17 DEC 2018: In case you missed it, and even if you didn’t, here’s a quick look at some of last week’s need-to-know travel news:
AIR
Space travel is a step closer with last week’s successful test ascent of Virgin Galactic’s tourism spaceship to 82 kilometres above the earth – the threshold of space. There is no word on when commercial flights will begin, but more than 600 people have already registered for the first flights at up to $250,000 per person
In celebration of National Ugly Holiday Sweater Day, Alaska Airlines’ guests who wear their festive holiday sweaters to the airport on Friday (Dec. 21) can board their flight early.
New enhancements to WestJet’s loyalty plan now make it easier for members to get even more rewards. Among the changes, milestone awards will be issued more frequently and WestJet Vacations packages will also be added towards qualifying spend. A new Platinum tier has also been added to the program, featuring the highest earning rates and benefits, plus priority services for members, including lounge access along with priority for complimentary Premium cabin upgrades with the purchase of EconoFlex fares.
TOURS
Ever wanted to learn the haka? The traditional – and fearsome – Maori posture dance (photo) is kept alive today by New Zealand’s rugby team, which performs the ceremony before games. Now visitors to New Zealand can step onto the field and learn the dance through the Haka at the Park experience, which is conducted by a Maori warrior guide and includes a behind-the-scenes tour of the stadium. The experience will take place Jan. 5, though private bookings are available. Further dates in 2019 have yet to be announced. The price is NZD$149 (approx. $136).
All Transat travellers who have booked a package via TTS (South or Europe package) will receive new customized, and simpler, travel documents with a revamped design, featuring a visual overview of their hotel and room type and personalized itinerary including details such as flights, precise baggage allowances, hotel transfers, excursions, and agent contact details.
With Egypt seeing a 55% increase in overall visitors in 2018, Insight Vacations and Luxury Gold report a 145% boost in bookings since 2017. Recently Insight CEO Ulla Hefel Böhler checked out the destination herself, stating, “Egypt must be on every client’s 2019 bucket list,” citing such attractions as the Great Pyramids of Giza and the ancient treasures and temples that line the Nile River. Such is the interest in the country that Luxury Gold’s “Elegance of Egypt” summer tour in 2019 has already sold out, however, space is still available on Insights’ Wonders of Egypt and Splendours of Egypt itineraries and Elegance of the Nile with Luxury Gold.
DEALS & DISCOUNTS
Canadian travellers are being invited to trade in the bitter cold and snow for sun and sand with Sunwing’s Let it Snow sale, which offers couples $2,000 off at top-rated sun resorts when booking by Dec. 21. Among the participating resorts include the Grand Sunset All Suites and Spa Resort in the Riviera May, Royalton White Sands in Montego Bay, and Riu Bambu in Punta Cana.
Goway has partnered with Virgin Australia to offer a selection of value getaways to Sydney, Melbourne and the Barrier Reef (Cairns). Prices, in effect through Dec. 22 for travel April 1 to June 28, start at $2,199 p.p. and include airfare from Vancouver, accommodation, and amenities such as attraction passes and two-for-one Barrier Reef cruises. Options include the 10-day Aussie City Explorer, 11-Day Sydney & Great Barrier Reef and 14-Day Aussie Cities and Great Barrier Reef tours. Agents will also earn double rewards on their Goway Rewards Visa card for all bookings made in December for travel before March 31.
Travellers booking Icelandic carrier WOW air Dec. 12-16 (for travel through March 31), will receive a 50% discount on bookings. WOW flies from Toronto and Montreal and passengers can use the promo code WOWXMAS to book inexpensive flights to Amsterdam, Frankfurt, London and many other cities.
Close to a dozen hotels are offering up to 50% off rates during Bermuda’s seasonal Pink Sale promotion. Rates start at $124.50 per night and must be booked between Dec. 20 and Jan. 22. The travel window is Jan. 1 to April 30 and again Sept. 1-Dec. 31, 2019. Participating properties include the Elbow Beach, Grotto Bay and Coco Reef. Check HERE for full details.
