15 OCT 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
15 OCT 2018: Sunwing is making a move on Miami for the first time, introducing flights this winter from Toronto, Montreal, Quebec City and Ottawa. The service takes off from the cities on Dec. 1, Dec. 1, Dec. 8 and Dec. 15 respectively. Flights will easily connect with Sunwing cruise options from the south Florida city. Find out more HERE.
Four Air Canada international routes from Vancouver are being enhanced. Delhi, India, will receive daily flights on a year-round basis starting June 2, 2019; Melbourne, Australia, will increase to four times weekly year-round; summer seasonal service to Zurich, Switzerland, will increase to five flights a week; and Osaka (Kansai), Japan, flights will be five times weekly from June to October next summer.
Calgary is living the dream. The city will be home base for three Dreamliner aircraft launched by WestJet – also based in Calgary – starting next year. The airline’s first Boeing 787-9 aircraft begin service to London (Gatwick), Paris and Dublin on April 28, May 17 and June 1, 2019, respectively. Fares are now available.
Mont Tremblant will again be a little more accessible to Toronto skiers and winter enthusiasts with the re-introduction of Porter Airlines’ seasonal service to the Quebec resort destination from Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport. The 70-minute flights goes four times weekly from Dec. 7 to April 1, 2019, with added frequency during peak holiday periods.
TOURS
The 2019 Asia program from Trafalgar – out now – offers 27 trips, including 10 new itineraries covering Japan, India, Nepal, China and South East Asia. Highlights include a 15-day Best of China with Yangtze Cruise, 10-day Classic Japan, a four-day Nepal adventure, and 14-day Treasures of India – Celebrate Diwali.
G Adventures has launched a collection of tours dedicated to wellness and adventure. The small group tour operator’s new ‘Wellness’ travel style features a program of 80 slower-paced trips ranging from seven to 13 days in destinations including Nepal, Costa Rica, Iceland, Patagonia, Tuscany and Peru. Featured activities included yoga sessions, intention setting and healthy food choices, as well as destination-specific options such as taking a purification bath in Bali, a prayer ceremony with monks in Nepal and an ashram stay in India. Each Wellness trip will be led by an experienced Chief Experience Officer (CEO) and will include input from local experts.
Luxury Gold, part of the Travel Corporation family (Trafalgar, Insight, Contiki, etc.), has introduced a designated Group Travel and Bespoke Journeys Department focused on customizing experiences for individuals, small groups or groups of 20 and more. Travel counsellors can now create their own tailor-made Fully Independent Travel (FIT) holidays in Greece, Ireland, Scotland and Africa.
DEALS & DISCOUNTS
Savings of up to 30 percent can be had by travellers booking Sunwing’s A Beach for Every Budget sale through Oct. 19. The sale applies to packages at a wide range of properties across the Caribbean, Mexico and Central America.
HOTELS
Hard Rock International is headed for Madrid with a new music-centric hotel scheduled to open in the Spanish capital in 2019. The “upper upscale” four-star property is currently taking shape at a site across from the Museo Centro de Arte Reina Sofia in the city’s central Atocha district. There are currently 27 Hard Rock hotels around the world.
Fifty percent of the sbe Entertainment Group, which counts 25 luxury hotels, plus 170 culinary and entertainment venues amongst its global assets, has been bought by hospitality giant AccorHotels. sbe will retain its independence and management team, but Accor will play a key role in developing the brand.
IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) is taking its new avid hotels brand to Europe. The mainstream brand that opened its inaugural property in the US in August will start with 15 locations in Germany with the first opening expected in 2020.
RESORTS
The Luxury Collection Hotels & Resorts, comprised of “world-renowned hotels and resorts offering unique, authentic experiences,” is now present in Jordan with the opening of the 207-room Al Manara hotel, located in the heart of the new Saraya Aqaba beachside destination. The Red Sea resort offers guests a contemporary luxury experience in a setting that merges Jordan’s heritage and history through traditional architecture, sumptuous décor and magnificent surroundings.
THEME PARKS
Roaring, soaking Infinity Falls (photo) is now open at SeaWorld Orlando. The white-water rafting ride features a record-setting 40-foot waterfall drop and other interactive water elements as it takes guests on through a lush rainforest environment on eight-passenger circular rafts.
CRUISE
Oct. 16 is the final date that clients can take advantage of free and reduced roundtrip airfare from Norwegian Cruise Line. This offer is available from more than 100 North American gateways to NCL homeports for sailings to the Caribbean and North America from November to September 2019, with no official end date for Hawaii cruises. It also includes the Norwegian Joy’s inaugural Alaska season in 2019. To qualify, guests must reserve an oceanview, balcony or mini-suite stateroom. Full details HERE.
Silversea Cruises, now a part of Royal Caribbean, has ordered three more ships – Silver Origin, an expedition vessel to replace the Silver Galapagos in the Galapagos Islands in 2020, and two Evolution-class vessels, the first of which is expected to be delivered in 2022.
FAMS & INCENTIVES
To celebrate the launch of its new 2019 Central and South America Travel Planner, Goway is giving away a Galapagos four-day cruise to one lucky agent who books any product in the brochure, between Oct. 1 and Dec. 31. Each booking equals one ballot to enter the draw.
PEOPLE
TRAVELSAVERS hosted an appreciation dinner for its Ontario affiliates recently at Terroni’s in downtown Toronto. The event was attended by head office executives on hand to thank the affiliates for their performance. With 2,500 agencies worldwide, the travel marketing organization has Canadian offices in Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal.
Elizabeth Gilbert, author of the bestselling novel EAT PRAY LOVE, has been named godmother of Avalon Waterways’ newest ship. Gilbert will christen the Avalon Envision in Budapest on the Danube River on April 7, 2019. For more information…
BY THE NUMBERS
If business has seemed a little busier, it might be because more people are travelling, according to the United Nations World Tourism Organization, whose World Tourism Barometer reports that international arrivals in the first half of 2018 are up 6 percent. The Americas posted 3 percent gains, while all other regions ranged from 4 to 7 percent. The UNTO points out that the second half of the year tends to be even busier, (especially in the northern hemisphere) because summer falls in July and August.
DESTINATIONS
Washington, DC’s Reagan National Airport is spending a billion dollars over the next three years on improvements that will include a new concourse and gates for regional jets, and new security lanes.
Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville hotel brand is synonymous with a southern island vibe. It’s a first then that the brand is setting up shop on the shores of Lake of the Ozarks in Osage Beach, Missouri. The lakeside retreat will retain Margaritaville’s laid-back style as the brand is gradually phased in at the former Tan-Tar-A Resort, with full conversion by spring 2019. Amenities include multiple diverse restaurant concepts, a full-service spa and salon, fitness centre, horseback riding, bowling, an arcade, two outdoor pool complexes and a 20,000 sq.-ft. indoor water park.
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