17 SEP 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
Sunwing is fashioning its own speedway to Daytona with first-ever flights from Toronto starting Jan. 28, 2019. Service will be seasonal with twice-weekly flights on Mondays and Thursdays. More HERE.
Air Canada has opened a new Maple Leaf Lounge at Saskatoon’s John G. Diefenbaker International Airport.
Load factor may have dropped by 1.6% in August for WestJet year over year, however more capacity (10%), passengers (128,000, +5.8%) and revenue passenger miles (+8.1%) made for a positive month for the airline.
Come sing me Montego Bay! The Jamaican hot-spot will be Swoops’ first Caribbean sun destination, adding to the low-cost start-ups Canadian and U.S. flight network. Service starts Dec. 16 through to April 24. Full story HERE.
TOURS
The Globus family of brands has introduced a new touring category – Cosmos Lite, which the company calls “the world’s first à la carte escorted tour style.” Combining the essential features of a Cosmos tour with a personalized approach to daily itineraries, Cosmos Lite is designed to offer hassle-free travel with the freedom for clients to tailor their itinerary based on their own interests, budget and pace. Ten itineraries combining major cities with undiscovered, lesser-known destinations across Britain, Ireland and Europe will launch the concept in 2019. For more information, visit www.agentlingo.ca.
G Adventures is set to throw a huge costume party in the shadow of Bran Castle – home of Dracula – in Transylvania, Romania. The adventure operator has secured exclusive access to the castle for the night of Oct. 31 and built the Halloween party event into a three-day Romania travel experience, starting in Bucharest. The tour also enables travellers to visit neighbouring Brasov or explore one of the nearby national parks.
Royal Irish Tours (RIT) 2019 Ireland and Scotland, England & Wales’ brochures boast more product and scheduled departures and a focus of group tours. New in Ireland are the seven-day ‘Magnetic North’ and eight-day ‘Wild Irish Rover’ small group tours aimed at the more active traveller. In Scotland, RIT’s Manor Royal is an eight-day luxury tour with three nights in five-star properties, including two nights at the stunning Culloden in Inverness. Also new for 2019 are RIT’s luxury train journeys (Belmond) in Ireland & Scotland, as well as a new nine-day Premium Sightseeing tour, the ‘Wild Atlantic Experience,’ which takes in the best of Northern Ireland and the scenic Wild Atlantic Way.
DEALS & DISCOUNTS
Transat has launched a new promotion in partnership with Excellence Group Luxury Hotels & Resorts: Until Sept. 30, vacationers who book an Excellence or Finest Club room will get a free upgrade to the Luxury Collection. The promotion is valid for travel between Dec. 1 and March 31, 2019 at the following five-star resorts: Excellence Punta Cana, Punta Cana; Finest Playa Mujeres by Excellence, Cancun; Excellence Riviera Cancun, Riviera Maya; and Excellence El Carmen, Punta Cana.
Air Canada Vacations has launched its Buy One, Get One at 50% sale along with a bonus commission for travel agents. Valid on January 2019 departures to Mexico, Caribbean, and Central America, the BOGO promotion includes eight days free at Park ‘n Fly Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, Winnipeg, and Ottawa, and Park & Jet in Edmonton. The 2% bonus commission for travel agents runs for the entire duration of the promotion period, through Sept. 30 and applies to all Mexico, Caribbean and Central America sun bookings for travel from Jan. 5 to 31. A winter EBB will run through Oct. 31, offering a $300 savings per couple on all Caribbean and Mexico packages departing Nov. 1 through April 30, 2019.
TravelBrands Cruises, by Encore Cruises, is giving travellers and, in some cases the agents who book them, the opportunity to sail off with incredible deals for bookings made by Sept. 23. The tongue-in-cheek “We’re Full of Ships” promotion includes 15 cruise lines and ranges from onboard and air credits for passengers to bonus loyalty points and gift cards for agents. For full details and participating cruise lines, go to www.travelbrandsaccess.com.