HOTELS
Drawing its inspiration from the likes of Coco Chanel and Salvador Dalí, Paris’s newly opened Hôtel de Berri is a uniquely designed venue that is “a deliberate step away from traditional hotel design.” A member of Marriott’s The Luxury Collection, the hotel features 75 guestrooms, including 35 suites, as well as Italian restaurant Le Schiap and cocktail bar Le Bizazz. The hotel’s preserved 3,000-sq.-m. landscaped garden is a legacy of the building’s illustrious past.
Now open:
IHG’s Hotel Indigo Manchester – Victoria Station, a 187-room boutique hotel is located at the gateway to the Northern Quarter, Manchester’s creative heart, and is adjacent to Exchange Square, the city’s shopping district
Zabeel House by Jumeirah – The Greens is the third hotel to open as part of Jumeirah Group’s upscale casual brand. Opening in the Onyx Towers complex in the heart of Dubai, it includes 210 rooms, two restaurants, new gym/health club concept, outdoor pool with cabanas and two outdoor cinemas.
The newly-built Park Terrace Hotel is located in midtown Manhattan two blocks from Grand Central and Park Avenue and one block from Times Square. The 226-room property offers impeccable views of Bryant Park and has a total of 226 guestrooms that are “bright, fresh and airy with a décor inspired by natural harmony.”
RESORTS
The new Riu Palace Baja California in Los Cabos, Mexico, has welcomed its first guests. Available through Sunwing, the beachfront property was designed to accentuate views of the ocean throughout the hotel. Amenities include expansive suites with sophisticated décor, four pools with two swim-up bars, full-service spa, and reservation-free dining across five specialty restaurants. Guests can also take advantage of full exchange privileges with neighbouring Riu Palace Cabo San Lucas and Riu Santa Fe, including complimentary access to Splash Water World Water Park at the latter.
AMResorts has announced a new property: Breathless Tulum Resort & Spa. Slated to open in 2021, the 300-room resort will feature a stunning beach and AMResort’s Unlimited-Luxury vacation concept where everything is included: gourmet dining, 24-hour room and concierge services, unlimited premium beverage program, daytime activities, live night-time entertainment, taxes and gratuities, and more – all without wristbands.
This month marked the official opening of intimate luxury resort Silversands Grenada, a member of The Leading Hotels of the World, on the Spice Island’s Grand Anse beach. At a cost of US$125 million, the resort has 43 suites and nine villas designed to showcase the destination, which includes 40 white sand beaches, 15 waterfalls, four chocolate factories, three rum distilleries, and 30 dive sites. Direct flights, including Sunwing, are available from Canada.
CRUISE
Luxury expedition cruise line Ponant will continue to broaden its horizons in 2019 with the addition of two new ships and nearly 40 new itineraries across the fleet. From March to December, the ships will chart new courses through destinations such as North America, Africa, Europe, Caribbean, the Arctic, and more. The new vessels Le Bougainville and Le Dumont-d’Urville will make their maiden voyages through the Mediterranean and Baltic seas, April 15 and Aug. 7 respectively, with both ships featuring an innovative Blue Eye lounge – an industry-first, multi-sensory space that allows guests to experience the subaquatic world through sight, sound, and feel.
A new spa concept developed in partnership with Canyon Ranch is being rolled out across the Cunard fleet. Mareel Wellness & Beauty launches on board the newly refurbished Queen Elizabeth this month and will be closely followed by Queen Victoria and on flagship liner Queen Mary 2 in November 2020. The new brand will offer a holistic approach with an extended spa treatment menu of mineral-rich seawater and marine-based experiences as well as a redesign of the entire spa facility.
THEME PARKS
Beloved Kissimmee attraction Old Town will re-open on April 6, 2019 after a two-year multi-million-dollar renovation and expansion. The Central Florida attraction, which had been in operation for over 30 years, will be back with its unique walkable collection of shops, themed restaurants, rides, and attractions “that harken back to an easier, simpler time.” Highlights of the new-look entertainment district include a 26-metre Ferris wheel, new dining options, “upgraded” musical acts, and a continuation of its popular car show and car cruises on Friday and Saturday nights.
