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| SUNWING PHOTO CONTEST IS OVER! |
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Grand prize winner to be announced at Toronto Addison Show on Sept. 26
The Sunwing and TRAVELHotNews.com “Sensational Travel Snapshots” contest is now over! Who will be the lucky grand prize winner of a weeklong vacation to the Temptation Getaway & Spa in Cancun, Mexico? Come to the Addison Show in Toronto on September 26th to find out. Thank you to all those who participated and sent in your pictures. The five finalists in the contest include: Alla Emelianova’s photo of Paris, , Jaime Lasso’s “Peek-a-Boo”, Scott Robertson’s photo of the Aurora Borealis, David Roth’s photo of the Mursi tribe in Ethiopia and Anita Varga, for her photo titled “…think we’re alone now?”
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| ACTA TELECONFERENCE TOMORROW |
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Galileo and Sabre GDS to discuss new developments in Canadian travel distribution
ACTA will conduct a teleconference tomorrow with the two GDS that have recently announced programs to allow airlines to merchandize their products so that travellers can pick and choose what they want. Galileo and Sabre are both claiming that their new application improves airline marketing and brings greater efficiency to travel agents. Representatives from both GDS will present their respective application and answer questions. The call will take place tomorrow from 11AM-11:50AM EST. To register for the teleconference, visit acta.ca.
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| YEE HAW! CANADIANS KEEP STAMPEDING TO TX |
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An estimated 333,000 Canadians visited Lone Star State last year; 9.2 per cent increase
Texas tips its cowboy hat to another successful year attracting Canadian travellers. Statistics Canada report an estimated 333,000 Canadians visited Texas in 2006, representing a 9.2 per cent increase over 2005. This comes on the heels of an 18 per cent increase in Canadian visitors to the Lone Star State in 2005 vs 2004. In 2006, the most impressive gains were made in Alberta and Nova Scotia, which experienced increases of 52 per cent and 117 per cent respectively. Canada is the second largest source of international visitor arrivals to Texas after Mexico. Ontario is the leading provincial source of visitors, accounting for 48 per cent of overall arrivals. Alberta, British Columbia and Quebec follow with 22 per cent, 9 per cent and 8 per cent respectively. Tourism spending by Canadians in Texas for 2006 reached approximately US$220,000,000.
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| ACV GROUPS & INCENTIVES GUIDE NOW OUT |
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Latest reference guide for Groups & Incentives 2007/2008 offers information at a glance
Air Canada Vacations’ new Groups & Incentives trade reference guide is now available. The guide highlights a sample of Air Canada Vacations’ most popular package options for groups with a ten traveller minimum ideal for all types of getaways, business or pleasure. “Group & incentive travel is a growing trend. With today’s busy lifestyles, it’s a fun, economical and convenient way to manage business, family reunions, weddings and other special occasions in an exciting and memorable way,” said Nino Montagnese, Air Canada Vacations Senior Director, Sales. All new this year, the guide features great promotions for wedding groups and families booking getaways before November 15, 2007. Read on to find out more about what's new this year in the guide.
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| BOOK UA ASIA WITH ROYAL SCENIC AND WIN USA TIX! |
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Agents can earn free air passes to their favourite US destinations when booking United to Asia
Next month, agents have the chance to earn free air passes to their preferred US destinations. Royal Scenic & United Airlines are pleased to announce a new National Agent Booking contest just in time for the Fall Asia travel season from October 1st to December 31st, 2007. There are two easy ways to win. 1) A lucky draw will be held at the end of the contest period for one pair of transborder passes. Every UA ticket from Canada to Asia issued between Oct 1st and Dec 31st will qualify for one entry into the draw. All tickets booked during the contest period will qualify for entries into the lucky draw. 2) In addition, agents can automatically earn one free transborder pass for every 30 UA Asia tickets issued in the calendar months of October or November or December. The more you book the more chances to win. Contest terms & conditions apply. For more details please visit the travel agent incentive section of www.royalscenic.com or call Royal Scenic at 1-888-302-8886 from Eastern Canada or 1-877-736-6028 from Western Canada.
