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
Eurowings, a subsidiary of the Lufthansa Group, will connect Calgary to Frankfurt, Germany, on a seasonal basis starting June 1. Eurowings is the second Lufthansa Group airline to serve Calgary joining Edelweiss, which offers seasonal flights to Zurich. The new Calgary route will operate four times a week (Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays) on Airbus A330-200 aircraft with 22 Business Class seats and 248 Premium Economy and Economy Class seats. The service will continue three times a week (Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays) after Oct. 24.
Vancouver is officially the third Canadian and 15th North American destination for Turkish Airlines, with three-times weekly (Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday) service starting June 9. The airline already operates nine weekly flights to Canada: six to Toronto and three to Montreal. YVR flights to Istanbul will be serviced with B787-900 Dreamliner aircraft with 30 Business and 270 Economy seats.
Sunwing’s summer season will operate without Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft. The new schedule, which will run until Oct. 31, has been reconfigured ahead of time to accommodate the continuing non-availability of this aircraft type prompted by the continued worldwide grounding of the MAX 8. All schedule changes required to accommodate the change in aircraft type have already been made and are now live on the company’s website and reservation system.
DEALS
The Summer Early Booking promo from Transat invites Canadians to benefit from exclusive perks with a deposit of only $100. The promotion applies to new individual bookings of Transat South, Florida, New Orleans and Duo packages for bookings through March 23 for travel between May 1 and Oct. 31. Travellers that book a South package will get Transat’s Price Drop Guarantee, the option to change travel dates up to 21 days before departure, a $50 future travel voucher, and free seat selection (for Distinction Collection packages). Travellers that book a Florida, New Orleans or Duo package will receive a $50 future travel voucher.
March 7 is the last day for clients to save up to $3,400 on select 2020 and ’21 Paul Gauguin Cruises voyages to Tahiti, French Polynesia, and the South Pacific. Roundtrip airfare between Los Angeles and Papeete, Tahiti, is also included. Departure dates run from Aug. 8 to Jan. 2, 2021.
St. Martin’s Sonesta Ocean Point Resort is offering 45% off rates with “The Butler Suite Sale” bookings of at least five nights, made by March 31 for travel through Dec. 23. Full prepayment is required upon reservation and the rate is non-refundable. Use Promo Code: BUTLER.
TOURS
Clients don’t have to be foodies to enjoy a flavourful week floating down the Rhône River through the French countryside on board the Avalon Waterways Poetry II. Departing May 12 from Lyon (the culinary capital of France), the special cruise will feature noted Canadian chef, author and restaurateur Umberto Menghi, who will conduct two cooking demonstrations. Other food-and-drink themed options include a cooking class in Lyon, making chocolate, wine-tasting in a cave and more. The cruise is priced from $4,894 p.p. (including port taxes, excluding airfare), but those booking by March 9 will save $900.
Beginning this month, luxury river and coastal cruising specialist Aqua Expeditions is offering guests travelling aboard the Aqua Mekong complimentary flight extensions to Siem Reap, Cambodia, allowing guests to visit the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Angkor Wat.
Goway has launched a campaign with Samoa Tourism to promote the under-the-radar destination. “Our goal is to increase awareness of Samoa as a wonderful travel destination and grow the number of passengers we send to Samoa,” says Richelle Emefe, GM of Goway Idyllic Islands. To that end, the tour operator has put together vacation packages to suit a variety of travellers, such as the 10-day “Romantic Samoa” package, which includes roundtrip airfare to Apia, Samoa, on Fiji Airways, seven nights at the 4-star Sinalei Resort, transfers, and breakfast, priced from $3,149 p.p. ex. Vancouver. Emefe notes that Goway’s agents are “well versed” on Samoa and “will be able to provide agents with everything they need to book their clients’ trip.”
HOTELS
Accor has announced its commitment to join the UN Global Tourism Plastics Initiative and to remove all single-use plastic items in guest experience from its hotels by the end of 2022.
Now open:
The wellness-inspired Fusion Suites Vung Tau is now open on Vietnam’s popular coastal playground. A short car or boat ride from Ho Chi Minh city, the new 19-storey property has 171 well-appointed suites and apartments, a multitude of dining options, maritime-inspired spa, and Vung Tau’s only rooftop infinity pool. Prices start at US$100/night.
La Réserve Eden au Lac Zurich opened in January following a two-year restoration project helmed by Philippe Starck. The Swiss property joins hotelier Michel Reybier’s La Réserve collection of hotels in Geneva (2003), Ramatuelle (2009) and Paris (2015).
RESORTS
The KOI Resort St. Kitts, Curio Collection by Hilton (photo), is the brand’s first on island as well as KOI Hospitality’s first entry into the hotel space (to compliment its acclaimed US restaurant portfolio). The 102-room oceanfront haven is the latest addition to St. Kitts’ growing hotel portfolio, having most recently welcomed the Park Hyatt St. Kitts at Christophe Harbour in late 2017. The resort features 102 guestrooms, a full-service pool terrace overlooking the ocean, gym, spa, and a variety of elevated dining options, including a KOI Restaurant.
