Archives August 25, 2008 Travel News

TOTAL VACATIONS GETS 'SEXY'

Total Vacations' fall product launches feature 'Sex and the City'; 14 shows across Canada

This year's theme for the Total Vacations Product Previews is "Go 'Big' with Total Vacations", with a Sex and the City flair. The Toronto product preview will be hosted on September 15, 2008. Agents who come early to the Toronto launch and check out the feature destination seminars will receive a Sex and the City prize pack, including first-release DVDs. Attendees will also have a chance to win tickets to see Mexican icon Luis Miguel in concert. Destination seminars will feature El Salvador, Aruba, Colonial Mexico, Riviera Narayit and the Cayman Islands. For more information about the Toronto product preview and all other Total Vacations events, go to the TRAVELHotNews.com Events Calendar here.

TRANSAT EXPANDS IN ONTARIO

Transat Holidays adds Sault Ste. Marie departures this winter

Cancun

Transat Holidays has announced the introduction of its newest gateway to the south for this upcoming winter season. Direct flights from Sault Ste. Marie are now available for booking. Departures to Cancun start on December 22nd through to March 23. A special introductory offer is available for bookings up to September 30, 2008 with savings of $100 per couple towards any Riviera Maya and Cancun holiday package departing from Sault Ste. Marie. Transat Holidays continues to offer direct flights from London to Cancun starting December 22 through March 30 and flights to Varadero will operate December 22 – March 30. Keep reading for more Ontario gateways and winter sun destinations. [Full text and pictures]

ACV GETS MEDIEVAL

Agents at Medieval Times

Air Canada Vacations, Excellence Hotel Group host agents at Medieval Times
Last Thursday, the Air Canada Vacations team and the Excellence Hotel Group hosted a group of 190 agents at the Medieval Times entertainment complex. A short presentation on Excellence products offered by Air Canada Vacations was screened for agents, who then enjoyed an evening of jousting, a medieval feast, a horse show and more.

THN.COM POLL RESULTS

Sixty per cent of readers say, “Go Team Canada!”
Last week, we decided to have a little bit of fun and ask our readers if they were catching Olympic Fever. Most of our readers were supporting Team Canada, with 60 per cent; another 27 per cent said they don’t watch the Olmypics. Seven per cent of readers agreed with the comment: “Yes, [I have Olympic Fever] because I’m sick of the Olympics”. Finally, 5 per cent of readers said they were cheering for another country other than Canada.

CARIBBEAN ENHANCES CANADA-GUYANA SERVICE

Caribbean Airlines announces enhanced service between Canada and Guyana this fall

Caribbean Airlines, Ltd., adds connections between Toronto, Canada and Georgetown, Guyana to its fall flight schedule. The new schedule is effective from September 8, 2008 and features additional service at New York, USA and Paramaribo, Suriname. “We’ve heard the requests of our Guyanese travellers in Canada and are pleased we could adjust our schedule to provide a daily ‘through flight’ from Toronto to Georgetown with flights BW601 and BW661to provide seamless service between the cities,” said Jonathan Cowley, Caribbean Airlines’ general manager, Toronto. Caribbean Airlines’ other fall flight schedule enhancements include: [Full text and pictures]

SNOWBIRDS STAY LONGER WITH SUNWING

Sunwing Vacations announces snowbird expanded long stay vacations

Sunwing Vacations has announced an expanded line-up of resorts which will be available this coming winter on a long-stay basis. Featuring durations of three to six weeks, the holidays all include airfare from Toronto and Western Canada with a variety of hotels in each destination. In Mexico, Sunwing will feature long-stays in Puerto Vallarta and Acapulco. In the Dominican Republic, the holidays will be available to Puerto Plata; while in Cuba Sunwing is offering five destinations that span from Havana to Varadero to Santiago de Cuba. “Each year we’re seeing growing demand for these trips,” says Daryl McWilliams, Vice-President of Sales and Marketing for Sunwing. “Folks are finding that it’s usually significantly less expensive to spend several weeks down south, and many take advantage of their extended holiday time to take language or cultural courses.” [Full text and pictures]

CRUISESHIPCENTERS CONTEST

25 free cruises given away aboard inaugural sailing of Celebrity Solstice

Celebrity Solstice

To celebrate the launch of the world's newest cruise ship, Expedia CruiseShipCenters is giving away 25 free cruises aboard the inaugural sailing of Celebrity Solstice this fall. One cruise for two will be awarded each day for 25 consecutive days, beginning September 2008. Each prize includes a cruise from Port Everglades, Florida, as well as all onboard meals, beverages, gratuities and entertainment. Celebrity Solstice will be the first of four ships introduced from Celebrity's Solstice Class. The ship holds 2,850 guests and offers a luxury spa, a new lawn club and even a glass-blowing studio in addition to a host of dining options and entertainment. The “25 Days of Free Cruise Giveaways” event follows the company's record-setting “One-Day-Sale” which booked $13.5 million in cruises in a single day. Keep reading to learn how to enter the contest. [Full text and pictures]

QATAR ADDS DAILY JFK-DOHA FLIGHTS

Doha's New Islamic Center

Qatar Airways will fly nonstop daily to Doha from New York starting Oct. 26, 2008
Qatar Airways has announced its Doha – New York route will operate nonstop with a daily flight, effective from the beginning of the winter 2008 schedules on October 26. The airline plans to deploy its brand new Boeing 777-300 Extended Range aircraft on the route shaving close to three hours off the current 17-hour flying time between Doha and New York. Qatar Airways currently operates to the New York gateway city of Newark via Geneva. As part of the revised operational schedules, Qatar Airways will switch its existing six-flights-a-week between Doha and Newark Liberty International Airport to New York’s JFK Airport and step up frequency to daily non-stop services giving passengers greater choice. Keep reading for schedules and additional information. [Full text and pictures]