MIA EVACUATED AFTER STABBING
A man stabbed a woman at Miami International Airport Saturday night, setting off fears that an active shooter was in the terminal, and hundreds of other travellers were evacuated as a precaution, authorities said.
GERMANY GETS TOUGH WITH AIRPORT PROTESTORS
Germany’s Cabinet has approved legislation that would impose tougher penalties on people who break through airport perimeters, a response to incidents such as disruptive protests by climate activists. The move follows airport protests in recent years by that caused disruption to flights.
BATTLE OF THE GODS: Unusual statue making waves in Mexico
In a blow to selfie-inspired tourism, authorities in Mexico have slapped a “closure” order on a 3-metre aquatic statue of the Greek god of the sea Poseidon that was erected in May in the Gulf of Mexico just off the town of Progreso, Yucatan. In the few months it has been up, tourists have gathered to take pictures of themselves with it as a striking background.
RIU ARRIVES IN CHICAGO: Anticipated hotel expands brand’s urban roster
RIU Hotels and Resort has opened its much-anticipated hotel in the Windy City, the Riu Plaza Chicago. The newly built four-star 390-room establishment is strategically located in the heart of Magnificent Mile shopping district, and from September will also offer guests and visitors panoramic views of the city from the 27th floor of the building in the hotel’s bar, The Rooftop.
FANATICAL ABOUT PHILLY: New homeport highlights NCL 2026 SEASON
Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) has announced its 2026 spring/summer itineraries to the Caribbean, Bahamas, Bermuda, Alaska, and Canada and New England, as well as a new season of voyages from the Port of Philadelphia (PhilaPort) for the first time in many years.
ROUND-UP: July 15-19, 2024
In this week’s round-up, there are ruff times ahead for Canadian dog owners travelling to the US; one of the world’s oldest family-owned travel companies is being sold; StatsCan confirmed that airfares are still going up; Sabre welcomed Air Canada full NDC content to its roster; ACV revealed its fall product launch dates; and a famous Las Vegas hotel-casino closed its doors for the final time.
RUFF TIMES AHEAD: U.S. rabies rules change for dogs crossing border
Taking Fido across the US border is about to get a lot more complicated, despite the U.S. Centers for Disease Control conceding a slightly longer leash to Canadians when new rules aimed at controlling the spread of rabies come into effect Aug. 1.
CRUISE CONUNDRUM AS PROTESTS GROW
Cruise lines may be forced to start avoiding popular ports in Europe in the face of NIMBY-ism and growing protests by citizens opposed to overtourism – some of which have targeted cruise visitors, such as sightseers being sprayed by squirt guns in Barcelona – says CLIA.
NORTH KOREA BUILDING ‘WORLD’S BEST TOURISM RESORT’
Perhaps it’s time to rethink next year’s holidays plans. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited a major tourism site being constructed on the country’s eastern coast and discussed steps to open the zone by 2025, state media reported Thursday, though the country still blocks visits by most foreign tourists.
WHAT MAKES A GREAT WATERFRONT: And why Toronto doesn’t have one
Great waterfronts help make great cities, for both residents and tourists who might be inclined to visit. But, clogged with condos, chocked by construction and traffic, and cut off by the crumbling Gardiner Expressway, it’s clear to anyone that Toronto doesn’t have one.
PALACE INTRIGUE: Summer opening features a first at Buckingham
Buckingham Palace’s summer opening of its state rooms has now begun, this year featuring the East Wing opens for the first time. The East Wing encompasses the famous façade of the London Palace and features the iconic central balcony, where the Monarch and members of the Royal Family have gathered for public appearances since 1851, most recently for Trooping the Colour in June.
IS CRYSTAL STILL A TOP CHOICE FOR CRUISE CUISINE?
Let’s put it this way: if Waterside restaurant on Crystal Symphony was ashore, you wouldn’t be able to get a reservation even weeks in advance. Seriously. It’s that good. The menus are so varied, the presentations so outstanding and the service so impeccable that it would be a hands-down choice for a memorable splurge dinner anywhere on land or sea. And Crystal’s gourmet restaurants are complimentary.
LISTENING IN: Surrender to Cheap Trick
Great concerts can become the stuff of legend, but those performances rarely make great records – usually unable to truly capture an electric live atmosphere, convey sound quality comparable to a studio setting, or, of course, present the artists’ visual hijinks. As such, it’s even rarer then when a band makes its breakthrough because of a live album.
CAN’T STAND THE HEAT: Acropolis closed due to searing temperatures
As southern Ontario rung out the towels from torrential rainfall and flooding, across the world in Athens, the Acropolis – Greece’s biggest cultural attraction – faced a different sort of tumult, closing for several hours in the middle of the day Wednesday, amidst an extreme heat wave in southern Europe that has sent temperatures spiralling.
AIRFARES CONTINUE TO SOAR: Exceed pre-pandemic levels
Airfares rose two percent year-over-year in June – and continue to soar above pre-pandemic levels. Figures from Statistic Canada’s consumer price index show the increase follows a 4.5% year-over-year bump in May and a fairly flat April. Prices also stood nearly 19% above what travellers paid for their plane tickets in June 2019.
