Global Travel News

Controversy and complaints over Canada’s border/arrivals situation continue last week, and cruise companies continue to update their COVID protocols. Also in the news: Japan continues to open up, Air Canada Vacations released a digital brochure, a US airline filed for bankruptcy, and the Sydney zoo welcomed a cute, new resident…

NEWS

A member of Parliament says Ottawa may have underestimated Canadians’ desire to travel when planning for a return to normal following the end of most pandemic restrictions. As a result, travellers have experienced widespread flight cancellations, baggage delays and lengthy lineups, particularly at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport.

A constitutional rights group has launched a legal challenge of a federal requirement that travellers to Canada use the ArriveCan app. The action was filed in Federal Court by the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms on behalf of 11 Canadians, including some allegedly fined up to $8,500.

The federal and Nova Scotia governments have committed to establishing the province’s first national urban park at Blue Mountain-Birch Cove Lakes in Halifax, an area of forest, wetlands, headwaters, and a system of lakes.

BORDERS

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced plans to ease border controls from early September by eliminating requirements for pre-departure COVID-19 tests for travellers who have received at least three vaccine doses, and he will also consider increasing daily entry caps as soon as next month. Japan, which has imposed some of the toughest border measures for the coronavirus, currently requires negative PCR test results within 72 hours of departure for all entrants, a practice that has been criticized as cumbersome.

BY THE NUMBERS

Early Transport Canada usage data indicates that travellers using the optional Advance CBSA Declaration in ArriveCan cuts the amount of time a traveller spends at a kiosk by roughly one third. In the week ending Aug. 14, the advance CBSA declaration was submitted by 34% of arriving passengers in Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver. In the coming weeks, this feature will become available to travellers arriving at the Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Billy Bishop Toronto City, Ottawa, Québec City and Halifax international airports.

AIR

Citing low demand, Canadian North will prematurely end its direct flights between Toronto and Iqaluit after the Labour Day weekend. The last direct flight will take place Sept. 4. The airline had announced in February it would offer direct flights between Nunavut’s capital and Toronto Pearson International Airport from June 3 to Sept. 30, on Fridays and Sundays.

Nevada-based discount airline aha! has stopped flying after its parent, ExpressJet Airlines, filed for bankruptcy protection and said it would sell its assets. ExpressJet said it faced lower-than-expected revenue because demand for travel weakened with new COVID-19 variants. It also said it was burdened with high costs, particularly for jet fuel.

WestJet has extended its partnership with MedAire, an International SOS company that provides emergency medical assistance to cabin personnel during in-flight medical events. As the first airline in North America to fully leverage the MedAire In-Flight App, WestJet cabin personnel now have multiple ways to connect with MedLink doctors during a medical emergency.

GOOD DEEDS
This year’s 401 Bike Challenge (photo), co-sponsored by Air Canada Vacations and McDonald’s, included nine ACV employees (Nino Montagnese, Lucy Sabella, Andreas Anastassopoulos, Kevin Boada, Gustavo Maass, Tony Rolli and Marie-Christine Boyer) taking part in the three-day 580-km ride from Toronto to Montreal. Through ACV’s sponsorship and individual rider fundraising, $54 776 was donated to the oncology/hematology units of the Montreal Children’s Hospital, the Toronto SickKids Hospital, and the Ottawa Children’s Hospital, bringing the grand total raised by all participants for this year’s edition to $273,383 with donations continuing to pour in.

TOURS

Air Canada Vacations has introduced a new digital-only Sun Collection brochure for 2022-23. The interactive “Dream of Sun” brochure features over 600 mostly all-inclusive hotels to choose from across 38 destinations, including 67 new additions, three resorts exclusive to Air Canada Vacations and 29 semi-exclusive resorts, and hundreds of cruises. Agents and clients will find images, video and editorial content including destination highlights with the capability to search by hotel name, category, or popular filters like hotels where kids stay free. ACV notes that is also once again highlighting LGBTQ+ friendly hotels as well as spotlighting eco-friendly resorts. Go to agents.dreamofsun.aircanadavacations.com.

