Bob Mowat
For the past 15 years, people have been telling Nathalie Boyer that traditional bricks & mortar travel agencies are simply not relevant and will soon disappear.
Well, it hasn’t happened and although Boyer, general manager of Transat Distribution Canada (TDC), is certainly keenly aware of the challenges the retail travel business faces these days – like the aging demographics...
IAN STALKER
Puerto Vallarta is looking ahead to a major milestone and wants tourists to join in the year-long celebration.
Javier Aranda Pedrero, director of the Puerto Vallarta Tourism Board, notes 2018 will be the 100th anniversary of the Pacific Ocean-fronting city being designated as a municipality and says there will be 12 months of festivities, adding celebrations are hardly unusual in...
IAN STALKER
Hiram Bingham’s grueling slogs through the Andes in search of the Lost City of the Incas needn’t be replicated by those wishing to see Machu Picchu in this day and age.
Bingham, the American university professor who first brought word of Machu Picchu to the outside world a century ago after being directed to it by area Indians while he was searching for Vilcambamba – the...
IAN STALKER
(Photo above: Monkeys are among the many forms of wildlife Costa Rica visitors can spot.)
Those visiting Costa Rica can expect to see the likes of sloths, monkeys and toucans, if they venture into any of the country’s many national parks during their vacation.
But they shouldn’t count on seeing any velociraptors or T-Rexes, says Michel Aranda of Costa Rican tour company Neo...
IAN STALKER
(Photo above: Skylodge Adventure Suites give guests a lofty view of Peru’s Sacred Valley. Photo courtesy BUTTERFIELD & ROBINSON)
Peru’s Skylodge Adventure Suites is inviting fearless folks to truly hang around with intrepid individuals.
The unusual lodging option has three mostly glass “luxury capsules” visitors sleep in that are attached to a rockface 400 metres...
IAN STALKER
Those in Vermont’s tourism trade say going downhill in their state can be uplifting.
Vermont tourism officials held a recent Toronto gathering touting Vermont as a great ski retreat that offers a wide selection of ski resorts, some close enough to the Quebec border that they can be visited on day trips from Montreal.
Mike Chait of Smuggler’s Notch – which bills itself as...
Mike Dunbar
Almost a year to the day since the US public voted for Donald Trump to become their next leader, there are signs travellers are turning to alternative destinations, with Canada in particular benefiting from a ‘Trump Slump.’
That’s one of the conclusions drawn from a Euromonitor International study of the world’s top 100 city destinations released at this week’s 37th...
ANN RUPPENSTEIN
They’re movers and shakers. Their contributions have changed and continue to change the nature of travel, both in Canada and around the world. In this week’s issue, Canadian Travel Press’ monthly series of profiles on Women in Travel continues, featuring Trish Sare, the founder and director of BikeHike Adventures.
At the moment, Vancouver-based Trish Sare can be found...
IAN STALKER
(Photo above: Dhara Dhevi structures recall the long history of the region.)
No one can seriously suggest that the building of northern Thailand’s Dhara Dhevi resort was a rush job.
The sprawling Chiang Mai retreat was five years in the making, with the owner committed to providing a distinct vacation experience that recalls the region’s long past.
The luxury property’s...
Ian Stalker
(Photo above: Tabatha Bradley (l) and Heidi Lord (r) of Transat and Sara Smith of Hard Rock were updating travel agents on their employers’ programs at a Hard Rock event in Toronto.)
The parent company of Hard Rock Hotels says those who stay at that brand’s resorts will neither be at a loss for things to do or having to continuously reach for their wallets.
Ashley Gibbs...
