Destinations
Barbados ready to jump up
Spring Garden Road may not be on fire yet, but with summer fast approaching Barbados is heating up with activities that are part of its annual, 12-week long, Crop Over Festival. New to the festivities the Barbados Summer Arts Festival that features the talents of local artisans, with the main event being the Arts Mart on the Hastings Boardwalk which takes place from May 25 to May 27. Here local artists will display their works ranging from jewelry and fashion to glass creations and visual arts. Music, poetry and prose readings will transform the bustling boardwalk into a hub of creative...
A golden celebration for Jamaica
As it gears up for its 50th anniversary of independence, Jamaica has plans for a wide array of island-wide events to celebrate the landmark occasion. And with non-stop flights available from most major cities, it will be easy for Canadians to join in the festivities. John Lynch, director of tourism, said: "This is a significant year for us as a destination and we're encouraging visitors, including Jamaicans living overseas, to come celebrate this milestone and experience a host of on-island events throughout the year. Now is a great time to book a Jamaican vacation and benefit from the...
Goway’s cruising in OZ
Goway has launched its first brochure dedicated to cruise travellers bound for Australia. The operator notes that selling cruise trip packages can be challenging for agents these days with the amount of non- commissionable elements, including airfares, shore excursions, etc. A strategy to improve selling cruises is by offering add-on services from land extensions, pre- or post-cruise accommodations or shore excursions in Australia, all of which are fully commissionable through Goway. Goway points out that travellers should spend time on land to see more of Australia and it offers many cruise...
It’s all about the beach
Well, the truth is out. Forty-five per cent of Canadians say that they prefer a beach vacation to all other types of vacations -- and that puts Canucks far ahead of the global average which was 33%. The findings are part of the newly released 2012 Flip Flop Report that was conducted by Harris Interactive for Expedia.ca and which looked at the behaviour and preferences of over 8,000 adults in North America, South America, Europe, Asia and Australia in a total of 21 countries. Globally, the average beach holiday is just over one week in length at 7.7 days. Canadians inch past the global average...
Hong Kong posts big visitor numbers
Tourism officials in Hong Kong have to be in a good mood these days, after the destination reported that it welcomed 11.22 million visitors during the first quarter of 2012 -- that's a year-on-year increase of 15.6%. Of that, about half (or 5.56 million) were overnight stays, 8.6% more than the same period in the previous year. Hong Kong Tourist Board chairman, James Tien said of the results: "Notwithstanding the volatile global economic environment, we recorded across-the-board increases in long-haul, short-haul and Mainland arrivals during the first quarter of this year. Looking ahead, we...
ACV unveils new collection
Air Canada Vacations has launched its 2012 South America, Asia, South Pacific Collection. The 100-page brochure features a variety of newly-added tours, such as treks in Australia or along the Peruvian Inca Trail, Spaceship campervan rentals in Australia and New Zealand and that's just a sampling of what ACV is offering in over 15 countries. As well, when you book your client an ACV Air & Hotel or Air & Tour package in any destination in South America or the South Pacific by July 15, 2012, you can save your clients $250 per couple. And if you book an Air & Hotel or Air & Tour package in any...
Westin Bayshore picks Lemieux
Robert Lemieux has been named director of sales & marketing for the Westin Bayshore in Vancouver. Lemieux brings over 24 years of hotel and sales experience to the 511-room property. Most recently, he was director of sales and marketing at The Westin Harbour Castle and before that he'd been director of sales and marketing at The Westin Ottawa. Lemieux is a member of the Canadian Society of Association Executives (CSAE) and Meeting Professionals International...
Up in the air in Fernie
Work has started at the Fernie Alpine Resort on a new feature adventure. Along with the Mountain Bike Park, Fernie will also offer a 4 Zipline and 16 element Aerial Playground this summer. Each tour will feature a training session and up to 3 hours of "tree-top fun." Along with the new features, the Fernie Alpine Resort also offers activities such as the Mountain Bike Park, Hiking, Mountain Top Lunch, Sightseeing, Tennis and more. Fernie's preview weekend is set for June 23 and June 24, while the official opening is June 29. Go to http://www.skifernie.com/summer for complete...