From Oct. 28 to Nov. 5, MyEscapades (Huntington) is conducting a small group golf tour in Algarve, Portugal, hosted by Canadian golf teaching pro Vince Dawyer. With a maximum of 24 participants, the trip includes five rounds of golf at four different courses, with carts, guaranteed tee times, and a one-hour clinic before each game. Cost is $2,545 and includes eight nights accommodation at the four-star Villa Gale Ampalius Hotel, breakfast, four dinners, and more. Airfare is not included.

HOTELS

Boutique hotel brand Hotel Indigo, part of IHG Hotels & Resorts’ Luxury and Lifestyle portfolio, has opened its first property in Austria, Hotel Indigo Vienna – Naschmarkt. Centrally located, the 158-room hotel is a short walk from the city’s historic centre, the ‘Margareten’ district, a culturally diverse neighbourhood, including everything from 19th century architecture to relaxed eateries and secret gardens offering sanctuaries to both travellers and locals alike.

RESORTS

One of St. Lucia’s leading all-inclusive boutique resorts, Rendezvous, relaunched as StolenTime by Rendezvous this month.

AMResorts and Playa Hotels & Resorts report the expiration of the contract for Dreams Punta Cana Resort & Spa effective Dec. 20, at which point the resort will no longer be represented under the AMR Collection brand portfolio. Beginning Dec. 21, guests with existing reservations at Dreams Punta Cana Resort & Spa will have their stays protected at another AMR Collection branded property in the destination. Also, effective Jan. 6, 2023, Dreams Palm Beach Punta Cana will no longer be represented under the AMR Collection brand portfolio; guests with existing reservations will have their stays protected at another AMR Collection branded property in the destination.

DEALS

Paul Gauguin Cruises is making an early 2023 spring escape to Tahiti more tempting than ever with a $500 air credit per guest on seven-night ‘Tahiti & the Society Islands’ voyages exploring French Polynesia. The limited-time offer is available on select dates for bookings made by Oct. 8 and is valid when airfare is purchased together with a cruise.
CRUISE

From Sept. 6, Carnival Cruise Line says it will accept self-testing for unvaccinated guests (in addition to lab administered tests) on cruises that are 15 nights or shorter. The updated protocol does not apply where destinations (including Canada) do not accept self-administered tests. Regardless of the type of test taken, unvaccinated guests will be required to present their negative test results via VeriFLY or as part of the embarkation process. Additionally, travel insurance is no longer a requirement for unvaccinated guests unless it is required by a destination, such as Bermuda. Irrespective of vaccination status, travel insurance is required for all guests visiting Fiji. Full details can be found on the cruise line’s web site.

COVID vaccinations will no longer be required for guests travelling with Uniworld Boutique River Cruises in 2023. However, guests will be required to follow the entry requirements specified by each country visited along their itinerary – by river, land, or rail – says the cruise line. Entry guidelines for travel to each destination can be found on the company’s web site, but guests are responsible for ensuring their own compliance.

ATTRACTIONS & THEME PARKS

Through Nov. 19, guests can sip, savour, and repeat across six continents at the EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival. The festival offers new experiences for foodies and families alike as part of the “The World’s Most Magical Celebration” honouring the Walt Disney World Resort 50th Anniversary. More than 25 festival food and wine marketplaces located throughout EPCOT celebrate the best in global food and drink.

EVENTS

On Sept. 8, Air Canada Vacations will provide a webinar session in French and English to demonstrate the features of its new Dream of Sun digital brochure and answer any questions. Click for times and details.

PEOPLE/APPOINTMENTS

Two prominent Canadian travel industry figures are on the move with the appointments of Justin Gosling as Director Canada at Discover the World, replacing Jane Clementino, who left the position to join TRAVELSAVERS as Sr. VP. and GM Canada.

REPRESENTATION

VoX International has added of Broadway Inbound & the Broadway Collection to its client roster, assisting the company by working with travel agents, OTA’s, tour operators, media, and other partners across Canada. Through the partnership, Canadian agents will be given access to the tools and knowledge to encourage travellers to purchase Broadway tickets ahead of their trip, allowing them to make the most of their time in New York City. Denise Graham will manage the Broadway Inbound account, developing marketing plans and spearheading various other projects for the company.

