Global Travel News

In last week’s news: Choice Hotels bought Radisson Americas; more cruise lines eased COVID protocols; the feds announced an official investigation into the customs chaos at Canadian airports; and WestJet revealed its winter schedule.

NEWS

Canadian tourism employment saw positive gains in July, growing by 5.5%, according to a new snapshot report by Tourism HR Canada. The beleaguered tourism sector added 106,300 jobs, for a total of 2,034,400 workers, according to the report, marking the first time the first time since February 2020 that employment has topped 2 million, which it had consistently done pre-pandemic, throughout 2018 and 2019.

Led by a nearly 50% estimated rise in airfares, global travel prices are predicted to continue to increase in the remaining months of 2022 and throughout 2023, according to the just-published 2023 Global Business Travel Forecast by CWT and the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA). Lavour shortages, and inflationary pressures in raw material costs are also primary drivers of the expected price growth.

The House of Commons transport committee launched an investigation into airport delays and flight cancellations. The committee will invite Transport Minister Omar Alghabra to testify and will hold its first hearing by the end of next week.

BORDERS

Hong Kong has reduced the mandatory hotel quarantine for overseas arrivals to three days from a week. The policy makes for Hong Kong’s shortest quarantine for arrivals since the pandemic began, having a one point required 21 days of isolation.

BY THE NUMBERS

Tourism arrivals in Israel this summer are approaching the record-breaking numbers of summer 2019 – an upward trend that comes on the heels of the country reopening to international travellers regardless of vaccination status in March. During June, Israel saw almost 113,000 North American tourists (excluding day visitors and cruise passengers) while in June of 2019 there were close to 132,000 North American tourists who entered the country.

AIR

The return of 17 sun and leisure routes that were suspended for more than two years will highlight WestJet’s winter schedule, with destinations ranging across Caribbean, Mexico and US, along with new six-times weekly WestJet Link service between Penticton, BC, and Vancouver beginning on Feb. 17, 2023, along with the restart of domestic connectivity between Edmonton and Nanaimo, BC. WestJet operations will increase 45% to sun and leisure flights from winter 2021, 60% in transborder, and 25% transatlantic.

Flair Airlines is adding another route to its Mexico network with twice-weekly non-stop service to Cancun from Toronto. There will also be additional frequencies added on several Mexico routes. Flair is also moving its Los Angeles operations from Hollywood Burbank Airport to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), effective Oct. 31.

Federal regulators in the US say they are satisfied with changes Boeing has made in the production of its 787 Dreamliner passenger jet, clearing the way for the company to resume deliveries to airline customers. Production of the big, two-aisle 787 has been marred by several problems including gaps between panels of the carbon-composite skin, and use of unapproved titanium parts from a supplier in Italy. Those issues prevented Boeing from delivering any of the planes for most of the last two years, and about 120 have been parked while Boeing tried to fix the production process.

DEALS

Visit San Antonio has launched a first-ever marketing partnership with Hotelbeds/Bedsonline providing special promotional rates for the Texas destination through the end of November. Accessible to the travel trade in Canada, the campaign provides exclusive promotional rates to San Antonio hotels for use by travel partners including travel agents, tour operators, points and loyalty programs, and airline packages. The co-op includes 20 hotel and resort properties in all categories across the destination and is available .

TOURS

Small ship ocean cruises from New York City to Quebec City aboard the ship Silver Shadow will be offered by tour company Tauck in the fall of 2023, marking the company’s latest expansion into domestic cruising and furthering its partnership with Silversea. The new 13-day “Shores of Eastern Canada and New England” itinerary will include three northbound Manhattan-to-Quebec City departures along with three southbound trips, all in September and October of next year. The new cruise follows the 2019 introduction of Tauck’s “Cruising the Great Lakes: Chicago to Toronto” itinerary. Elsewhere in the US, Tauck has also featured a cruise along Alaska’s Inside Passage as well as a 15-day “Grand Alaska” combination land tour/seven-night cruise in its portfolio for many years.

The Canadian Association of Tour Operators (CATO) has announced a strategic partnership with Tourism Cares to advance sustainable tourism through collaboration and education. Tourism Cares is a non-profit organization that advances the travel industry’s positive impact to help people and places thrive. The organization mobilizes the travel industry to use its business as a force for good by uniting, activating, and inspiring all sectors to make a positive impact through travel.

