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:
COVID-19
The Travel Industry Council of Ontario (TICO) has implemented a 90-day deferral of fees payable for year ends on Jan. 31, Feb. 28, and March 31. No action is required by agencies to qualify, but refunds will not be granted for payments already made. Renewal applications and Compensation Fund assessments forms must continue to be submitted to TICO on-time (use email or regular mail; no couriers).
More than 44,000 masks and 301,000 gloves have been donated to the Quebec Ministry of Health and Social Services by Air Transat to support the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. “Now that our repatriation operations are over, it seemed only natural to donate our unused protective equipment to those who need it most, namely those in the health services,” said airline president and CEO Jean-François Lemay.
Air Canada will reduce capacity for the Second Quarter of 2020 by 85% to 90% compared to last year’s Q2.
All transatlantic and US routes have been cancelled by WestJet until May 4, extending its 30-day suspension by two more weeks.
British Airways has suspended all its flights at Gatwick Airport amid a collapse in demand because of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Free CareFlex travel protection from Air Canada Vacations has been extended through April 15 for select destinations and resorts in Las Vegas, Mexico and the Caribbean, Hawaii, and Europe. The incentive is for bookings made by April 15, 2020 for travel until April 30, 2021. When making bookings online, travel agents should ‘select’ CareFlex at $0 during the booking flow.
“When the time comes, we’ll all come back stronger,” vows Sandals in new video prepared for retail counsellors, which includes a direct message from Butch Stewart. “Every travel agent knows that you’re the backbone of Sandals Resorts,” says the Sandals chairman. “I don’t want you to worry,” he adds, “because every little thing will be just fine.” See the message HERE.
Add another 30 days to Seabourn’s voluntarily pause of global operations for its five cruise ships. The 30-day extension now includes sailings scheduled to depart through May 14. Affected passengers will receive a 125% refund of the fare paid in the form of a future cruise credit, which can be applied toward any future cruise through Dec. 31, 2021, or a 100% refund will be reimbursed.
Royal Caribbean Group is extending its Cruise with Confidence cancellation policy through Sept. 1. The updated policy enhances planning flexibility by allowing cancellations up to 48 hours prior to sailing for any reason. Guests will receive a full credit for their fare, usable on any future sailing of choice in 2020 or 2021.
The opening of LEGOLAND New York Resort has been postponed until 2021. All previously purchased annual passes or single-day tickets will be honoured when the resort opens and those who have booked vacation packages through LEGOLAND Vacations will be given the opportunity to be the first to book for the 2021 season.
All tourism activities in Los Cabos, Mexico have been suspended for the month of April, leading to the closure of hotels, resorts, bars, restaurants, and all public beaches.
NEWS
TICO has approved a payment of $1,769.17 to assist three Ontario consumers who did not receive travel services for which they had paid. The payments were due to the failure of Adria Airways located in Slovenia, which ceased operations on Sept. 30, 2019.
TOURS
From supporting Dom women in Jerusalem to helping the homeless in Athens, five new projects that put a focus on empowering women and their communities are now available from G Adventures and Planeterra. G, which describes itself as a “community tourism pioneer,” says more than 2,800 women will benefit from the 3,000 travellers expected to visit the projects annually. The experiences can be found in the following tours: “Colombia Express,” “Jordan and Israel Adventure,” “National Geographic Journeys South India: Explore Kerala,” “Best of Greece,” and “Maldives Island Hopping.” (Photo: The Ccaccaccollo Women’s Weaving Co-op in Peru’s Sacred Valley).
Two new itineraries incorporating cruise, land, and train travel will be introduced by Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection in 2021. In partnership with Golden Eagle Luxury Trains, the two tours will travel through Italy, Switzerland, Austria, and Slovenia combining major cities with little-known destinations. The new itineraries include the 14-day “Cruise & Rail: Milan, Venice & the Swiss Alps” that starts with a land portion in Milan, continue with a round-trip cruise from Venice, and ends with a train trip to Zurich; and a 12-day “Cruise & Rail: Venice & the Swiss Alps” starts with a train trip from the Zurich to Venice and then a round-trip cruise.