DESTINATIONS

Taronga Zoo Sydney announced the birth of a male Southern hairy-nosed wombat joey, a latest success of Taronga’s wombat breeding program which has seen 10 joeys born since 2012. The little joey (photo) was born to experienced mum Jedda in December last year but has only just started to emerge from her mother’s pouch in recent weeks. The joey has recently been identified as a little male and has been given the name ‘Wadu’ by his keepers which means ‘wombat’ in the Wirangu language of South Australia.

The second most visited zoo in the US is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year with transformative exhibits, new public amenities and enhanced public spaces. Projects at the Houston Zoo are being completed in a six‐year, multi‐phase plan with the largest initiative in the campaign, the Galápagos Islands, opening this fall. The first major exhibit of its kind will immerse guests in an environment evoking the archipelago’s unique landscapes and oceanic habitats. Set on 22-hectar oasis in the heart of the city, the Houston Zoo is home to wildlife from all corners of the globe.

LAST WEEK IN TRAVEL HISTORY

In 1919, the first international air service began with Air Transport and Travel’s flight from London to Paris. Only one passenger made the trip on a converted biplane bomber. The trip took two-and-a-half hours and cost 21 pounds.

Send info to baginski@travelindustrytoday.com

First published at Travel Industry Today

First published at TravelNewsHub.com – Global Travel News

California is acclaimed for its longstanding thriving craft beer industry, and, as such, sometimes the most challenging part of drinking craft beer in the Golden State (a perfect moniker to be sure) is figuring out where to go – and how to choose which spots to visit within each destination.

Here’s a closer look at how these regions across the state are making visitors and locals alike feel exceptionally “hoppy.”

San Francisco and Oakland

Located in a historic building at Ocean Beach, Chalet Brewery is a San Francisco City Historic Landmark constructed way back in 1925. It’s the only brewery in San Francisco that features views of Golden Gate Park and the Pacific Ocean, with both indoor and outdoor seating. Across the Bay, the Oakland Ale Trail developed by Visit Oakland in collaboration with a variety of partners from Oakland’s craft beer industry celebrates the strength of Oakland’s craft beer community. The trail features 13 breweries, 13 craft beer destinations and two cider stops.

Gold Country

In Nevada County, Grass Valley Brewing Co. and Three Forks Bakery & Brewery created the Independence Trail Ale to raise funds for this local trail’s restoration after it was damaged in a fire. For every pint or can purchased, $1 is donated to Bear Yuba Land Trust to support its rebuild. And nearby, Sacramento has seen an explosion of craft brewers in recent years, anchored by prominent names like Track 7, Ruhstaller, Urban Roots and Device Brewing Co. And hard cider fans have a new hot spot in Nitty’s Cider recently opened tasting room.

Visalia and Tulare County

Visalia’s craft brew scene quickly becomes a must-stop destination for beer lovers, pub crawl aficionados and microbrewery experience seekers. As the area is a natural farming region, brewers have access to the freshest hops in the state and a vibrant downtown full of beer entrepreneurs and connoisseurs. BarrelHouse Brewing, Brewbakers Brewing Company (located at the site of Visalia’s first beer garden), Visalia Brewing Company (VCB), Sequoia Brewing Company, The Cellar Door, Pita Kabob Gastropub and Kaweah Brewing Company offer travelers more than 100 different tap options.

Orange County

Laguna Beach Beer Company’s mission is to brew a broad range of beers from their core styles to their Artisan Series and never compromise quality or creativity. In Huntington Beach, The Surf City USA Barrel Trail is the ultimate opportunity to explore the city through a carefully curated selection of 12 craft breweries — including Beachwood Brewing, Flashpoint Brewing Company, Four Sons Brewing and more. Inland, in Anaheim, discover more than 20 craft breweries, including Modern Times Leisuretown, which is the first brewery of its kind to offer a swimming pool for guests to lounge.

San Luis Obispo County

With more than 10 local beer and cider breweries within its city limits, San Luis Obispo has no shortage of craft beer. Bang the Drum is a family-run brewery and the perfect spot to escape a hot day or spend the evening with friends. Oak & Otter Brewing is a welcoming space that often features live music. There’s also the “Be Hoppy Hop On Tour,” which takes care of all the hassle of organizing an experience. This beer-themed bus tour will make reservations at three award-winning local breweries for 20 people and deliver tour-goers to each spot in style.

