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:

NEWS

With the coronavirus outbreak disrupting travel and travel planning, many travel suppliers are relaxing booking requirements or, in some cases, emphasizing existing policies that can help ease clients’ worries. Some of the latest announcements include:

• Air Canada Vacations is offering its CareFlex travel protection free of charge during March. Customers can change their booking, transfer their package, and cancel with an in-house travel credit and/or a partial refund up to three days before departure to select destinations and resorts in Las Vegas, Mexico and the Caribbean, Hawaii, and Europe for travel through April 30, 2021. When making bookings online, travel agents need to select CareFlex at $0 during the booking flow.

• Acknowledging that “life happens and plans change,” Collette’s Travel Protection Plan offers a full cash refund for any guest who has to cancel up to 24 hours before departure.

• Emirates’ new waiver policy is valid for tickets issued on or from March 6 to 31 allowing customers the choice of changing their travel dates without change and reissuance fees.

• All new bookings and travel deposits made to Goway in March will be transferrable to another Goway destination or travel date. At the same time, Goway is providing a more flexible cancellation fee structure for travellers: In the event of a cancellation for a non-insured reason, Goway will offer 25% of the cancellation fees as a future travel credit. This future travel credit is provided up until five days prior to departure and is valid for one year from date of issue for travel to the same destination.

• Royal Caribbean Group’s “Cruise With Confidence” policy allows guests on Royal Caribbean Int., Celebrity Cruises, Azamara and Silversea to cancel up to 48 hours before a sailing. Guests will receive a full credit for their fare, usable on any future sailing of the guest’s choice in 2020 or 2021. The policy applies to both new and existing cruise bookings.

• For all new bookings made from March 5-31, Royal Irish Tours will have a fully flexible policy in place to allow guests to postpone their trip for any reason up to 14 days before departure. Guests can travel on any later departure date in 2020.

• For new bookings (flight, hotel, cruise, packages) made March 4-29 for travel through June 24, Sunwing will waive any administration fees associated with changes to the reservation. Any change must be requested at least 14 days prior to travel, regular conditions will apply should the change made result in a lower or higher price, and cancellation fees still apply.

• Transat is allowing clients making flight (any route) and South package bookings between March 4 and 31 for travel by Oct. 31 to change their travel dates, destination or hotel up to 24 hours before departure at no charge. Travel must be completed within 12 months of the original travel date and the if the price for the new booking is higher, customers must pay the difference. The policy excludes group bookings.

DEALS

Transat’s “End of Season Sale” invites Canadians to head South and save up to 40% on packages. The promotion is valid on new individual bookings made from March 4 to 23, for travel through April 30.

The “5-Star Deals, 3-Star Prices, Zero Worry” sale from Sunwing allows clients to save up to $1,500 per couple on getaways to a selection of resorts in popular tropical destinations, such as CHIC Punta Cana, Grand Memories Varadero, and Riu Cancun. The sale is effect until March 13.

TOURS

2021 Europe & Britain tours from Trafalgar are now open for sale with the tour company noting that agents can lock in dates and rates for clients by booking early. If doing so by Sept. 15, the trip will be guaranteed, and at 2020 rates. More than 109 trips are on offer.

Insight Vacations has re-launched its Agent Portal with new enhancements and features, including a featured Insights section showcasing current offers, an Agent Library offering marketing collateral and an Agent Resources hub with background information on Insight’s journeys and the benefits of selling its trips.

RESORTS

Universal Orlando Resort has released a first glimpse of its eighth and newest hotel (photo), due to open March 17. Universal’s Endless Summer Resort – Dockside Inn and Suites is the second in the theme park’s Value category and will add 2,050 guest rooms to the destination by the end of 2020, featuring both standard rooms and two-bedroom suites that sleep up to six. Rates start at $79/night.

Ground has been broken on two AMResorts properties in the Dominican Republic. Located in a secluded area in the northeast coast Secrets Playa Esmeralda Punta Cana and Dreams Playa Esmeralda Punta Cana will form the backbone of the US$400-million Playa Esmeralda hospitality development, which, once complete, will encompass nearly 1,500 hotel units, as well as a shared promenade, where guests from all hotels can mingle, retail offerings, theatre for live entertainment, and more. ample retail and dining offerings, and a state-of-the-art fitness center and spa.

