Heather Gerrard has joined the Sunwing Vacations sales team as business development for Alberta and the Prairie provinces. Gerrard comes from the tour operator’s inventory department, having previously worked at Signature Vacations’ call centre before moving to the operations team.
Declaring a “new era for doing business with Collette,” the 107-year-old tour operator has opened access to four new and enhanced self-service and learning tools for travel advisors. Dubbed the EnCompass Campaign, they include four main components.
Woodbridge, Ont.-based Arts & Leisure has added Liz Story to its growing team as Sales Manager, Canada. Prior to her new role, the well-known industry veteran has held similar roles at the Thomas Cook Group, Holiday House and Paul Gauguin Cruises, amongst others.
Officials in Johannesburg have proposed renaming a major street after a Palestinian woman who was involved in a hijacking more than 50 years ago, sparking criticism from several political parties and the city’s Jewish community. The city council is considering naming the street in its financial district of Sandton after Leila Khaled, a Palestinian militant and member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine group.
Transat Distribution Canada is ‘humbly, carefully’ confident about the prospects for 2025, says the network’s GM Karine Gagnon, who notes that 2023 was an exceptional year for members. And while 2024 has not been quite as a strong, it has not been far behind. And “for me,” she says, “that’s a great place to be.
The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), in collaboration with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Tourism, has released a new report revealing the stark impact of the pandemic on woman and youth employment within the global Travel & Tourism sector.
Viking marked its historic return to China with international travellers aboard late last month as the Viking Yi Dun (formerly the Viking Sun) completed her completed her first voyage from Shanghai to Hong Kong (Shenzhen).
Southwest Airlines have unveiled their vision for Southwest 2.0, an airline that for the first time will give passengers assigned seats, charge them extra for more legroom, and offer red-eye flights. And bags still will fly free.
Jordan will welcome tourism professionals from around the globe to the next G Adventures GX Summit in 2025. The middle eastern destination was unveiled at this year’s event in India. Taking place Sept. 23-Oct. 1 and notably coinciding with World Tourism Day on Sept. 27, the event will bring together agents, suppliers, media and travellers from around the globe to experience firsthand the impact that community tourism can have.
The annual vacation down south can be a highlight for many families, but they’re made that much brighter when booked with Grand Palladium Hotels & Resorts, says Sunwing Vacations. With properties set across Mexico that feature a dedicated Family Selection resort area, including Grand Palladium Kantenah Resort and Spa, Grand Palladium Costa Mujeres Resort and Spa and Grand Palladium Vallarta Resort and Spa, families are provided the perfect setting to connect and explore paradise with maximum comfort, ease and convenience.
Hurricane Helene killed and destroyed far and wide – from Tampa to Atlanta to Asheville, North Carolina, its high winds, heavy rains and sheer size created a perfect mix for devastation.
Air Canada Vacations wrapped its fall ‘DreamMakers’ series of cross-Canada fall product launches Thursday with an enthusiastic crowd of close to a thousand travel advisors at a venue north of Toronto. The event also attracted one special guest: Sandals Resorts executive chairman Adam Stewart, who received a standing ovation when entering the stage.
Canadian travellers booking an international flight to Japan with Japan Airlines (JAL) are now eligible for a complimentary domestic flight to any destination within Japan. The International flight and a corresponding domestic flight must be made within the same reservation via JAL’s website – separate bookings for domestic flights will not be eligible.
PONANT’s groundbreaking polar expedition vessel, Le Commandant Charcot, etched its name in the annals of exploration on Sept. 12 by becoming the first vessel to reach the ‘North Pole of Inaccessibility’ – one of the most elusive and remote points on Earth. Located at the coordinates 85°48’ North, 176°09’ East, the North Pole of Inaccessibility is the farthest point in the Arctic Ocean from any land or accessible water, a place few dare to imagine reaching.
The soup-throwing days of two British climate activists have been halted, at least temporarily, when they were sentenced Friday for throwing tomato soup over Vincent van Gogh’s “Sunflowers” two years ago, nearly destroying one of the great masterpieces at London’s National Gallery.
In this week’s round-up, a Sunwing survey reveals Canadians’ travel intentions; the global travel industry edges ever-closer to pre-pandemic parity; a new cholera vaccine is made available in Canada; IHG has designs on Dubai’s latest epic venture: the tallest all-hotel tower in the world; how to earn a free AmaWaterways cruise – and, of course, much more.