HOTELS

Luxury lifestyle hotel brand 1 Hotels has opened its eighth global property in Nashville. 1 Hotel Nashville (photo) is located in the heart of downtown, directly across from the Music City Center and within walking distance of the Country Music Hall of Fame. With 215 rooms, including 37 suites, the hotel features a verdant ivy-covered façade and rooms with rough-hewn poster beds and workbench-like vanities, touches of reclaimed and in-room chalkboards to reduce paper-use.

Choice Hotels International has completed the acquisition of Radisson Hotels Americas for approximately $675 million from Radisson Hotel Group, inclusive of the real estate value of three owned hotels. The deal adds approximately 67,000 rooms to Choice across nine brands, including Radisson Blu, Radisson, Radisson Individuals, Park Plaza, Radisson RED, Country Inn & Suites by Radisson, Park Inn by Radisson, Radisson Inn & Suites and Radisson Collection.

RESORTS

The first phase of Royal Resorts’ Royal Uno All Inclusive Resort & Spa is now open. Located in the Cancun Hotel Zone, the property features four bars and five new restaurants, two oversized pools and a children’s pool with water play area, swim-up bar and beach bar, watersport lagoon, Uno Kids Club, a Family Room for activities, and direct beach access. Guests will have access to kayaks and sailboats on the lagoon, daily activities, and evening entertainment. An introductory incentive offers 25% discount on the all-inclusive stay plus a $500 resort credit and a complimentary one-way private airport transportation service when booked by today (Aug. 15).

Playa Hotels & Resorts has entered into an agreement to assume the management of the Seadust Cancun Family Resort in Mexico. Playa will manage all operations, sales, and marketing of the resort, which is situated along is Hotel Zone and features 502-rooms, 10 restaurants and bars, state of-the-art fitness centre and a full-service holistic spa. Seadust will be Playa’s sixth managed property in Mexico, and the 23rd overall joining other all-inclusive resorts managed by Playa within the Hyatt Ziva, Hyatt Zilara, Hilton, Wyndham Alltra, Marriott’s The Luxury Collection, and Jewel brands.

CRUISE

Cunard is adjusting pre-travel testing requirements. From Sept. 6, self-testing for COVID-19 prior to travel will change from “mandatory” to “highly recommended” for vaccinated guests on the vast majority of voyages. Only guests sailing on longer, more complex itineraries will be required to have an observed or in person antigen or PCR test with a fit to travel certificate prior to departure. These include a number of sailings of 16 nights or more and other specific voyages.

1 Hotel Nashville has announced also passenger protocol updates making it easier for more guests to sail with simplified vaccination and testing guidelines, including no pre-cruise testing for vaccinated guests on sailings less than 16 nights (except for cruises to Canada, Bermuda, Greece, and Australia), and eliminating the exemption request process for unvaccinated guests, who will only need to show a negative test result at embarkation. The changes, which go into effect on Sept. 6, “meet public health goals but recognize the evolving nature of COVID-19,” says the cruise line.

ATTRACTIONS & THEME PARKS

For a limited time, Discovery Cove in Orlando is offering a free $50 gift card per guest with the purchase of a single-day admission. The card can be used for merchandise, photos, and more while at Discovery Cove, or to spend at any one of the other domestic parks in the SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment family, including SeaWorld, Aquatica, Busch Gardens, Sesame Place, and more. The offer is bookable until Aug. 28 for visits through March 9, 2023.

EVENTS

The Region of Magallanes and the Chilean Antarctic will host a spin off from the Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA)’s AdventureNEXT series. Taking place Sept. 12-14 in Torres del Paine, the first-of-its-kind event will offer a combination of B2B Marketplace, keynotes, round table discussions, and one-to-one networking opportunities.

FAMS & INCENTIVES

A one-of-a-kind trip to Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia, Croatia, and North Macedonia will be hosted by Toronto-based tour company NĀRAT from Oct. 13 to 25. The 13-day “Ultimate Balkans FAM” is designed to explore the distinctive culture and social diversity of a region dubbed the “powder-keg of Europe.” Highlights include UNESCO-rated Kotor, Baroque Dubrovnik, the charming old towns of Mostar and Sarajevo, and scenic Ohrid Lake. Cost of the trip is US$1,750 and includes accommodation in deluxe and boutique hotels, all transfers, meals, entrance fess, and airfare from Toronto. Connections from other Canadian cities are available with a supplement and agents are allowed one companion subject to availability. To register, e-mail fams@narat.org.

AGENCIES

The Travel Agent Next Door has entered into a white label agreement with Wed in Destination to fulfill wedding group leads utilizing TTAND’s lead generation platform. A niche travel business launched by Suri Pillai, Wed in Destination will retain its own branding to alleviate for customer with the new host agency.

