BOB MOWAT
For those of you old enough to cast your mind back 40 years, you’ll remember that the Association of Canadian Travel Agencies (ACTA) was born at a time when the Canadian travel industry was looking to establish its own identity.
Back in 1977, the American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) represented agents here and for many, that didn’t always sit well for a range of reasons –...
IAN STALKER
Pictured above: The massive temple of El Castillo is the iconic feature of Chichen Itza.
Rosa Elena Vermont Ricalde wants to dispel any confusion Canadians may have over her Mexican state and resort destinations on Mexico’s Caribbean coast.
Vermont Ricalde, with the state’s tourist board, notes the state of Yucatan makes up part of the Yucatan Peninsula, as does the state...
IAN STALKER
Pictured above: A fairytale castle awaits children at the Luxury Bahia Principe Fantasia Don Pablo.
Bahia Principe says it has built an unrivalled presence in Punta Cana, with the Spanish hotel chain noting it arrived there in 2004, and now has seven upscale all-inclusive resorts for its sun-seeking guests to choose from.
Bahia Principe’s Bavaro Resort features what Helen...
IAN STALKER
Pictured above: Hawaii is just one of the destinations that agents are reporting that their clients are considering for a winter vacation.
As Canadian airlines and tour companies recommence service into key Caribbean destinations following Hurricanes Irma and Maria – making it clear that the region was open for business – Canadian Travel Press spoke with a number of travel...
ARMANDO MENDONÇA
It’s no surprise that Canada has been ranked as one of the most favourable destinations to visit and live among the global LGBT community.
The highly reputable and LGBT advocate on global gay and lesbian issues, “The Economist Magazine,” recently published and reported the top 10 most liveable cities for 2017 based on various categories and factors, including...
BOB MOWAT
If there’s one thing that you’ll take away from a conversation with Denise Heffron and Nicole Bursey (pictured above) it’s that the company they work for is all about retail travel agents.
Heffron, vice-president, national sales and commercial and Bursey, commercial director for Transat sat down with Canadian Travel Press recently to talk about how the company has retained...
MIKE DUNBAR
Host agency Nexion Canada is looking for significant membership expansion, including a possible move into Quebec, over the next couple of years and is banking on its brand-new technology platform to pique the interest of home-based retailers.
The platform, dubbed myNexion, was unveiled at the recent CoNexion gathering of North American member agents in New Orleans, where project...
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 with Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, the president and CEO of Celebrity Cruises.
For Lisa Lutoff-Perlo – who remains the first and only...
Mike Dunbar
A new study has shown conclusively that Florida state legislators made the correct choice when they overturned an attempt to axe public sector funding of Visit Florida. The Direct Influencer Study proved that money spent on tourism marketing is money well spent.
The results, which were unveiled at the recent Governor’s Conference on Tourism, showed that fully 54.2% of visitors to...
IAN STALKER
Pictured above: Guide Chaiwut Phakaew and Chad Intrachooto are ready to roll on Koh Samui.
Talk about taking the high road...
Tour companies on the Thai island of Koh Samui offer backroads tours that enable passengers to ride on cushioned benches in the backs of pickup trucks or, if they’re more daring, sit on makeshift seating that’s literally atop the roof.
The rooftop...