HOTELS

From one vacation destination to another, Nantucket’s iconic White Elephant Resort will open a sister property on Sunset Avenue in Palm Beach, Fla., in April. The new hotel represents the total renovation of the Bradley Park Hotel, which dates back to the 1920s and was one of the first resorts in the area.

Now open:

The 150-room The Reach Key West, Curio Collection by Hilton is open as Key West’s first Curio Collection resort. Rooms each have a balcony and feature teak wood–toned furniture, blue hues and curved bathroom vanities. The resort features an Escape Room Experience in partnership with Key West Room Escape while outdoor amenities include a pool and bocce ball court, while a state-of-the-art fitness centre features Peloton spin bikes. On-site vendors are Barefoot Billy’s, with a range of jet ski and coral reef exploration tours. The Reach Key West is located at 1435 Simonton St.

CRUISE

Calling it one of the best kept secrets on the high seas, Windstar Cruises says guests can stay in its new Officer’s Suite aboard the newly renovated Wind Surf. The nautically appointed suite on the five-masted schooner (the largest sailing cruise ship in the world) is located directly behind the Bridge, in an area labeled “crew only” and affords guests the opportunity to “share exclusive company with the Captain, Chief Officer, Hotel Manager and Chief Engineer.” The 22-sq.-m. suite has a bedroom, full bath with Jacuzzi tub, and living room with a wide screen television.

TravelBrands will price match any Canadian tour operator on cruise bookings. To take advantage of this new policy, agents can reserve their clients’ cruise bookings with TravelBrands and send the price match request along with their details. Requests must be made within the same day. The price match will be based on cruise fare only and excludes any added values or amenity offers.

THEME PARKS

The largest indoor water park in the US will open for previews on March 19. Located in the Meadowlands in East Rutherford, N.J., just outside New York city, the Dreamworks Animation Water Park is part of the American Dream entertainment complex, which opened last fall. The water park will have more than 40 rides and 15 attractions themed around Dreamworks characters like Shrek and Kung Fu Panda. Highlights include the world’s largest wave pool and body slide, and a lazy river. An Angry Birds mini golf course will also open this spring, joining the Nickelodeon theme park, aquarium, 450-store retail mall, ski hill, and many other attractions. Tickets for the water park are on sale at www.americandream.com.

EVENTS

The next meeting of the Skal Toronto Club will be held at the Old Mill on March 24; a joint meeting with Skal Hamilton Niagara and Skal Toronto North is planned at the Mississauga Golf Club on April 21; and a lunch event has been confirmed for the Boulevard Club on May 26. The annual golf tournament is being finalized for August.

FAMS & INCENTIVES

Through March 27, travel agents have an opportunity to win a trip for two aboard Rocky Mountaineer GoldLeaf service on the First Passage to the West rail route to celebrate the company’s 30th anniversary. To qualify, agents must complete TRACKS agent training and secure a booking to be eligible to win. Existing TRACKS graduates only have to complete a booking to be eligible. There will be one winner from Canada. For more details, check HERE.

BY THE NUMBERS

Final figures from the Swiss Federal Office of Statistics for 2019 shows an increase in arrivals of 4.2% to Switzerland from Canada over the year previous. Of the 131,000-plus arrivals, more than 275,000 stayed at least one night, a 1.6% increase. During the past decade, visitor numbers from Canada and the US to Switzerland grew by over 60%.

DESTINATIONS

Portugal is hoping to woo wine lovers with a new campaign touting the country’s vintages. The “Wine Pairs with Portugal” digital campaign supports an initiative that has seen the country invest in 38 projects to help develop the sector on a year-round basis, ranging from thematic hotels, wine routes, wine bars, museums, events, wineries, farms and solar installations, mostly located in the Porto, North, Centro and Alentejo regions. A digital “Portuguese Wine Tourism” international information and promotion hub is also in the works.

On May 8, the Frank Gehry-designed, 1.6-hectare Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial will open in Washington DC to commemorate the 75th anniversary of VE Day (when the allied forces in Europe officially accepted the surrender of Nazi Germany in 1945).

Send info to baginski@travelindustrytoday.com.