AIR CANADA ADVANCES NDC PROGRAM WITH SABRE
Sabre and Air Canada have announced the launch of Air Canada’s full content via new distribution capability (NDC) in Sabre’s travel marketplace. This launch allows travel agencies to consume Air Canada’s expanded NDC offers and services, enabling them to provide a more personalized travel experience to the customers they serve, the companies say.
TRANSAT SET TO TIP-TOE THROUGH TULUM
Air Transat will launch two non-stop seasonal routes to Tulum, Mexico, from Montreal and Quebec City starting in December. Tulum joins four other destinations in Mexico served by Air Transat: Acapulco, Cancún, Cozumel and Puerto Vallarta.
RETAIL ROUND-UP: TTAND, Travel Leaders, TRAVELSAVERS, and Ensemble
In this week’s retail round-up, The Travel Agent Next Door was honoured by Sandals; Travel Leaders Network and TRAVELSAVERS Canada welcomed new agencies in the first half of 2024; and Ensemble spread its wings Downunder.
SUNWING OFFERS CUBA PERKS WITH ASTON HOTELS
In celebration of Sunwing’s Partner of the Month for July, Aston Hotels, the travel company is offering special deals, including upgrades and rate reductions, plus travel incentives for agents based on bookings to Cuba made by July 31.
NO MIRAGE: Vegas bids farewell to famed resort
The Mirage is about to vanish from the Las Vegas Strip. Gambling ended and the doors closed Wednesday at the iconic tropical island-themed hotel-casino that opened in 1989 with a fire-spewing volcano outside, and Siegfried & Roy’s lions and dolphins inside.
THE NEXT CHAPTER: New owner promises growth for The Travel Corporation
The Travel Corporation (TTC), the iconic travel brand founded, owned, and operated by the Tollman family for over a century is being sold. The company, which counts Trafalgar, Insight, Contiki, and Uniworld River Cruises amongst its portfolio of 40 brands, has entered an agreement to be acquired by global asset manager Apollo, which counts Yahoo and the Venetian resort in Las Vegas amongst its US$671 billion of assets under management.
TREVELLO EYES GLOBAL EXPANSION, APPOINTS NEW CEO
Trevello Travel Group is planning to expand into the U.S. – “and beyond” – after 30 years in Canada. Travel industry veteran Elizabeth Crabill has been tapped to lead the efforts, operating as Chief Executive Officer of Trevello World Holdings (TWH). Reporting to Crabill, Zeina Gedeon remains CEO of Trevello’s Canadian operating company and will add responsibility as COO of TWH.
FIASCO OR FLOP?: Mexico’s Maya Train tourist line is both
The pet rail project of Mexican president Andrés Manuel López Obrador could wind up costing as much as US$30 billion, is only half finished as he heads into the final two months of his term, and has wreaked major damage on the environment. But the most damning judgment on the Maya Train tourist line, is that only about 1,200 people per day use it when the government had originally promised the train would carry between 22,000 and 37,000 daily.
MSC INTRODUCES EXCLUSIVE SHORE EXCURSIONS FOR YACHT CLUB GUESTS
MSC Cruises is introducing more than 90 shore excursions for MSC Yacht Club guests, providing guests touring options in the Caribbean, Mediterranean, and Northern Europe beyond existing shore excursion programs. The exclusive excursions are also designed to take care of all the details, from priority disembarkation, private transfers to local experts ashore.
AEROPORTS DE MONTREAL, INDIGENOUS TOURISM QUÉBEC JOIN FORCES AT YUL
ADM Aéroports de Montréal and Indigenous Tourism Québec (ITQ) have unveiled the first space showcasing Québec’s 11 Indigenous Nations at YUL Montréal-Trudeau International Airport. The initiative is the result of a mutual agreement to promote the cultures and tourism offerings of Québec’s 11 Indigenous Nations at strategic locations throughout the terminal.
BALLERINA OR BERLUSCONI?: New Rome airport name stirs controversy
Silvio Berlusconi, a cruise-ship singer, media mogul and a three-time premier who dominated Italian politics for three decades – and seen by some as a forerunner of Donald Trump – is getting a new act following his death last year. Milan’s Malpensa Airport, Italy’s second-busiest passenger airport, is being renamed for the billionaire businessman-turned-politician, Italy’s transport minister announced last week.
WHAT’S ON IN ORLANDO THIS SUMMER
From new theme park attractions and star-studded soccer games to cultural festivals celebrating food and music, Orlando is promising a full agenda of for visitors this summer. Not to mention great deals that range to from 20 percent off airfare to free hotel nights.
HOW DRY WE ARE: Ontario tourism body ticked over LCBO strike, urges quick resolution
The Tourism Industry Association of Ontario says the strike by workers at LCBO outlets in the province is hurting its tourism and hospitality businesses while union negotiations with the government drag on. Moreover, visitor experiences are being affected, says TIAO.
DEUTSCHE BAHN BEGINS ‘HISTORIC’ OVERHAUL: Main route temporarily mothballed
One of the busiest railway lines in Germany, the 70-kilometer stretch between Frankfurt and Mannheim, is closing for five months starting Monday as the country launches an effort to get its notoriously disruption-prone network into shape and promising to spend “historic sums” to do so.
IS RISK WORTH IT? Helicopter crash the latest flightseeing tragedy in Hawaii
A tour company helicopter crashed off the Hawaiian island of Kauai late last week killing one person and leaving two missing in the latest in a series of crashes to plague Hawaii’s flightseeing industry in recent years.