COLOMBIA FLIGHTS RETURN TO NORMAL AS FUEL CRISIS RESOLVED

Colombian airlines Avianca and LATAM Colombia said they would resume full schedules today (Wednesday) after warning earlier they would have to cancel dozens of flights due to shortages of jet fuel. Avianca said it had received confirmation from the nation’s main supplier of jet fuel that there would no longer be any restrictions on how much fuel was provided to airlines, enabling it to again sell tickets for all its routes and observe its planned flights.

THEY PAVED PARADISE: DeSantis Florida plan par for the course

The golf course is not a threatened species in the Sunshine State – but the Florida scrub-jay is. And advocates are warning that life for the small blue and gray birds and many other imperiled species could get much harder if Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration follows through on a proposal to build golf courses, pickleball courts, and 350-room hotels at state parks from Miami to the Panhandle.

A FLAIR FOR THE DRAMATIC: Carrier introduces $1 fares

Flair Airlines has launched a $1 base fare initiative, with the “groundbreaking” offer starting on northbound routes from Mexico, the US, Jamaica, and the Dominican Republic to Canada. The carrier adds that it will continue $1 base fares on different routes across its network throughout the year.

APPARENT CYBERATTACK UNSOLVED AT SEATTLE AIRPORT

An apparent cyberattack disrupted internet, phones, email and other systems at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) for a third day on Monday as Port of Seattle officials worked to investigate the outages and restore full service.

RETAIL ROUND-UP: Travel Leaders, Virtuoso, and F1S

  In this week’s dispatch, Travel Leaders Network (TLN) announces a host of new travel partners; details of Virtuoso new report on sustainable travel, and its leadership award winners in the space for their contributions, and First in Service (F1S) returns to its roots in Los Angeles. Travel Leaders Network Travel Leaders Network reports that

THAT’S CRICKET: Goway, Air New Zealand celebrate 20th annual clash

Goway and Air New Zealand faced off on the cricket pitch last Thursday in an annual tradition of partnership and friendly rivalry. The teams gathered at the Toronto Cricket Club for an afternoon match followed by a reception, attended by travel trade guests and “friends of Goway,” plus over 100 staff from the travel company.

KEEPING UP WITH CLUB MED

Club Med has announced several developments across its international portfolio, including renovations at Club Med Cancún and Club Med Punta Cana, the development of Club Med’s first resort in the Gulf States, and a new partnership with prominent yoga instructor Jonah Kest. Read on for details.

TRAVEL EARLY – U.S. READIES FOR LABOUR DAY RECORD

TSA says air travel volumes this summer are the highest the agency has seen in its history. The agency expects passenger volumes to be 8.5% higher than last year during this time, and has already screened 239.8 million people since Memorial Day weekend, which is an average of 2.7 million per day.

CARRIERS EXTEND SUSPENSION OF ISRAEL FLIGHTS

Delta and American Airlines have both extended their suspensions of flights to Israel as the war between the country and the militant group Hamas continues, and hostilities with Lebanon threaten to escalate.

‘WE WILL BE BACK’: Jasper’s rocky road to recovery

The road to recovery is starting to clear for businesses and the tourism in industry in Jasper, Alta., a month after some 25,000 visitors and residents were forced to flee a raging wildfire. While Jasper National Park and the town are still closed to visitors, late last week the park service reopened the road south through the Rocky Mountains that is a key draw for tourists.

‘SANDALS AND BEACHES IN 10’ TRAINING SESSIONS RETURN

Unique Vacations Canada has announced the return of its “Sandals and Beaches in 10” series of live, virtual training sessions, which first premiered in Fall 2021. Created exclusively for the Canadian market, “Sandals and Beaches….in 10” guides travel advisors through top-line info on the featured resort and a brief conversation with a member of the resort’s management team – all in just 10 minutes.

ROUND-UP: Aug. 19-23, 2024

Possible strikes dominated last week’s news, with Air Canada pilots threatening job action, and London Heathrow border staff polishing their pickets for this coming weekend. Elsewhere, US airports are readying for their busiest Labour Day weekend ever, winter campaigns were unveiled by a trio of prominent tour operators, and Viking unveiled its newest ship on the Nile.

‘IT’S JUST DISGUSTING’: Outrage as Florida ‘erases’ LGBTQ travel section from website

Key West, Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Orlando, and St. Petersburg are among a host of Florida cities that have long championed diversity and been top US destinations for LGBTQ+ tourists. So, it came as a surprise to many this week when it was discovered that Florida’s tourism marketing agency has quietly removed the “LGBTQ Travel” section from its website.