PEOPLE
Kim Hartlen Travel TPI (right) and Lois Barbour, Travel Time TPI (2nd from r) celebrate their status as Chairman’s Royal Club members, the highest level of achievement and sales performance as Certified Sandals Specialists.
Sandals Resorts International (SRI) celebrated the 17th Annual Sandals Travel Agency Recognition (S.T.A.R.) Awards during a recent gala ceremony held at Sandals Ochi Beach Resort. Over 400 agents from North America, Latin America and the United Kingdom were recognized, including close to three dozen Canadians. Among the most notable awards were TPI agents Lois Barbour and Kim Hartlen, who were admitted to the Chairman’s Royal Club as elite performing agents, and Heidi Pivnick of Voyages Anne Travel, who received the CEO Award of Excellence. Top travel agency in Canada for Sandals was Kim Hartlen Travel TPI and Polo Travel for Beaches.
Scenic Group Canada, parent organization of Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours, Scenic Eclipse and Emerald Waterways has announced the move of Senior Director of Sales Derek Legault into the dual role of Director of National Sales and BDM Southwestern Ontario, the company’s largest market. Due to continued strong sales growth, the company says it is looking to fill a new General Manager of Sales position, based out of the Vancouver office.
FAMS & INCENTIVES
Trafalgar recently hosted more than 30 agents and staff on a customized tour of France, including visits to World War II battlefields and memorial sites. Destination highlights included Paris, Rouen and the harbour town of Honfleur, while agents also took part in some of the “immersive experiences” their clients would, such as joining the owner of a 17th-century French Château, for a three-course meal, as part of Trafalgar’s ‘Be My Guest’ experience.
Costsaver is launching its first global FAM trip for top achievers. Thirteen agencies will be invited to send one of their agents to visit Vietnam in May to mark the TravCorp brand’s newly launched Asia program. To qualify for the Costsaver Clique Top Achievers Trip, agencies simply need to have as many guests as possible booked (and paid for) on Costsaver tours by March 18, 2019, with a minimum of four passengers on the new Asia portfolio. Winners will be announced April 1. For details, click HERE.
In time for Wave Season, Carnival Cruise Line’s 2019 “AMP Up Commission Challenge” gives travel agents the ability to increase their commissions up to 15% from Jan. 1 to March 31. Agencies that reach set booking goals during this window will earn the increased commissions on new CCL bookings made from April 1 to December 2019. Once registered and confirmed, participating agencies must make from 20 to 125 bookings during the January to March booking period to qualify for higher commission levels between 11 and 15%. Registration for the program is open until Dec. 23, 2018 HERE.
DESTINATIONS
Carnaval de Quebec is the largest winter carnival in the world and celebrating its 65th anniversary in February. This year’s event takes place from Feb. 8 to 17 and features the night parade, iconic Carnival canoe race across the St. Lawrence River, Bonhomme’s Ice Palace, and of course Bonhomme himself!
If spring is more your thing, Washington DC – famous for its cherry blossoms at that time of year – will hold its annual National Cherry Blossom Festival from March 20 to April 13. The springtime celebration packs weekends with events including the Blossom Kite Festival (March 30); Petalpalooza (April 6) and parade (April 13), as well as the sublime if unpredictable arrival of the cherry blossoms that ring the Tidal Basin.
Peruvian frog smoothies, maggot cheese from Sardinia, and Chinese Mouse Wine made by drowning baby mice in red wine, are just some of the provocative global foods from around the world showcased at Los Angeles’s new (but temporary) Disgusting Food Museum. Visitors can see, smell, and even taste (if they dare) such international dishes at the venue, which bills itself as “a celebration of food from around the world highlighting how different cultures may or may not view certain things as disgusting.” Exhibited at the A+D Architecture and Design Museum in the Downtown Los Angeles Arts District, The Disgusting Food Museum will be open through Feb. 17.
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