TRAVELHotNews.com Magazine

SCOTTSDALE'S NEW CANADIAN PR REP

Travel Marketing Experts will represent Scottsdale in Canadian market

Scottsdale, Arizona

Scottsdale Convention and Visitors Bureau has announced the appointment of Travel Marketing Experts Inc., a Toronto based tourism marketing and public relations firm, as its public relations representative in Canada. Almost 500,000 Canadians visit Arizona for one or more nights in 2006. Travel Marketing Experts will provide public relations services to Scottsdale Convention and Visitors Bureau with activities including writing and distributing press releases, organizing media blitzes in Canada, assisting in individual and group media familiarization tours, day to day media liaison, and organizing Scottsdale promotional activities and missions in Canada. [Full text and pictures]

ACV PRODUCT LAUNCHES ANNOUNCED

Cross-Canada product launches and trade shows in July in 8 Canadian cities
Air Canada Vacations will be hosting 2008/09 Product Launches / Trade Shows this July. The launches will all be held in the evenings. The dates and cities include: Toronto (Tue July 15); Montreal (Wed July 16); Ottawa (Thur July 17); Calgary (Tue July 22); Edmonton (Wed July 23); Vancouver (Thur July 24); Winnipeg (Tue July 29) and Halifax (Wed July 30). Keep reading TRAVELHotNews.com for additional updates and details.

FORGET THE FUEL WITH SUNWING

Sunwing waives fuel surcharges on package holidays from four cities

Just when most airlines are introducing – or raising – their fuel surcharges, Sunwing Vacations has announced it will waive the fuel surcharge in a sale on its package holidays from Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton and Toronto. Travellers booking any all-inclusive one week holidays for departures from June 27 through to October 31 this year will save a minimum of $200 per couple. In order to take advantage of the sale, bookings must be made by May 23. Sunwing’s summer sun destinations from Toronto comprise: Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic; Jamaica; Cancun, Mexico; and Varadero, Holguin, Cienfuegos and Cayo Coco, Cuba. From Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton there are flights to Cancun. Vancouver also has service to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. All flights are on Sunwing Airlines.

ICELANDAIR FUEL SURCHARGE RISES

Fuel surcharge increases due to rising cost of fuel; cost rises $14 one way to/from Iceland; $35 one way to/from Europe

Due to the continuing rise in fuel prices it has become necessary for Icelandair to increase fuel surcharges. Effective July 1, 2008, the fuel surcharge from Canada to Iceland will increase to $93 CAD one way for travel on or after August 20, 2008 and from Canada to Europe it will increase to $155 CAD one way for travel on or after August 20, 2008. Effective May 15, 2008 the fuel surcharge from the US to Iceland will increase to $93 USD one way for travel on or after August 20, 2008 and from the US to Europe will increase to $155 USD one way for travel on or after August 20, 2008. This represents an increase of $14 one way to/from Iceland and $35 one way to/from Europe over the current fuel surcharge. [Full text and pictures]

AIR ALLIANCE – CONTINENTAL & UNITED?

AP source: United Airlines, Continental Airlines in alliance talks
Canadian Press

United Airlines and Continental Airlines Inc. are talking about forming an alliance to gain some benefits of working together without going through a merger, which Continental rejected last month, a person close to the talks said Wednesday. United is still pushing ahead with negotiations aimed at a combination with US Airways Group Inc. but would not pursue both deals, said the person, who was not authorized to speak about the matter and requested anonymity. United, the second-largest carrier in the United States, is expected to take up the matter Thursday at a meeting of parent UAL Corp.'s board of directors. [Full text and pictures]

MORE CDN PASSPORTS BEING STOLEN

Numbers of lost and stolen Canadian passports rising dramatically
Canadian Press

Spain has a higher incidence of stolen Canadian passports

After a dramatic spike in reports of lost and stolen passports over the past two years, Passport Canada is giving additional scrutiny to passport applications across the country and warning travellers to protect their travel documents. In 2007, 37,650 passports were reported lost or stolen, compared to 24,792 in 2005. The numbers, obtained by The Canadian Press, were recently circulated in a memo warning staff to double-check applications for new passports when the old document is reported missing.``Lost and stolen passports are extremely valuable to criminal organizations to facilitate and perpetrate illegal/clandestine operations such as human trafficking, smuggling, money laundering and terrorism,'' said the memo. Continue for more. [Full text and pictures]

TOURISM QUEENSLAND SEEKS BIDS

Destination marketing contract for Queensland, Australia now taking bids

Surfers Paradise in Queensland, Australia

Queensland is one of Australia's premier tourism destinations and known worldwide for perfect weather, relaxed lifestyle and beautiful beaches. Queensland also has five World Heritage Listed areas including the Great Barrier Reef and Fraser Island, the Wet Tropics and Gondwana Rainforests and the Riversleigh Fossil Sites. Tourism Queensland is Australia's leading State Tourism Organisation responsible for the effective promotion of the state to key international target markets throughout the world. Tourism Queensland is seeking expressions of interest from suitable tenders able to provide either one or a combination of the following services; consumer marketing, public relations, trade marketing and digital marketing; for a period of two (2) years with the option to extend the contract(s) on an annual basis. Read on for more. [Full text and pictures]

ETIHAD’S NEW INDIAN FLIGHTS

Abu Dhabi to Kozhikode and Chennai flights launch on Aug. 1, 2008

Etihad Airways will launch flights on August 1, 2008 from its Abu Dhabi home base to Kozhikode (Calicut) and Chennai (Madras). The airline will operate a daily service to both cities. Flight EY250 will depart Abu Dhabi at 11.35pm and arrive in Kozhikode at 5am the next day. Return flight EY251 will depart Kozhikode at 5.45am arriving in Abu Dhabi at 8am the same day. The addition of the two new cities brings the number of Indian destinations served by Etihad to six and follows successful bi-lateral talks between the governments of the UAE and India, aimed at further liberalizing flying links between the two countries. These talks also saw Etihad awarded traffic rights to two further cities in India, Kolkata (Calcutta) and Jaipur. The airline is finalizing the launch dates for these additional destinations. Read on for the Chennai schedule. [Full text and pictures]