Mendocino County

Mendocino offers seven breweries spaced throughout the County. Ukiah Brewing Company in Ukiah was the first certified organic brewpub in the nation. There’s also Anderson Valley Brewing Company, which is located in the heart of Mendocino County’s wine country but boasts a bevy of beers carrying the name of the lost language of the area–Boontling. And in Fort Bragg, the award-winning North Coast Brewing Company has long been considered a pioneer in the craft beer movement since its opening in 1988.

Benicia and Solano County

In July 2021 Mare Island Brewing Co. opened its third location, First Street Tap House, in downtown Benicia. Visitors can enjoy a selection of 20 craft beers in a historic building that was originally built in 1890. Nearby, Bruehol Benicia Brewing serves German-style pilsners, lagers, West Coast-style ales, and a variety of IPAs. Be sure to check out the name of each German beer, which represents something historic about the city of Benicia (one of the oldest cities in California).

San Diego County

It’s no secret that San Diego is a craft beer lovers’ paradise. With four locations in just San Diego county, Ballast Point Brewing Company is one of California’s best-known craft breweries. Considered a “nano-brewery” due to its small size when it first opened in 2010 in Miramar, Mike Hess Brewing Co. offers the public a unique tour perspective, allowing guests to access and view the brewhouse from raised catwalks above the tanks. And since opening its first location in Kearny Mesa 10 years ago, Societe has grown its legion of loyal fans, one beer at a time, led by their rally cry, “Beer Folk Unite.”

Los Angeles County

Benny Boy Brewing is located just minutes from Downtown Los Angeles in the Lincoln Heights neighborhood as the first combined brewery and cidery in Los Angeles. Here, visitors can explore a spacious outdoor beer and cider garden serving Old World European-inspired beers straight from the tanks in the taproom tank bar and clean dry ciders made with 100% raw apple juice in the cider house. Closer to the coast, Santa Monica Brew Works is the first and only craft brewery located in Santa Monica. Their California-inspired beers are brewed for those who live the “Beach Brewed” lifestyle.

Napa and Sonoma Counties

Most people think of wine when they hear Napa, but there’s a great craft beer scene too. With half a dozen different breweries to check out, like Fieldwork and the Napa Barrel Project, visitors may find themselves coming back to Downtown Napa for the beer and not the wine. And nearby, Sonoma County offers more than 30 different craft breweries. Local spots include Russian River Brewing Co. – known for its internationally renowned Pliny the Younger, as well as Third Street Aleworks and Belly Left Coast Kitchen & Tap Room.

Del Norte County

Del Norte County’s secret to brewing award-winning craft beers in a region with less than 30,000 people is most likely a combination of the water and the local brewers’ talent. Both SeaQuake Brewing and Port O’Pints Brewing Co. batch their beer with water from one of the cleanest rivers in the world, the Smith River, which has garnered them each plenty of ribbons and medals for their beer. Port O’Pints, a small batch brewery making only 700 barrels of beer annually, has received over 67 awards to date.

Monterey County

Portola Hotel & Spa is home to Monterey’s original craft brewery, Peter B’s Brewpub, where newly appointed Head Brewer Natalie Mika and her team can be found brewing award-winning craft beer. Nearby, downtown Salinas is experiencing a surge of new local craft breweries, with five taprooms all within a 600-foot walking distance. There’s La Cantina, one of the newest additions to Salinas’ brewery scene – and established favourites like XL Public House and Farmers Union Pour House, whose rotating list of beer and wine keep visitors coming back.

Ventura County

Ventura is a seaside city offering a small-town craft beer experience courtesy of humble, creative, and award-winning local brewers. There are more than a dozen craft breweries in Ventura. Sample a prize-winning ale and enjoy a Pacific Ocean view at MadeWest Brewery on the Ventura Pier or head downtown to Ventura Coast Brewing Company before relaxing at a picnic table outdoors at legendary Topa Topa Brewing Company.

With glass purposefully in hand, we at Travel Industry Today continue our series on some of the planet’s best bars, patios and rooftop venues. For more articles in the series, click here:

PREVIOUS ARTICLES: https://travelindustrytoday.com/pub-patio/

First published at Travel Industry Today

First published at TravelNewsHub.com – Global Travel News

If you live in the GTA and you’re of a certain vintage, it’s quite possible that your Facebook exploded this week with photos of soggy friends getting poured on at Monday’s Duran Duran concert in Toronto (at the outdoor Budweiser Stage).

