18 MAR 2019: 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
Turkish Airlines reports that due to the relocation to its new home at Istanbul Airport, the airline will be ending all its scheduled flights at Ataturk Airport as of April 6 at 02:00 (LMT). From that time onwards, TK will be conducting all its flight operations that were planned for Ataturk Airport from Istanbul Airport. After the move, IATA codes will also change. From April 6 at 03:00, Atatürk Airport’s IST code will be given to Istanbul Airport. Atatürk Airport, which will operate cargo and VIP passenger flights, will use the ISL code.
As part of continued efforts to modernize its long-haul fleet, The Lufthansa Group plans to purchase 40 state-of-the-art aircraft for the group’s airlines. The 20 Boeing 787-9 and 20 additional Airbus A350-900 planes will primarily be replacing four-engine aircraft resulting in more comfort for passengers, less noise and fuel consumption, and significant reduction in operating costs. The new planes will be delivered between late 2022 and 2027 but it has not yet been determined which airlines will deploy the aircraft.
Alaska Airlines has unveiled plans to build a new 790-sq.-m. top floor lounge at San Francisco International Airport (SFO). Located in Terminal 2, guests will be treated to the highest viewpoint of any other domestic lounge at SFO with stunning sights of the Bay and runway.
DEALS
This spring, travellers can save up to 30% off at top resorts and attractions in Orlando (photo). Additionally, guests can use promo code “SAVE5” on VisitOrlando.com purchases from March 19 to April 15 to save an extra 5% at checkout on all tickets Visit Orlando sells – 45-plus attractions, dinner shows, theme parks and more. Sample deals include $30 off at Walt Disney World, $65 off at Universal Orlando Resort and $40 off at SeaWorld (on select ticket package purchases). Offers are in effect through April 15.
AMResorts has updated the terms of its Savings in Bloom promotion, which offers receive Special discounted rates, up to $200 in resort coupons, and instant savings of up to $300 to customers booking a holiday at AMResorts’ Zoëtry Wellness & Spa Resorts, Secrets, Breathless, Dreams, Now, Reflect or Sunscape Resorts & Spas. The promotion is now effect for bookings made through April 30 for travel through Aug. 17.
Ireland-bound clients have until March 19 to receive 12% off the land portion of the tour with Collette. They can also save an additional $100 off when booking round-trip airfare on WestJet from select gateways. Travellers can choose from seven different tour itineraries and over 80 individual departures.
Until Dec. 31, couples booking any Celebrity cruise in an Aqua Class stateroom or higher through Air Canada Vacations can fly for $400 less per couple. The offer applies to Flight and Cruise packages of seven nights duration or longer.
TOURS
Fans of the popular literary/TV series Outlander can meet the author of the books, Diana Gabaldon, on an Avalon Waterways (Globus family of brands) river cruise next summer. The New Author Cruise, hosted by Gabaldon, will take place on the Avalon Expression, sailing from the Black Forest to Amsterdam in June. Other special interest 2020 cruises from Avalon feature photography, culinary, wine, beer, Christmas markets, gardens & nature, WW1, the Habsburgs, Jewish Heritage and the Oberammergau Passion Play. Those booking by April 2 can receive airfare from $499 p.p. and save $1,200 per couple on select cruises.
G Adventures has introduced a new range of tailor-made travel options. Covering 11 destinations (Botswana, Cambodia, Costa Rica, Peru, Ecuador, India, Laos, South Africa, Thailand, Vietnam and Zimbabwe) the “choose your adventure” customized tours are priced from $1,219 p.p. “The flexibility of TailorMade means travellers can combine experiential travel with customization. While we’ve recognized an opportunity in the mid-range travel market, we’ll also be able to cater to higher-end tastes,” says G Adventures founder Bruce Poon Tip. Travellers/agents can select or amend a sample itinerary or create a whole new itinerary with the help of a G consultant.
Active Journeys now has electric bikes in Asia. The program has been remarkably successful in Europe, says the Toronto-based tour operator, which adds, “The beauty of e-bikes is that they make the joy of cycling accessible to so many people in so many ways. Liberated from some of the normal constraints of standard bike design like weight and gearing, EBike design has exploded.”
