs.
I recently travelled with Sunwing to pristine Cayo Largo, an island on the southern tip of Cuba. It was my first trip to Cuba and an opportunity to see for myself why folks rave about the silky white sand and impossibly turquoise waters. Back in November 2022, Sunwing, secured exclusive operating rights to Cayo Largo for the Canadian market.
Airbnb has sued New York City over an ordinance that the company says imposes arbitrary restrictions that would greatly reduce the local supply of short-term rentals.
Transat has unveiled an enhanced selection of packages for the 2023-24 winter season. The program includes more than 50 new properties amongst a roster of over 370 hotels and five curated Sun Collections.
The BC Hotel Association (BCHA) reports it is taking a significant step forward in its commitment to sustainability by launching innovative initiatives aimed at greening the accommodation sector in the province.
France’s beloved abbey on Mont-Saint-Michel has reached a ripe old age. It’s been 1,000 years since the laying of its first stone. The millennial of the UNESCO World Heritage site and key Normandy tourism magnet is being celebrated until November with exhibits, dance shows and concerts.
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.
For 25 years, Disney Cruise Line has set a course for magical vacations at sea. On the way to dazzling destinations in the Caribbean, Alaska and Europe, you can play the day away with some favourite Disney Characters, enjoy Broadway-style shows, relax in adult-exclusive spaces and venture into incredible kids’ clubs. Plus, with special limited-time entertainment, themed offerings and more, this summer’s 25th anniversary celebration is sure to be shining, shimmering and splendid!
Welcome to Avengers Campus: an all-new land now open at Disney California Adventure Park dedicated to discovering, recruiting, and training the next generation of Super Heroes. A hero training complex where you can team up with your family and friends and the Avengers to take on whatever the universe throws at you. A place where you can live your Super Hero dreams.
After several years of lockdowns and restricted travel, the appetite for travel has never been bigger. As the travel industry continues to rebound, there is no question that it also experiencing unprecedented – and likely permanent – changes.
Britain continues to be a favourite for Canadians with visitors from this country surpassing pre-pandemic travel levels in 2022, according to the latest figures from VisitBritain.
The federal government says it is committed to a fully accessible and inclusive Canada for all its citizens and visitors, including ensuring that airline passengers with disabilities will have a “safe, dignified and reliable travel experience.”
If you’re like us, the first thing you do upon arrival at a hotel is connect.
The second thing, invariably is to wonder why it has to be so hard to so, due to complicated logins, and passwords that can be hard to track down and may have to be re-entered endlessly throughout one’s stay. Now, IHG Hotels & Resorts says it has a solution.
A marine conservation charity and Inuit hunters are praising cruise operators for agreeing to avoid a Nunavut waterway where thousands of narwhal migrate each summer.
American Airlines says it will appeal a court decision that would force the airline to break up its partnership with JetBlue Airways in the Northeast. American and JetBlue face a late-June deadline to end the agreement in which they coordinate flights and share revenue.
Quebec City rocked to Rendez-vous Canada last week, while in other round-up news, there was more tech trouble for Air Canada, BC assessed its COVID support, ACV unveiled its winter sun season, and the flip of the calendar to June marked the official start of hurricane season.
Air Canada experienced technical problems causing flight delays for the second time in a week yesterday. The airline advised travellers to check the status of their flights online amid delays caused by an IT issue. South of the border, Spirit Airlines experienced similar problems on Thursday.
An Austrian federal court said last week that the state can’t be held liable for a COVID-19 infection from an outbreak at an Alpine ski resort as the pandemic hit Europe in early 2020.
Hurricane season officially began June 1, and forecasters are predicting a “near-normal” season. But Mike Brennan, the new director at the National Hurricane Center in Miami, says there’s really nothing normal when it comes to hurricanes.
The US Coast Guard has suspended the search for a 35-year-old man who was reported missing from a Carnival cruise ship off of Florida’s Atlantic Coast. The agency said the man fell from the Carnival Magic about 300 km east of Jacksonville early Monday.
The American Museum of Natural History in New York has a new building, a sweeping piece of architecture designed to connect visitors with their place in the natural world.
MSC Cruises may still have only the third-largest cruise fleet in the world, but it keeps expanding in grand fashion. At a ceremony in France, the cruise division of MSC Group took delivery of its 22nd ship, MSC Euribia. It’s the final evolution of the line’s popular Meraviglia class and the second ship for MSC Cruises to be powered by Liquefied Natural Gas.
A trip down nostalgia road this week with the Sweet classic, “Ballroom Blitz.” For me it takes me back to CHUM sock hops in junior high (which always ended, I might add, with the conflicting slow dance nervousness/elation of “Stairway to Heaven.”)
Artificial intelligence (AI) is no stranger to the travel industry. Many travel companies¬¬ – including major airlines, hotels, and car rental companies – leverage AI in a variety of ways, enabling travellers and agents to quickly make changes to bookings, elevating experiences through personalized controls, and managing customer service inquiries. But has AI advanced so much that it can actually provide a perfect travel itinerary for one’s next trip? The short answer – it’s complicated.
Whether travelling by plane, train or automobile, Francophone travellers are struggling to access services in their language, Canada’s official languages commissioner says. And it’s an ongoing struggle that has gotten worse in the last decade, especially as people begin travelling again, says Raymond Theberge