But I know that for fans – being married to one – weather proves little deterrent to turning out to see the British band, which dominated the charts in the ‘80s with hits like “Girls on Film,” “Rio” and “The Reflex.”

Their biggest hit undoubtedly was “Hungry Like the Wolf,” which won a Grammy for best video in 1984.

(Fun fact: The band was named after the mad scientist Dr. Durand Durand in the 1968 Jane Fonda film “Barbarella.”)

Today, the core four players – Simon, Nick, Roger, and John (the one my wife was in love with at the time)¬ – are still at it (minus Andy Taylor), having recorded a new album, “Future Past,” this year and now touring to support it.

But if you missed the Ontario Place event, and don’t have the new album, consider this a timely – and dry – alternative.

Lyrics

Dark in the city, night is a wire
Steam in the subway, earth is afire
Do do do do do do do dodo dododo dodo

Woman, you want me, give me a sign
And catch my breathing even closer behind
Do do do do do do do dodo dododo dodo

In touch with the ground
I’m on the hunt, I’m after you
Smell like I sound, I’m lost in a crowd
And I’m hungry like the wolf

Straddle the line in discord and rhyme
I’m on the hunt, I’m after you
Mouth is alive with juices like wine
And I’m hungry like the wolf

Stalked through the forest, too close to hide
I’ll be upon you by the moonlight side
Do do do do do do do dodo dododo dodo

High blood drumming on your skin, it’s so tight
You feel my heat, I’m just a moment behind
Do do do do do do do dodo dododo dodo

In touch with the ground
I’m on the hunt, I’m after you
Scent and a sound, I’m lost and I’m found
And I’m hungry like the wolf

Strut on a line, it’s discord and rhyme
I howl and I whine, I’m after you
Mouth is alive, all running inside
And I’m hungry like the wolf

Hungry like the wolf

Burning the ground, I break from the crowd
I’m on the hunt down, I’m after you
I smell like I sound, I’m lost and I’m found
And I’m hungry like the wolf

Strut on a line, it’s discord and rhyme
I’m on the hunt, I’m after you
Mouth is alive with juices like wine
And I’m hungry like the wolf

Burning the ground, I break from the crowd
I’m on the hunt, I’m after you
Scent and a sound, I’m lost and I’m found
And I’m hungry like the wolf

Strut on a line, it’s discord and rhyme
I howl and I whine, I’m after you
Mouth is alive, all running inside

First published at Travel Industry Today

First published at TravelNewsHub.com – Global Travel News

Somewhere Mike Hannah was smiling. After all, Tuesday was a picture-perfect day for the golf tournament named in his honour – the popular long-time Canadian travel executive having died in May. But beyond the usual fun and hijinks on the links at the Royal Ontario Golf Club in Milton, Ont., nearly a hundred Skal members from the association’s Toronto and Toronto North chapters turned out for the first “Mike Hannah Memorial Golf Tournament,” in memory of the former Skal member, himself an avid golfer.

Hannah’s family was on hand for the occasion, which was marked by an emotional Paul Foster (Tripcentral.ca), who recalled his best friend – “our Mike’s” – long tenure in the travel industry as photos scrolled across a screen in the room.

Canada’s queen of Skal, Sue Webb, admitted that the Toronto chapter was just getting back on its feet filling the considerable hands-on void created by Hannah’s loss.

Webb eventually moved on to the day’s other business, recognizing the day’s golf luminaries (Ladies longest drive – Audrey Tanguay Beaudette, Air Canada; and, Men’s drive, Royal Irish Tours’ Connor Duffy); drawing copious raffles prizes; and congratulating members Kimberly Hartley and Scott Barker for recent nuptials (conducted on a beach in Jamaica, no less) – and the latter making a welcome appearance, though not golfing, only six weeks after double-bypass surgery.

“Today feels like it was a really special golf tournament,” Webb enthused of the re-gathering of the Skal “family.” Not only did it honour the inestimable Hannah, but, she observed, “It feels like the industry is back!”

First published at Travel Industry Today

First published at TravelNewsHub.com – Global Travel News