UNIGLOBE Travel (Eastern Canada) has introduced a number of prominent Ontario agencies as members: Clarke-Way Travel (Toronto), Avenue Travel (Toronto), Travel My Way (Caledon), and Royal City Travel (Guelph) are owned by Stephanie & Gene Branchflower and have been serving the GTA & Golden Horseshoe regions for over 40 years, while Ellison Travel & Tours is one of Canada’s largest travel agencies with locations in Exeter and London, Ont., and North Vancouver, BC.

PEOPLE/APPOINTMENTS

Two key leadership appointments in Canada have been made by Flight Centre Travel Group (FCTG). Chris Lynes has been named Managing Director of the Canadian business following the retirement of John Beauvais at the end of the company’s financial year on June 30, 2022, and Brian McLaren is the new EVP for Flight Centre Brand Canada.

DESTINATIONS

Following the completion of its restoration, Türkiye’s (Turkey) ancient Laodicean Theatre (photo) recently hosted its first performance after 1,690 years of silence. The İzmir State Symphony Orchestra performed a concert for nearly 15,000 people at the theatre’s re-opening ceremony. The excavation and restoration studies of Laodicea City were completed in a short period of 20 years and the ancient city was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage Sites Tentative List in 2013 as one of the largest and most important archaeological sites in Türkiye.

National Geographic’s “Beyond King Tut: The Immersive Experience” will take over the Vancouver Convention Centre from Oct. 27 to Jan. 8, 2023. The exhibition celebrates the 100-year anniversary of the discovery of King Tut’s tomb and connects the journey to modern-day Egypt through nine distinct galleries and includes a narrated VR Experience of the tomb. A story 3,000 years in the making comes to life in this unique exhibition.

LAST WEEK IN TRAVEL HISTORY

In 1949, the first commercial jet plane to fly in the Western Hemisphere made its maiden flight over the Malton airport (now Pearson International) outside Toronto. The Jetliner C-102 was designed in Canada by an Englishman, James Floyd, and built by Avro of Toronto. It was never produced commercially.

Send info to baginski@travelindustrytoday.com

First published at Travel Industry Today

First published at TravelNewsHub.com – Global Travel News

A vacant Beverly Hills bistro has been transformed into the set of a 1980s sitcom about four women living in Miami – but it’s also a working restaurant. Reservations have been going fast at the newly opened The Golden Girls Kitchen with local and visitors popping in to experience the pop-up eatery.

Joe Saunders his two teenage children and their mother were visiting Northern California when they learned about the pop-up. So, they made a special trip south just to see it.

“I was a little hesitant about coming but my kids’ mom really wanted to come,” said Saunders, who was wearing a T-shirt referencing the sitcom’s fictitious Shady Pines retirement home. “It’s been a good time… the lasagna, the strawberry daiquiri and I’m going to have a piece of cake with ice cream, too.”

Thirty years after “The Golden Girls” ended on NBC, fans still can’t let go of the sitcom about four housemates – Dorothy, Rose, Blanche, and Sophia – bonding over aging, dating and cheesecake. The first month of reservations sold out before the pop-up opened July 30, which the internet deems National Golden Girls Day.

It’s just the latest example of the comedy rising to pop culture relevancy again. In just the past few months, the first ever Golden-Con fan convention was held in Chicago and a pilot for an animated, futuristic “Golden Girls” series is being shopped around.

Bucket Listers, an online events company, organized the pop-up. It had the blessing of Disney, which owns the rights to “Golden Girls.” So, organizers were free to put Easter Egg references in the decor and the menu. Upon walking in, fans are immediately greeted by a bartender at the Shady Pines bar. Further inside is a replica of the women’s kitchen counter, complete with a yellow wall phone. Behind the dining room is a recreation of Blanche’s bedroom, including the iconic banana leaf bedspread and wallpaper.

“It has been so heartwarming to see my mom light up. I know that she’s watched the show at least 50 times each season,” said A.J. Maloney, 23, who came from San Diego with her mother, Shellee, 45.

Derek Berry, Bucket Listers’ director of experiences, has plenty of experience staging pop-ups. Since 2016, he has overseen half-a-dozen restaurant tributes starting with a “Saved By the Bell” diner in Chicago. “Breaking Bad,” “Beverly Hills 90210” and “Good Burger” have also inspired fast-casual diners. Berry’s criteria for the pop-up treatment is if a show has “staying power” and people are constantly quoting it. “Golden Girls” was inevitable.

“Every time we announce a pop-up, we look at the comments. People are like, ‘I love it, but you should have done this!’ And it’s always ‘Golden Girls,’” said Berry, who worked with a 45-member team.