DUMB THINGS: Man opens plane door and walks on wing

Perhaps channeling Aussie Paul Kelly’s classic song lyric, “I’ve done all the dumb things…” a passenger was arrested at Melbourne airport Thursday after he left a stationary airliner through an emergency exit, walked along a wing, and then climbed down a jet engine to the tarmac.

BEST BETS TO BEAT JET LAG, AND IS IT PREVENTABLE?

It’s the bane of many travellers: jet lag. Nobody wants to lose out because they’re too tired to enjoy the delights of their vacation spot or be at less than their best at a business meeting. Here are some tips on how to handle jet lag, and maybe even avoid it all together.

COOKING UP FUN ON AN EPICURIAN EXPEDITION

A table is heaped with a colourful cornucopia of luscious fresh vegetables and fruits, perfectly cooked pasta and exotic garnishes that include a bowl of roasted meal worms. Yes, worms! But keep reading.

LISTENING IN: Let’s get together and feel all right

War in middle east and eastern Europe, US politics, cats and dogs living together! (to quote Bill Murray in Ghostbusters) … It seems we should all just get together and feel all right, which I tend to do when listening to Playing for Change, the amazing collective of world music practitioners who creatively re-interpret favourite songs in the name of peace, love, unity – and charity – through song.

BOEING EXPERIENCES SEAT SETBACK

In another setback to the beleaguered airline manufacturer, federal safety officials in the US are requiring inspections of cockpit seats on Boeing 787 Dreamliners after one of the jets went into a dive when the captain’s seat lurched forward without warning and disconnected the plane’s autopilot system.

SAFARI MEETS RIVERBOAT: It’s the only choice if Africa’s fragile ecosystem is to survive

The sun is a red orb sitting low on the horizon. The only sound is the eerie cry of an African Fish Eagle. It’s all rather splendid, quietly cruising on the Zambezi Queen by Mantis along the Chobe River, between Namibia’s Caprivi Strip and Botswana’s Chobe National Park, which together contain one of Africa’s densest concentrations of wildlife.

SUNWING UNVEILS WINTER 2024-25 SUN ROSTER

Sunwing’s 2024-25 winter season will feature the addition of three new sun destinations: Tulum, Camaguey-Santa Lucia, and San Andrés. In total, the company will offer more than 700 hotel in 27 sun destinations throughout Mexico, the Caribbean and Central America, from 24 gateways across Canada.

UNIVERSAL ORLANDO RESORT: New details on new Harry Potter land revealed

 “The most ambitious, groundbreaking ride Universal has ever created,” will highlight the third installment of Universal Orlando Resort’s popular Harry Potter-themed lands when The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic, opens in Orlando in 2025.

PIER PRESSURE: Summer tourists flock to waterfronts

Small businesses along popular vacation destinations like boardwalks and piers in the US say the number of tourists flocking to the waterfront is back to normal, meaning pre-2020 levels. But while the affluent are spending freely, lower-income vacationers are sticking to carefully planned-out budgets.

NOT GOOD FOR GANDER: Lost regional routes hamper travel, leave small cities ‘on the brink’

From his office overlooking the runway at Gander International Airport, Reg Wright can see all flights in and out of his corner of Newfoundland. But in recent years, those plane spottings have been fewer and farther between. Gander serves as a microcosm for numerous towns and cities across the country. While Canada’s total domestic passenger numbers now hover at around pre-COVID levels, air travel to smaller communities and even medium-sized cities has withered, pushing up fares and leaving parts of the country less connected.

CANADIANS PLAY PART IN FLORIDA TOURISM RECORD

Florida welcomed a record-breaking 34.2 million visitors in the second quarter of 2024 – including an estimated 739,000 Canadians. This figure represents a 1.7% increase over the same period in 2023, setting a new all-time high for second-quarter visitation in the state’s history.

VIRTUOSO REVEALS WHAT’S NEW AND NEXT IN LUXURY TRAVEL

With the conclusion of the 26th annual Virtuoso Travel Week in Las Vegas last week, the luxury and experiential travel specialist network has revealed its latest trends for Canadian travellers, including top fall destinations, travel interests and motivations.

DISNEY ADVENTURE’S CENTRAL HUB A GARDEN OF DELIGHT

Disney Cruise Line has unveiled new details about one of the seven themed areas aboard the Disney Adventure, which will set sail from Singapore in 2025. Disney Imagination Garden, the central hub of the ship, will be an “immersive, enchanted valley inspired by 100 years of heroic and heartwarming Disney adventures.”

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