It was a week for animals running amok, and an exceedingly hungry star, plus an Illinois traveller took getting to the airport on time to a whole new level. Then there was turmoil over tacos south of the border, all contributing to this week’s weird and wacky news file.
The new Crystal is setting a global course for 2024, planning extended cruises to iconic and off-the-beaten-track destinations around the world while almost never repeating a port. The luxury line’s two ships will both be globe-trotters, highlighted by a 141-night world cruise on Crystal Serenity as well as a series of unique Grand Journeys ranging from 37 to 68 nights.
Tina Turner was an unstoppable singer and stage performer who teamed with husband Ike Turner for a dynamic run of hit records and live shows in the 1960s and ’70s surviving her horrifying marriage to triumph in middle age with a string of hits, including the chart-topping “What’s Love Got to Do With It.” Dubbed the “Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll,” Turner died at her home in Switzerland this week after a long illness at age 83.
Towering a few hours from one of the world’s largest cities, the Popocatepetl volcano has been coating nearby towns with ash and disrupting flights at Mexico City’s airport, the busiest in Latin America. Approximately 25 million people live within 60 miles of the mountain.
Canada’s outdoor travel sector grew in 2022 as COVID-19 restrictions were lifted, putting an end to many outdoor leisure travel barriers faced across provinces since 2020. In 2022, more than half a million new Canadian households ventured out to experience camping for the first time.
Last week we looked at a host of SoCal destinations – some familiar, some less so – whose delegates attended the recent visit California sales mission in Niagara on the Lake, having put the insiders on the spot to tell us one thing they wished a Canadian knew about their region. Here’s Part 2, covering the middle and northern parts of the Golden State (starting north of Los Angeles).
Break out the tiny bubbles – The Hawai‘i Tourism Authority (HTA), the state agency providing holistic tourism management for the Hawaiian Islands, has awarded the contract for Destination Brand Management and Marketing Services in Canada to VoX International.
A soaring blue-glass tower that has sat empty for close to two decades on the Las Vegas Strip – through the Great Recession and an unprecedented pandemic that shut down the famed tourist corridor for months – is set to open its doors to the public in December as the gambling centre’s latest resort and casino.
Abu Dhabi has launched ‘One Summer Isn’t Enough,’ a new campaign that shows the wide range of experiences available throughout the season as part of the emirate’s plan to attract 24 million visitors by 2023.
In today’s digital age, with the increased reliance on technology for professional and personal use, cybersecurity is more important than ever. Networks and data are under constant threat and need to be monitored diligently, while security measures need to be resourced adequately to ensure digital safety.
The federal government has rolled out a revamp of its trusted-traveller program to clear clogged airports as the summer travel season kicks off. A tweaked “verified-traveller program” will launch dedicated security screening lines at six of the country’s biggest airports between June 7 and June 21, Transport Minister Omar Alghabra said Tuesday.
A passenger walks up to an airport security checkpoint, slips an ID card into a slot and looks into a camera atop a small screen. The screen flashes “Photo Complete” and the person walks through – all without having to hand over their identification to the customs officer sitting behind the screen.
Canada and the US are teaming up to build a corridor of charging stations between Quebec City and Michigan to encourage motorists in both countries to buy more electric vehicles. Canadian Transport Minister Omar Alghabra and US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg unveiled their Alternative Fuel Corridor at an event in Detroit.
France has formalised its ban on domestic flights for journeys that can be completed in less than two-and-a-half hours by train. The move was included in a 2021 climate law is actually already in practice.
A 14-km stretch of Florida sugar-white sand in an unspoiled natural setting alongside the Gulf of Mexico is the best beach for 2023 in the US, according to the annual ranking released last week by the university professor known as “Dr. Beach.”
Nada Semaan has been announced as Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority for a five-year term. (CATSA) is a Crown corporation mandated with protecting people through effective and efficient screening of air travellers and their baggage. CATSA provides a professional, effective, and consistent level of security service across the country.
Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific Airways has dismissed three cabin crew members after a passenger accused them of discriminating against non-English speakers, in a case that drew criticism from Chinese state media.
WestJet says it will take time to resume full operations after more than 200 flights were cancelled earlier this week in anticipation of a pilots’ strike. The carrier and the Air Line Pilots Association announced a tentative deal to avoid the job action on Friday after eight months of negotiations. However, weekend reports say the agreement could mean the end of its budget subsidiary Swoop.
Canadian travel agents are helping the Caribbean reach record levels of tourism this year – boosted by a whopping 132% increase in bookings by travellers using retail travel agents – far ahead of the international norm.
As part of the second phase of the codeshare agreement between Air Transat and Porter Airlines, the carriers have added more connections, enabling travellers to take advantage of additional routes linking Canada to destinations in the South, the US and Europe.
American Airlines and JetBlue Airways must abandon their partnership in the northeast United States, a federal judge in Boston ruled Friday, saying that the government proved the deal reduces competition in the airline industry.
International tourism is well on its way to returning to pre-pandemic levels, with twice as many people travelling during the first quarter of 2023 than in the same period of 2022, says the United Nations Tourism Organization.
More than 1,700 delegates attended Travel Leaders Network’s annual Edge conference in Nashville earlier this month, fresh with the knowledge that Travel Leaders Group had won the legal right to use the Travel Leaders trademark in Canada, capping a six-year legal battle.
A week of drama ended with an 11th-hour deal between WestJet and its pilots averting a strike before the long weekend. In other news last week, the WTTC reported that Canada’s travel and tourism sector is within site of 2019 numbers; ACTA’s 2023 award nominations opened; and a fraudulent Ontario travel agent received 30 days in jail resulting from TICO charges.
WestJet and its pilots union say they have reached a last-minute deal, averting a strike ahead of the May long weekend. A statement from the Air Line Pilots Association says union leaders voted to approve an agreement-in-principle, with a membership vote to begin in the coming days.
Disney has asked a state judge to dismiss a lawsuit filed by a governing board appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis to oversee Disney World, claiming the company has been the victim of the “weaponizing” powers of government aimed at punishing it for opposing a law dubbed “Don’t Say Gay” by critics.
Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants List 2023 paints a vibrant portrait of the Canadian culinary scene. The list offers Canadians a guide to the country’s top dining destinations as selected by a team of 135 culinary tastemakers across the country, with judges including Lauren Mozer, Franco Stalteri, Michael Smith, Mijune Pak, Élise Tastet, and Alexandra Gill.
ACTA is now receiving nominations for the annual ACTA Awards – including a new Lifetime Achievement Award – for 2023. The honours will be bestowed at the annual ACTA 2023 Eastern Canada Travel Industry Summit in September in Toronto.
After years of drought and as a historic snowpack starts to melt, the spring runoff is fuelling conditions for some of the best whitewater in years on California’s American River and its forks, which course through the Sierra Nevada northeast of Sacramento.
Staying connected on expeditions to remote locales or even on a leisurely sail in the Caribbean is becoming easier this year as cruise lines swap their old satellite equipment for the speedier Starlink system.