HOTELS
Guests can enjoy the feel of a private residence and the convenience of a hotel at La Maison d’Estournel in Bordeaux, France. The resort is located on the Cos d’Estournel vineyard in Bordeaux’s Médoc region in the former home of Louis Gaspard d’Estournel, the 18th-century maverick behind the Cos d’Estournel vineyard. Alex Michaelis of Soho House is designing the property’s 40 rooms.
Grand Wailea, A Waldorf Astoria Resort, in Maui, recently opened its new Palaha Hawaiian Cultural Center. Designed to offer an immersive environment for Hawaiian learning, lifestyle and connection, Palaha hosts daily cultural experiences and showcases cultural works of art alongside collections of pre- and post-contact artifacts on a rotating basis. The centre aims to host “authentic experiences for guests, integrating and enhancing culture within every department, and encompassing connections into the greater Maui community.”
RESORTS
Bahia Principe Hotels & Resorts says it will spend US$60 million renovating properties in the Mexico and the Dominican Republic. The lion’s share, $40 million, will go toward upgrades at Bahia Principe Grand Tulum with renovations that will highlight the new Origin concept, paying homage to the Mayan community by incorporating traditional architecture, textures and materials inspired by the native culture.
CRUISE
Cruisin’ for a Louvre-in’: PONANT has partnered with the Musée du Louvre to invite guests to discover the cultural and artistic riches of the Persian Gulf. Departing Nov. 19, travellers will join Yannick Lintz, Director of the Department of Islamic Art at the Musée du Louvre, on board the Le Jacques-Cartier. Sailing from Muscat to Dubai with ports of call in Qatar and Abu Dhabi, the eight-night itinerary explores the intermixing of tradition and modernity in Islamic culture. Guests will learn thousand-year-old maritime traditions in Sur; visit the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha, which is designed by I.M. Pei who is the famed architect of the Louvre pyramid; and tour the Louvre Abu Dhabi, the first universal museum in the Arab World.
THEME PARKS
A new entertainment venue is being built in Punta Cana that will become a part of a series of attraction comprising the Dominican Republic’s first theme park. Anticipated to open in late 2021, Katmandu Punta Cana will include Falcon’s Suspended Theatre – a platform that physically moves a group of riders through a narrative, simulating a flight through a fantasy realm. The complex will also include a 36-hole golf course designed by Katmandu and enhanced by Falcon’s creative team.
EVENTS
Mexico’s national tourism show Tianguis has already announced new dates: Sept. 19-22 in Merida. The show had been scheduled to take place March 22-25.
PEOPLE/APPOINTMENTS
The Turks and Caicos Islands Tourist Board has named Pamela Ewing as Director of Tourism. The 20-year tourism professional joined the Turks and Caicos Islands Tourist Board in 2004 as Regional Marketing Manager and was instrumental in establishing an office in New York and creating a global brand presence for the Turks and Caicos Islands. She has also held positions at notable luxury resorts including the iconic Hotel Del Coronado, and Management roles at Grace Bay Club and Point Grace Resort & Spa. Ewing assumes office effectively on April 1.
DESTINATIONS
Every summer, close to three-quarters of a million people flock to the Interceltique Festival of Lorient (FIL) in Brittany, France, for “the most Celtic festival of them all.” This year’s 50th anniversary edition will take place Aug. 7-16 and includes Celtic musicians and artists from Galicia to Scotland. More details HERE.
For female passengers who want to travel comfortably and free of unwanted attention in Japan, there are designated Women-Only Trains in both Tokyo and Osaka. First introduced in Tokyo in 1912, some of these cars also allow access to young boys, male caregivers and those who are handicapped, as long as they are accompanied by a woman. Well-marked signs on the train platforms direct female travellers to the appropriate cars and times.
Send info to baginski@travelindustrytoday.com.
Future dates and events listed here are up to date at time of printing, although obviously subject to changes due to ever-evolving pandemic information. Travel Industry Today accepts no responsibility for sudden or unreported inaccuracies.