HOTELS
With 100,000 guestrooms opened through organic growth and acquisitions, Accor Hotels reports a recording-breaking year in 2018. The Group signed 500 hotels, 110 more than 2017, including new brands Atton Hotels, Mantra (Art Series, Peppers, Mantra and Breakfree), Mantis, Mövenpick, 21c Museum Hotels, sbe (Delano, SLS, The House of Originals), Mondrian & Hyde, and Tribe.
Who knew there was a World Penguin Day? The folks at the Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa for one, and they’re inviting guests to celebrate on April 25 with the resort’s seven resident African black-footed penguins. The day will feature a special penguin feeding at 9:30 a.m., with guest opportunities to learn more about the unusual hotel residents as they swim about to gather their breakfast.
Open Now:
The 360-room Conrad Washington, DC, has opened in CityCenterDC, a high-end residential and retail destination in the city. The property has extensive meeting space including two pillar-free, above-ground ballrooms (a rarity in DC) and luxury retailers like Tiffany & Co.
RESORTS
Not content to offer up Mexico’s famed sun, sand and surf, the Barceló Maya Grand Resort now has its own adventure park. Open year-round from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m., Ventura Fly & Ride Park consists of two distinct areas suitable for all ages and both of them free: Ventura Fly and Ventura Ride. The former features multiple ziplines, a roller coaster, bungee and free-fall experience, rope course and net land, while the latter has go-carts, off-road driving circuit, and quad cycles. The resort consists of five distinct Barceló hotels with 22 restaurants, 10 pools, three theatres, three water parks, a dolphinarium, bowling alley and more.
In the Bahamas, the Grand Isle Resort and Spa opened its a new beach club on Great Exuma March 1. The 2,790-sq.-m. lounge, located on the resort’s grounds, features a pool overlooking Emerald Bay, cabanas, daybeds and an indoor and outdoor bar and restaurant. The beach club will also offer day passes and annual memberships for those Exuma visitors not staying at Grand Isle Resort and Spa.
The Luxury Collection, part of Marriott International, Inc., will debut in the Seychelles later this year with the signing of North Island – one of the world’s most luxurious private island resorts – located amongst the inner granitic islands of Seychelles.
CRUISE
In advance of Teacher Appreciation Week (May 6-10), Norwegian Cruise Line is honouring educators in Canada and the US by inviting more than a dozen teachers to cruise on the new Norwegian Joy. The Giving Joy campaign, which runs March 12-April 12 will award the 15 teachers garnering the most votes a a seven-day cruise for two and invitation to an award ceremony taking place in Seattle on May 3, where they will have the chance to win $15,000 for their school. To nominate a favourite teacher, to vote and for terms and conditions, visit HERE.
The 2021 season for Crystal Endeavour is now open for booking. Journeys aboard the luxurious 200-passenger ship range from 10 to 28 nights and feature offer adventure, wilderness and wildlife, and deep cultural immersions in all corners of the globe. Fares start at $9,540 when booked by April 30.
Bookings are now open for Disney Cruise Line’s summer 2020 season featuring a variety of itineraries around the world, including a long-awaited return to Greece and the addition of four other first-time ports of call in Europe (Gdynia, Poland; Nordfjordeid, Norway; Plymouth, England; and Zeebrugge, Belgium). Along with an expanded European season aboard the Disney Magic, sailings will also visit Alaska, the Caribbean and Bahamas.
THEME PARKS
A new play pavilion joins the list of enhancements coming to Epcot as part of Disney’s multi-year transformation of the Orlando theme park. The new pavilion will include “first-of-their-kind experiences [in] an innovative, interactive city bursting with games and hands-on activities,” says Disney. The as-yet-unnamed space will be located in the vast dome of the pavilion previously known as Wonders of Life (more recently the Festival Center) and will debut in time for the Walt Disney World Resort’s 50th anniversary in 2021.
Aquaman fans can immerse themselves in the world of the King of the Seven Seas at a new exhibit on the Warner Bros. Studio Tour in Hollywood, Ca. Joining the popular Wonder Woman exhibit, guests are invited to relive scenes and visit recreated sets and props from the set of DC’s recent Aquaman film during the tour.