HOTELS
Four Seasons’ first hotel in Brazil will celebrate its grand opening on Oct. 15. The Four Seasons Hotel Sao Paulo at Nações Unidas, set in a leafy, riverside suburb in the southern part of the city will have 258 rooms in a 29-story tower on Avenida Nações Unidas (Avenue United Nations) near shopping, entertainment and corporate offices.
Waikiki’s newest luxury resort is now set to debut its Diamond Head Tower on Oct. 15, marking the completion of Oahu’s first Ritz-Carlton Residences. The resort’s first tower opened in 2016 and together the two comprise the largest number of luxury suites on Oahu. It is also the first Residences to participate in the new Marriott Rewards program.
RESORTS
Dubbed Band of Gold, Sandals Resorts’ latest wedding inspiration allows couples to personalize their special day with a stunning metallic flair, accented by sapphire and white blooms, creating a setting of ultimate modern elegance. Part of the Aisle to Isle wedding program, Band of Gold is available to booked for ceremonies at Sandals and Beaches resorts from Nov. 1.
AMResorts Kids Stay Free promotion allows guests booking their next family vacation to bring one child free when staying in the same room as a paying adult for up to two children at any Dreams, Now, Reflect or Sunscape Resorts & Spas during following dates: now until Dec. 22, Aug. 18 to Dec. 22, 2019, and Aug. 16 to Dec. 22, 2020 (blackouts over US Thanksgiving).
CRUISE
With Celebrity Edge less than three months from its first official sailing, Celebrity Cruises has unveiled the ship’s The Grand Plaza, designed to be the epicentre of the vessel and “a break from traditional cruise ship thinking [that will] shatter all expectations.” Spanning three decks, The Grand Plaza takes inspiration from the glamourous days of transatlantic travel and includes a spectacular seven-ton chandelier as well as a unique exposed corridor that transforms depending on the direction a guest is walking – one way, guests will see the unadorned “steel bones” of the ship, while heading in the other direction guests will see a sleek, modern design that starkly contrasts the alternate view. Several bars are restaurants will be found in the Plaza, including the Main Dining Atrium, where the concept of a staircase has been turned into a work of art. And hanging three stories between the flights of stairs is The Pendulum, with a base that moves to the rhythms of the ocean to remind guests that they are indeed moving and connected to the sea, even when they cannot see it.
THEME PARKS
Florida’s tallest launch coaster, Tigris, is set to roar into action next spring at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay. The new triple-launch steel coaster will catapult riders through an array of looping twists with forward and backward motion, breath-taking drops, a 45-metre skyward surge, and an inverted heartline roll, all at more than 100 kph per hour. Tigris will race riders along more than 550 m. of steel track designed to mimic the awe-inspiring agility of the world’s largest and most powerful cat – the tiger. The coaster will be the first of two new thrill rides at the park, the other coming in 2020.
Halloween Horror Nights is now open at Universal Orlando Resort and Universal Studios Hollywood with 36 (mostly weekend) nights devoted to the annual scarefest through Nov. 3.
EVENTS
The Jamaica Tourist Board will bring the latest news from the island and its supplier partners to the trade at a series of cross Canada fall product seminars from Sept. 18 to Nov. 14. The seminars are scheduled for: Sault Ste. Marie, Sudbury, North Bay, Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver, Peterborough, Belleville, Kingston, Winnipeg, Ottawa, Montreal, Halifax, Moncton, St. John’s and Quebec City. For more information and to register, visit www.visitjamaica.com/canada and click on the “Fall Product Seminars” tab.
BY THE NUMBERS
More than 817,000 passengers flew out of Billy Bishop Airport this summer, a record for the Toronto island facility, which is a city hub for both Porter Airlines and Air Canada.
Destination DC announced a record 22.8 million total visitors to Washington DC in 2017, up 3.6% over 2016. The city welcomed 20.8 million domestic visitors and 2 million overseas visitors, making 2017 the eighth consecutive year of growth.
DESTINATIONS
A year after being devastated by Hurricane Irma, St. Maarten/St. Martin continues to recover. In early November, the ground floor of Princess Juliana International Airport is scheduled to come back on line, while on Dec. 10, luxury resort Belmond La Samanna will re-open its doors.
Send your news to baginski@travelindustrytoday.com