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| HELEN THOMPSON TRAVEL FILES COMPLAINT ABOUT BSP/IATA |
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Helen Thompson Travel and CSTAR concerned about removal of adjustment notice from BSP; files complaint against IATA
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| Bruce Bishins, VP of Helen Thompson Travel | | CSTAR announced today in a media release that its Toronto member, Helen Thompson Travel (HTT), filed a new complaint last week with the Travel Agency Commissioner against IATA. The complaint focused on IATA's abrupt and allegedly inappropriate removal of the Sales Summary Adjustment Notice (SSAN) from BSP Canada, a form which allowed travel agencies to make instant corrections and adjustments to previously reported items. The SSAN enabled travel agencies to take an immediate credit of up to CAD 60.00 per affected transaction in a subsequent sales report. The complaint was authored by CSTAR President Bruce Bishins, who also serves as a Vice President at HTT. It alleges that IATA has forced Canadian travel agencies to give up an efficient system of adjustments and instead accept a "time-consuming, arbitrary" process of creating an agency credit memo (ACM) in BSPlink.
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| CARIBBEAN WEEK KEEPS THINGS HOT, HOT, HOT |
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First-Ever Caribbean Week to create island vibe, Sept. 26-30
The Toronto area can expect a warm beginning to the fall season as the spirit and sunshine of the Caribbean islands head north for Canada’s first ever Caribbean Week, Sept. 26 to 30, 2007. The week of events and entertainment has been arranged by the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) in conjunction with the Caribbean Hotel Association, as a way to help Canadians celebrate the sights, sounds, colours, and vibrant culture of the Caribbean. Caribbean Week 2007 features a series of distinctive events highlighting the Caribbean vacation experience, food, and entertainment; it kicks off in the heart of downtown Toronto at Yonge-Dundas Square on Wednesday, Sept. 26 and closes out at the Toronto Travel Show at The Toronto International Centre on Sunday, Sept. 30.
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| TOWN HALL MEETING WITH Caribbean Tourism Ministers |
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Caribbean tourism ministers to meet with Canadian constituents to discuss all aspects of Caribbean tourism and development on Sep. 26
Caribbean tourism ministers and directors travelling to Toronto for the first-ever Caribbean Week in Canada, which is slated for September 26-30, 2007, will interact with their Canadian-based constituents during a Town Hall Meeting coordinated by the Tourism Offices of five member countries of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS). ‘Talking Tourism: An OECS Tourism Agenda,’ will take place Wednesday, September 26th, 2007 from 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm at Metro Hall in Toronto. According to the organizers, the town hall meeting will provide a rare opportunity for visiting tourism ministers and officials to share information and exchange ideas with OECS nationals in the Greater Toronto Area.
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| RICHARD CARRET TO LEAVE UNITED |
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Well-known industry figure will move to Star Alliance’s Frankfurt office as Regional Director, for Europe, Middle East and Africa
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| Richard Carret will be Star Alliance's new Regional Manager, EMEA | | Richard Carret, General Manager for Sales, United Airlines, will be leaving his post at the airline at the end of September. He will be departing Canada for Germany, taking up a new role in Frankfurt as Star Alliance’s Regional Director, Sales and Marketing Development for EMEA (Europe, the Middle East and Africa). A well-known and respected member of the Canadian travel industry, Carret has over thirty years of airline operations, sales, and marketing experience in the country. In addition to his role at United, Carret had been the chair of the SeeAmerica Committee-Canada, the President of the Toronto Airline Managers Association and the chair of the TIA Pow Wow International Advisory Committee in Canada.
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| THAI PLANE CRASH: WIND SHEAR MAY BE THE REASON |
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| Thai airline says wind shear may have caused deadly plane crash
Authorities on Monday found the two flight data recorders from a plane that crashed and killed 89 people - mostly foreigners - on Thailand's resort island of Phuket, while an airline official said wind shear may have doomed the flight. The budget One-Two-Go Airlines flight was carrying 123 passengers and seven crew from Bangkok to Phuket when it skidded off a runway Sunday while landing in driving wind and rain, catching fire and engulfing some passengers in flames as others kicked out windows to escape. Deputy Transport Minister Sansern Wongcha-um told reporters that 89 people, including 53 foreigners, were killed in the crash, and 41 others were injured. The crash was Thailand's worst air accident in a decade.
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