One of the most fun aspects was working with executive chef Royce Burke to devise menu items and to name them. The choices of course include lasagna –which the Sicilian-born Sophia often cooked – and various flavors of cheesecake. There are also references to Scandinavian delicacies mentioned by Rose in her stories about her hometown of St. Olaf, Minnesota.

“I like all the St. Olaf items where you never knew if they were real or not,” Berry said. “We threw a couple on there. It’s so fun to see my staff and myself try to pronounce them.”

The pop-up only has reservations through late October, but its popularity has been beyond expectations. So much so that there are plans to take it on the road to New York, Chicago, San Francisco and, of course, Miami, Berry added.
“The Golden Girls” premiered in 1985. None of the four stars are alive. Bea Arthur, Rue McClanahan, and Estelle Getty all died in the late 2000s and Betty White died last December at age 99. Yet, because of cable reruns and streaming availability on Hulu, the show keeps finding new life and new, younger fans. The widely varying demographics of the restaurant’s patrons are proof of that.

Moses Nicholas and his girlfriend, Johanna James, both 18 and from Los Angeles, had a date over vegan lasagna and vegan cheesecake. Their reservation was a surprize gift from James’ mother, who knew both of them grew up watching “Golden Girls” in syndication and still catch it on Hulu.

“There’s something so relatable to the show for me for some reason,” Nicholas said. “I just find it really funny and it’s very comforting to watch.”

The couple’s ages is just proof the show “never dies,” James added.

Shirley Lyon and her three girlfriends, all of whom are senior citizens, came from Palos Verdes, Ca., with their own drinkware. The quartet, who call themselves “golden girls,” brought “Golden Girls” mugs they made but with their faces superimposed over the characters. Just being in the restaurant brought back the joy they feel when watching the sitcom.

“People here I think all love them,” Lyon said. “I don’t think anybody comes who hasn’t experienced how precious they are. I just love their friendship.”

First published at Travel Industry Today

First published at TravelNewsHub.com – Global Travel News

Ah, cottage country. Just saying it lowers my blood pressure. It conjures up memories of lazy weekends. Dangling my feet off the end of a dock. A morning paddle on a lake of glass. Basking on a warm pink granite rock. The call of the loon. And taking a swing at one of my favourite Muskoka courses, Seguin Valley, with18 glorious fairways designed to capitalize on the region’s unique granite outcroppings, mature forests and sparkling lakes.

As a member of the SCORE Golf rating panel, I was invited to “stay and play” at Seguin a few years ago. I decided it would be an ideal opportunity to enjoy a gals’ golf getaway and invited three of my golf buddies. We stayed in a cute, rustic cabin overlooking Lake McRae. After golf and dinner at the clubhouse, we spent a hilarious evening imbibing in some wine and playing Telestrations. This is a game that involves each player picking a card, drawing what’s written on the card on a suppled sketch book. Each person than passes their drawing to the left and that person writes an interpretation of the drawing on the next page of the sketchbook. And on it goes until your book returns to you with a final interpretation. The more wine the less likely the final interpretation will reflect the original. The funniest one started out as a flip flop sandal and devolved into a thong!

The “stay and play” concept at Seguin has proven very popular. Indeed, it has become an annual event for my group. The resort now has four cabins situated on a private lake that can sleep from six to 24 people. The newest, a renovated maple sugar finishing shack, sleeps up to 24 people in 12 separate log cabins, each outfitted with two single beds. The main Sugar Shack has four toilet and shower stalls, a full kitchen, TV, living room and outdoor covered patio and firepit. Don’t forget the marshmallows.

Seguin Valley Golf Club founder Robert McRae spent 15 years carving his 6,795-yard masterpiece out of the Precambrian Shield wilderness just south of Parry Sound. The course opened in 2003. After Mr. McRae’s death in 2004, the course’s new owner, Mike Feldman, re-opened it in 2010.

Although blasting was required to clear rock for some tees and greens, as well as for cart paths, little earth was moved during the more than four years of construction, as the course took advantage of the natural lay of the land.

And while there is a minimalist approach to bunkering at Seguin—there are just 25 sand traps on the entire course—and a driving range and expanded practice area are still in the plans, no expense was spared in achieving 18 spectacular fairways. Sitting on 400 acres, there was ample space to lay out each fairway like a separate “room”, so you only see the golf hole you are playing…and perhaps you’ll have a bear or moose sighting.