As overtourism reaches a tipping point, Intrepid Travel has released its annual Not Hot List, featuring 10 lesser-known destinations that the tour operator believes deserve the spotlight for travel in 2025. The list seeks to address overtourism by inspiring travellers to discover different and unique experiences around the world – and that are largely off travellers’ radar – with communities that can truly benefit from more visitors.
To celebrate World Tourism Day – Sept. 27 – the TreadRight Foundation, The Travel Corporation (TTC)’s not-for-profit arm, is launching the first segment of a new three-part video series, created in collaboration with its project partners, Trees For Life, GreenWave, and Rainforest Rescue. The series aims to educate guests and industry partners about the power of nature-based solutions in mitigating the climate crisis.
When it comes to choosing ideal travel destinations, 35% of experienced travellers prioritize landscape-rich locations followed closely by 31% who seek destinations that offer adventurous activities, according to the recent Global Rescue Summer 2024 Traveller Sentiment and Safety Survey. But women have distinct preferences compared to men.
The damage is severe as torrential rains from a storm called Boris that had the Danube peaking at a 10-year high and saw water lapping at the steps of Hungary’s Parliament building in Budapest. It’s meant there’s not enough space for ships to sail under bridges on the central part of the river.
The head brewmaster for Weihenstephan, the world’s oldest brewery, has a secret: He really likes alcohol-free beer. Even though he’s quick to say he obviously enjoys real beer more, Tobias Zollo says he savours alcohol-free beer when he’s working or eating lunch. It has the same taste but fewer calories than a soft drink, he said, thanks to the brewery’s process of evaporating the alcohol.
One of the great Canadian band of the classic rock era, Saskatchewan’s Streetheart scored several hits in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, including covers of Them/Van Morrison’s “Here Comes the Night” and “Under My Thumb,” which in my humble estimation improved on the Stones’ original. My favourite, however, was/still is “What Kind of Love Is This?,” arguably their most memorable hit.
It’s being called the “normal-normal” – that is, the state of things beyond post-pandemic and its subsequent “new normal.” Back to where things were (travel-wise) before COVID. And that may be. But what about when normal includes the threat of pandemic as more than a one-off; never-ending and escalating wars; raging wildfires and drowning floods; tourism – and tourists – under siege by the locals; endless industry strikes; and plane parts (from Boeing at least) literally falling from the sky?
ACTA says it disappointed by the lack of progress demonstrated at Tuesday’s Travel Industry Council of Ontario (TICO) annual general meeting on Recommendation 16 of the provincial auditor general’s report, which recommended a comprehensive review of the Travel Industry Act, 2002 and its associated regulations to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the regulatory system in Ontario.
Travel intent remains strong among Canadians, despite economic headwinds like inflation, according to a new survey releases by Sunwing. Polled in mid August, nearly two-thirds (61%) of over 1,500 respondents said they are planning to travel internationally on a vacation in the next year and over half (55%) of those are likely to consider an all-inclusive vacation package.
When in Africa, one often hears passing reference to Zimbabwe’s famed hospitality, and there’s nowhere to appreciate it more than at the iconic World Heritage Site of Victoria Falls. Everyone smiles warmly and greets you like an old friend. They’re all genuinely delightful – and could they not be, living in such magnificence?
Helene became a hurricane Wednesday after the huge storm rapidly strengthened in the Caribbean Sea and moved north along Mexico’s coast on a path toward the US, leading residents to evacuate, schools to close, and officials to declare emergencies in Florida and Georgia.
Japneet Singh, a security patroller at Nova Scotia’s famed Peggy’s Cove – a longtime treasure of Atlantic Canada’s coastline southwest of Halifax – is no stranger to the perils of the sea. Singh’s summer job is to watch over the black rocks overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, which are routinely slapped violently with salty waves, and covered in slippery algae that can take an unsuspecting visitor by surprise.
Described as “a calming riverside oasis in the centre of cacophonous Bangkok,” Capella Bangkok has been earned top spot in The World’s 50 Best Hotels awards 2024 at a glittering gala in London. The Thai property leads a prestigious list designed to “shape the aspirations of consumers, travellers and hoteliers globally.”
Convincing a client to add insurance to their booking may be getting harder, according to a new survey from TD Insurance, which reveals that nearly a third of Canadians are who are planning to travel in the next 12 months say they will trim their trip safety net as part of a strategy to forgo non-essential costs without giving up going altogether.