FAMS & INCENTIVES
Agents who book a minimum of seven nights to Thailand on any package with Goway will receive a $50 WaySpa massage certificate. Full details of the incentive can be found on Goway’s agent website. The promotion ends March 31.
Canadian travel agents will receive a bonus of 25,000 rewards points for every new booking made by March 31 on any of the three Scenic Group brands – Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours, Emerald Waterways and Scenic Eclipse. Scenic points out that just five bookings, at an average value of $20,000 net, can earn agents enough points for a new Sony Smart TV, Bose speakers or a KitchenAid mixer, while 10 bookings could be enough for an iPhone.
EVENTS
It was all about Oregon recently as the state’s road show rolled into Toronto (and later Calgary and Vancouver) to update the trade about all that’s happening in the western state. High on the news agenda is more Air Canada seats from Toronto to Portland courtesy of 136-seat Rouge aircraft, beginning May 24 and continuing through Oct. 25. The announcement (photo) was made by AC’s Simona Cercel with Southern Oregon’s Brad Hiva and Tualatin Valley’s Sykie Neal-Finnegan looking on.
PEOPLE
Lora Hamre has been named Sales Manager for Southwestern Ontario for Trafalgar. The industry veteran has spent 16 years in the retail travel business, including having specialized in cruising. She can be reached at Lora.Hamre@Trafalgar.com.
Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection has appointed a new District Sales Manager for Eastern Canada: Federico Berardinucci, most recently national accounts manager at Air Canada Vacations. His e-mail is federico.berardinucci@uniworld.com.
TRENDS
AmaWaterways reports that is seeing more and more young people from Generation Z (those born from the mid-1990s to mid-2000s), on board their river cruises as part of multigenerational family groups. According to a 2017 study by New Horizons, they are enticed by one-of-a-kind destinations and excursions they can remember (and share on social media), and value being able to participate in more in-destination activities. While members of Gen Z might not be purchasing their river cruise vacation themselves, they have a big impact on family vacation decisions and are set to become the largest consumer generation by 2020, notes the survey.
BY THE NUMBERS
More than six million Canadians travelled to Europe in 2018, an increase of 7% from the previous year, reports the European Travel Commission. Europe accounts for a market share of 14% of all outbound Canadian travel, adds the ETC, which expects the growth to continue at rate of 2.2% through 2023. In 2018, nearly 75% of European destinations registered growth from Canada, led by Mediterranean destinations (Greece, 77%; Cyprus, 65%), while Turkey, Montenegro, Slovenia, Croatia, Lativa and Poland all topped 20% growth. Finland and Slovakia led the declines at 11% and 17% respectively.
DESTINATIONS
A 1,200-year-old event based on Buddhism, Yeon Deung Hoe (Lotus Lantern Festival) is set to welcome Koreans and visitors alike in a spirit of “connection” in Seoul, May 3-5. The event – Korea’s National Intangible Cultural Property No. 122 to be precise – is the largest of its kind in the world and features cultural experiences such as lantern making, meditation, folk games, world Buddhism cultures, NGO programs for world peace and temple food tastings. It culminates in a parade with 100,000 parade lanterns, many of them “floating” through the crowd along the three-kilometer-long route.
Tickets are now on sale for the 13th annual Vegas Uncork’d by Bon Appétit culinary festival May 9-12. Featuring a world-class lineup of celebrity chefs including the likes of Gordon Ramsay, Guy Fieri, and Nobu Matsuhisa, plus restaurateurs, master sommeliers and mixologists from various Las Vegas hotels, the event presents a variety of experiences, ranging from intimate dinners to large-scale events. Returning favourites include The Grand Tasting at Caesars Palace, and Picnic at The Park, MGM Resorts’ outdoor dining and entertainment district. New and notable events include Roses and Rosé with Lisa Vanderpump, Champagne Brunch & Truffle-Making with Christina Tosi, and May the Best Chef Win: Celebrity Poker Tournament. Tickets can be purchased HERE.
Rock in Rio, billed as the biggest entertainment festival in the world, will take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from Sept. 27 to Oct. 6 at the city’s Olympic Park. More than 700,000 local and international visitors are expected to turn out for the concert series featuring domestic and international performers.