The most memorable hole is the stunning par-three seventh that plays over McRae Lake. The 180-yard-long bridge that curls from tee to green was constructed at a cost of $350,000. Those of us playing from the forward tees, get the unique experience of teeing off from an “island” halfway along the bridge. You’ll need an extra club and a brief prayer on this watery wonder. By the way, yet another reason we gals love playing Seguin is because the length from the red tees is a manageable 4,445 yards. There is only one tough forced carry over wetlands on number 15. With six tee decks, low, medium and high handicappers can choose their challenge.

To complement the wild nature of the landscape, a huge, rustic clubhouse was built by Mennonites in St. Jacobs, Ontario, with each log numbered, before being reassembled at Seguin Valley. An iconic 40-foot B.C. cedar thrusts up from the basement through the centre of the distinctive, red-roofed structure. The huge patio is the ideal spot to toast your birdies with some locally brewed Trestle ale.

Yes, the golf is grand and the accommodations ideal, but what makes the Seguin experience so special is the staff. Everyone—from the starter to the gal who took our breakfast and dinner orders to the gent who built us a firepit—could not have been more gracious or welcoming.

For information about Stay & Play golf packages, visit www.seguinvalley.com

First published at Travel Industry Today

First published at TravelNewsHub.com – Global Travel News

This week we remember Olivia Newton-John, who sadly died of cancer at age 73. From 1973 to ‘83, the (British-born) Australian singer was among the world’s most popular entertainers, racking up 14 top 10 singles in the US alone. However, she’ll mostly be remembered for her turn as “Sandy” alongside John Travolta in the film musical “Grease,” and her fitness-craze themed hit, “Let’s Get Physical.”

Both musically and image-wise, she reinvented herself during those years. The blonde, ever-smiling Newton-John initially favoured mild pop-country songs such as “Please Mr. Please” and “Have You Never Been Mellow” and soft-breathing ballads like “I Honestly Love You,” which in 1975 won Grammys for best female pop vocal and record of the year. She even had a hit with the K-Tel worthy “If Not For You,” mined from Bob Dylan’s catalogue (also covered by George Harrison on “All Things Must Pass”).

But she picked up the tempo in Grease (1978), especially after Sandy ditched her white sweaters and blouses for waist-high, black leather pants, revealed in the infectious number, “You’re the One that I Want.”

And “Physical” reportedly made her blush as she told her would-be lover, “There’s nothing left to talk about/Unless it’s horizontally,” and finally called out, “Let’s get animal! Animal!”

It’s the former song (and scene), however, alongside Travolta (who coincidentally appeared in our “Pulp Fiction” video last week) that was Newton-John’s career highlight. Indeed, as you can see below, it was nothing short of electrifying.

First published at Travel Industry Today

First published at TravelNewsHub.com – Global Travel News

A deadly fire that has consumed at least half of a large oil facility in western Cuba and threatened to worsen the island’s energy crisis has been largely controlled after nearly five days, authorities said Wednesday.

Flames that recently consumed the fourth tank in the eight-tank facility in Matanzas were almost quelled, although the third tank remains on fire and surrounded by smoke, according to an unidentified Cuban firefighter.

“We can’t go in for now,” he told Cubavision, a government TV channel.

The blaze killed at least one person and injured 128 others, with 14 firefighters still reported missing and 20 people hospitalized. The fire also forced officials to evacuate more than 4,900 people and shut down a key thermoelectric plant after it ran out of water, raising concerns about a new round of blackouts in addition to the ones the government announced last week for Havana.
Col. Daniel Chavez, second in command at Cuba’s firefighting department, said the fire could keep burning for the next couple of days but doesn’t expect it to grow in size. He said the next step is to cool the area.

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel cautiously celebrated the work by local firefighters and special teams that Mexico and Venezuela sent that employed boats, planes and helicopters to fight the blaze whose billowing, toxic smoke could be seen from the capital of Havana.

“(Tuesday) was a victory day, but we cannot be overconfident,” he tweeted on Wednesday as he warned about a possible switch in the wind direction. “Danger is lurking.”

The fire at the Matanzas Supertanker Base began Friday after lightning struck the key infrastructure, which operates an oil pipeline that receives Cuban crude oil that powers thermoelectric plants. It also serves as the unloading and transshipment center for imported crude oil, fuel oil and diesel.

The government has not provided an estimate of damages or said how much it has lost overall in key fuel supplies. The first tank was at 50% capacity and contained nearly 883,000 cubic feet (25,000 cubic meters) of fuel. The second tank was full.

Article updated 14:30 – Aug 10, to indicate fire was largely under control.

First published at Travel Industry Today

First published at TravelNewsHub.com – Global Travel News