March 1 marked the opening of the Royalton Grenada Resort & Spa and guests can take advantage of an introductory offer of 70% off a five-night stay, plus $600 in resort credits. Located beachfront on Tamarind Bay, the all-inclusive resort has 269 rooms and suites. Along with its desirable location offering direct access to two of the island’s best white-sand beaches, amenities include 24-hour room service, complimentary non-motorized water sports, free Wi-Fi, spa and more.
Now open:
The Christopher St. Barth has unveiled two new four-bedroom villas with a third set to open. With interiors by Olivia Putman, the new spaces combine the comfort of private residences with the five-star service of the main hotel – and each has a private swimming pool.
CRUISE
Sunwing was recently announced as MSC Cruises’ Tour Operator Partner of the Year for 2019, the third time that Sunwing has received the award. The tour operator’s Reg Mendes (l) and Maureen Maheu-Mendes received the award from MSC country manager for Canada, Ian Patterson (photo).
Transat has boosted its all-in-one cruise package offerings with the addition of a new partner: Celebrity Cruises. Now available for booking, three itineraries departing from Fort Lauderdale are available with additional itineraries for 2020 and 2021 to be announced shortly.
With coronavirus top of mind these days, Windstar has introduced a new travel assurance booking policy that allows guests travelling on or after June 1 to cancel up to 15 days before their cruise departs without incurring a cancellation fee. Windstar says it is acknowledging “the challenge of booking vacations in advance and aims to allay travellers’ concerns about losing money due to unexpected illness or other world events.”
ATTRACTIONS/THEME PARKS
Universal Orlando Resort is bringing back a popular ticket offer for Canadian (and US) residents. Clients who purchase a 2-Day, 2-Park ticket (as low as $234.99 per adult) will receive two extra days free at Universal Studios Florida and Universal’s Islands of Adventure. And for $40 more per adult, clients can upgrade their ticket to include Universal’s Volcano Bay water theme park, giving them four days of access to all three of Universal Orlando’s theme parks. The limited-time offer is valid for travel through Dec.18.
EVENTS
TL Network Canada has announced dates for its annual 2020 regionals: Oct. 6 – Markham, Ont.; Oct. 8 – Toronto; Oct. 20 – Edmonton; Oct. 22 – Calgary. Another two dozen smaller “mixers” will be held across the country in other cities. TL Network is a division of the Travel Leaders Network represents 5,700 travel agencies in North America.
FAMS & INCENTIVES
Throughout the month of March, Sunwing is offering agents the chance to Learn, Earn and WIN with Be Live Hotels in the Dominican Republic. From March 1-31 agents can earn double the STAR Agent Reward Points for all new bookings for travel between May 1 and Oct. 31. In addition, Sunwing will be hosting a series of webinars throughout the month where agents can learn more about brands resorts in La Romana, Puerto Plata and Punta Cana.
For every 10 bookings made with Collette through March 31, agents will earn $1,000. Travel must take place before April 30. Agents will earn $25 for booking one and two, $50 for bookings three and four, $100 for bookings five through eight, $200 for booking nine and $250 for booking 10 for a maximum earning of $1,000. A booking is defined as a minimum of two full-paying passengers in a double room or a single passenger in a single room.
PEOPLE/APPOINTMENTS
Club Med has named Jérémie Hoss as the new Marketing and Communications Director for Canada. Coming from Club Med’s Paris corporate office, Hoss joins the Canadian team and will be in charge of deploying the country’s marketing and communication strategies. He has been with Club Med since 2015, formerly as a Web Product Manager in charge of the global deployment of the Club Med website.
NEWS
ITB Berlin 2020 has been cancelled due to fears over the rapid spread of coronavirus (COVID-19). It is the first time in its 54-year history that the world’s largest travel trade show has been cancelled. It was due to take place March 4-8.
DESTINATIONS
With four major league teams conducting baseball’s rights of spring within in its boundaries, The Palm Beaches hits a home run for opportunities to catch a game in south Florida. Washington, Houston, Miami and St. Louis all play in the area, with games continuing through to March 22. At the same time, Canadians can take advantage of increased direct flight service from Toronto and Montreal and discounted hotel rates at many hotels.
This spring, Japan is welcoming several much-anticipated museums, including the re-opening of Tokyo’s Artizon Museum, a forward-thinking museum that boasts a range of Asian antiques, ancient art and Western pieces from the likes of Renoir, Picasso and Pollock. On April 11, the Hirosaki Museum of Contemporary Art will serve as the city’s centre of culture, located in a renovated warehouse. And the National Ainu Museum and Park in Hokkaido, dedicated to preserving the indigenous culture of the Ainu, some of the earliest inhabitants of Japan, will open on April 24.
In May, Zurich, Switzerland’s Lindt Home of Chocolate will debut as a chocolate-lovers’ bucket list destination with interactive exhibitions, the world’s largest Lindt chocolate shop, a café and chocolateria for chocolate courses, and the world’s largest chocolate fountain (more than 9 m. tall).
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