Archives August 1, 2008 Travel News

AIRLINERS/ATOURZ APPRECIATION EVENING

Seventh annual appreciation evening and golf tournament hosted at Angus Glen golf club
Charmaine Pang

Yesterday evening marked the seventh edition of the Airliners/ATOURZ Appreciation golf tournament and dinner at Angus Glen golf club in Markham, Ontario. Approximately 100 attendees from the travel industry, representing top-producing travel agents, the media, tourist boards, airlines and other suppliers participated in the all-day event. Maurice Heroux, VP of Business Development & Marketing, Airliners, served as the evening’s emcee. Heroux continued the evening with a bit of levity, warming up the crowd with a joke before dinner. After dinner concluded, golf tournament and lucky draw prizewinners were announced. Click to view pictures of the winners. [Full text and pictures]

ENJOY ‘SUN FREEDOM’ WITH CONQUEST

Conquest releases Sun Freedom 2008/2009 brochure; trade shows in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto this month

Conquest Vacations’ new 2008/2009 Sun Freedom brochure featuring sun vacations throughout the Caribbean, Mexico and Central America has been released and is currently being distributed to travel agencies across Canada. For the first time, the new brochure includes specialized sections highlighting the most popular special interest holidays designed to make it easy for vacationers looking for a particular “themed” holiday to find exactly what they’re looking for. The five vacation themes that Conquest are highlighting include, Family, Wedding and Spa Vacations, as well as Golf and “Getaways with the Girls”. Conquest will feature all their fall and winter products at their upcoming trade shows and dinners. They will take place in Vancouver on Aug. 11, Calgary on Aug. 12 and in Toronto on Aug. 14th. [Full text and pictures]

SIGNATURE PARTNER PERKS EXTENDED

Agents have until Aug. 31 to earn double Partner Perks points when booking Iberostar Hotels

Iberostar Punta Cana

Signature Vacations and Iberostar Hotels and Resorts are giving agents one more month to earn double the Partner Perks points. The offer has been extended until August 31st, 2008, so that agents can earn 2 travel points for every $100 in net sales on each booking made for travel between November 1, 2008 and April 30, 2009. Iberostar now offers your clients the new Signature Vacations Club, which offers your clients private check-in, a welcome gift, additional à la carte reservations, in-room bathrobes and more. Keep reading to learn which properties apply. [Full text and pictures]

GROUP DEALS BY SUNQUEST

New promotion, ‘Group Deal of the Week’ lets 11th passenger travel free; book at selected resorts from Aug. 1, 2008

Starting today, Aug. 1, 2008, and running for a limited time, Sunquest is introducing a ‘Group Deals of the Week’ promotion where every 11th passenger is free when you book your group at select resorts. Valid on all new bookings made between Aug. 1 and next Friday Aug. 8, 2008 (by 5:30pm local time), for travel between Nov. 1, 2008 and Apr. 30, 2009, at any one of the resorts listed below, the 11th person is free. The applicable resorts this week include Grand Bahia Principe Bavaro (Punta Cana); Bahia Principe San Juan (Puerto Plata); Gran Bahia Principe Tulum (Riviera Maya); Grand Xcaret (Riviera Maya) and the Allegro Nuevo Vallarta (Riviera Nayarit). The promotion is available from all gateways. Keep reading for all details. [Full text and pictures]

SUNSPOTS TO SOUTH AMERICA

Fly your clients with LAN Airlines to New York and South America at special rates

Iguazu Falls, Argentina

Sunspots and LAN Airlines have announced several promotions and special offers for you and your clients to take advantage of. The first offer includes Toronto-New York flights starting at $79 one way, commissionable to agents. Special group rates are available for charities, missions and special event companies. With LAN Airlines, your clients can easily connect to destinations in South America, including Peru, Chile and Argentina. Fares are available from other gateways in Canada and the U.S. Sunspots can also connect your clients to Santiago, Chile with LAN’s brand new non-stop route from Toronto. Flights will run five times a week, beginning on Sep. 3, 2008. Special introductory rates are available. For more information, visit Sunspots Holidays at sunspotsholidays.com.

MORE MOROCCO WITH GOWAY

Explore Morocco with Goway's expanded program

Goway’s AFRICAExperts division expands Morocco programs to meet demand
Goway has announced an expansion of their Morocco programs within their AFRICAExperts division, citing high demand by travellers. “We’ve seen a major increase in our call volume for destinations in Northern Africa,” commented Product and Marketing Manager Christy Fraser, “being such a varied and fascinating country, Morocco is on the ‘hot-list’ of African destinations for discerning North American travellers.”Morocco offers your clients majestic mountain ranges, spectacular coastlines and some of the most intriguing cities in Africa. There is a rich architectural tradition of medieval cities, Roman ruins, Berber fortresses and Islamic monuments. Exploring the centuries old Kasbahs and maze of backstreets is one of the highlights of visiting Morocco, as well as the adventure of bargaining for souvenirs. Keep reading to learn about AFRICAExperts' Morocco product. [Full text and pictures]

JAMES JOSEPH SMITH MEMORIAL

Founder of Maritime Travel passes away on July 28th; memorial service today in Halifax

As announced in ACTA’s Scoop newsletter, James Joseph Smith, the founding President of Maritime Travel, passed away on July 28th. Smith’s funeral was held yesterday in Halifax at the J.A. Snow Funeral Home; a memorial service will be held today in Halifax at 11 a.m. at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Halifax, with interment to follow in Dartmouth Memorial Gardens. Contributions to the Abilities Foundation of Nova Scotia or the Aplastic Anemia and Myelodysplasia Association of Canada would be appreciated in place of sending flowers. Email condolences may be sent to condolences.snow@ns.aliantzinc.ca. The travel industry veteran spent over 40 years in the business. Maritime Travel began as a small company with three locations and eventually, under his leadership, developed into a chain of 81 offices. [Full text and pictures]