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| IT'S ALL ONE WITH SIGNATURE |
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Signature Vacations hosts luncheon to officially launch new, 292-page national Tropical Sun brochure
Lisa Raffaele
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| Courtney Taylor, Marketing Communications Coordinator, Signature Vacations; Mihaela Henes, Sales & Marketing Manager, Ontario/Atlantic Canada, Signature Vacations; Janine Chapman, Director, of Alternative Distribution, Signature Vacations; Kevin Kalbfleisch, General Manager, Ontario/Atlantic Canada; Michelle Palma, Director of National Sales, Signature Vacations; Mike Price, President of Signature Vacations/First Choice Canada | | Yesterday afternoon Signature Vacations invited tour operators and media to the official launch of their new Tropical Sun brochure at Toronto’s Tappo Restaurant in the Distillery District. The new 292-page brochure is the first ever national brochure for Signature, a change from their usual single brochure for each region. According to Janine Chapman, Director of Alternative Distribution, Signature Vacations, the consolidation of the catalogue will make it easier for retailers and call centres to use because they will only have to refer to one copy. “Our selling feature is that we make life simple, we are a one-stop-shop that offers air, hotel and transportation,” Chapman told TRAVELHotNews. “We give all the resources and tools that retailers need to sell our product. We may not offer complete flexibility, but we do offer a lot of options. It’s also a real coffee table piece that I hope consumers will day dream with.”
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| ATLANTIC AGENTS’ FAM IN ICELAND |
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Icelandair hosts Atlantic Canada agents from Halifax, June 16-19, 2008
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| The group in Iceland | | Earlier this month, Atlantic Canada agents participated in Icelandair’s FAM from Halifax to Iceland. The trip took place from June 16-19, 2008. The agents began in the town of Keflavik and enjoyed a few hours at the world famous Blue Lagoon. Agents later celebrated Iceland’s National Day on June 17th, enjoying the festivities in downtown Reykjavik. They also toured the natural landscapes of Iceland, including waterfalls, canyons, geysers and more. A city tour of Reykjavik and a stop in the village of Stokkseyri rounded out the journey. Read more to learn about who participated in the fam.
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| GLOBUS: RELIGIOUS ABOUT TRAVEL |
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| St. Peter's Square, Vatican City | | New religious-focused vacations and destinations for 2009; company predicts an exponential increase in religious travel
According to Globus’ Religious Travel Study (conducted by Menlo Consulting Group), 4.5 million people have traveled internationally on a religious or faith-based vacation. That number is expected to increase exponentially in the next five years: The same study revealed that by 2012, an additional 9.7 million will have traveled internationally on religious journeys. As one of the first and only large tour operators to embrace faith-based travel, creating a religious travel division in 2004, Globus continues to cater to this growing trend, unveiling both new vacations and destinations in 2009, including a highly anticipated return to Israel. Continue reading for Globus' new religious travel itineraries.
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| A ‘ZEST’Y DEAL |
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Travelzest pays $13M for Canadian based luxury cruise booker
Canadian Press
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| Mary Jean Tully, chairman and CEO of Cruise Professionals | | Specialized travel booking agency Travelzest PLC has bought privately-owned Canadian luxury cruise retailer Cruise Professionals Ltd. for $13 million. The U.K.-based company said Friday that it signed an agreement with Cruise Professional's owner Mary Jean Tully worth $11.5 million in cash and more than 680,000 shares of Travelzest. Tully will then be able to gain another $1.5 million worth of shares if certain business targets are met before the end of next April. The Cruise Professionals was started in 1987 by Tully and grew from three people to a 41-person staff with a strong online presence. Travelzest said that Tully will maintain her role as chairman and CEO of the Cruise Professionals. Keep reading for more details.
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| TRANSAT GETS HELP WITH ABCP |
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National Bank agrees to provide credit to cover most of Transat's frozen ABCP
Canadian Press
Transat A.T. Inc. has reached an agreement with National Bank of Canada to carry the travel operator over the hump of $143.5 million of its funds blocked in asset-backed commercial paper. National Bank has agreed to provide three-year credit facilities for up to $107.6 million, about 75 per cent of the company's holdings in ABCP. The loans will be renewable up to four times. ``This agreement further enhances our financial flexibility'', Transat chief financial officer Francois Laurin said in a statement. The Montreal-based company said it has enough available cash to meet financial, operational and regulatory obligations.
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| CUBA BRINGS THE NOISE |
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| Omara Portuondo | | Special travel agent rate: save 20% on newly purchased tickets to Omara Portuondo concert at Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto, June 28, 2008
The Cuba Tourist Board is offering special travel agent rates for the newly-announced Omara Portuondo concert at the Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto on June 28, 2008. Portuondo is a Cuban musical legend and has toured the world with The Buena Vista Social Club. Travel agents can receive a 20% discount on regular tickets to Portuondo’s concert, which will also feature special guest Roberto Fonseca. The promo code is not valid on previously purchased tickets. The code is GOCUBA and is case-sensitive. Click here to purchase tickets.
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