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| ACTA ADVICE FOR ‘ZOOM’ERS |
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Clients in ON, QC, BC who booked with a travel professional are protected and may claim reimbursement
In the wake of the announcement by Zoom Airlines that it has halted operations, the Association of Canadian Travel Agencies (ACTA ) is advising customers who have booked with a professional travel counsellor to contact their agency. Acting Chief Communication Officer Moscou Cote says those travellers who booked with a member travel agent registered in Ontario, Quebec or British Columbia, are protected by the consumer fund protection systems in place in those jurisdictions. You may advise your clients to contact the following organizations to make claims for reimbursement in the provinces of Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia. “While Zoom was very vocal in their sentiments that they did not support the travel agency community, ACTA takes no joy in their demise,” Cote said. “This has adversely affected some of our clients and it is not good for the Canadian travel industry as a whole,” he said.
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| HANNA THREATENS US EAST COAST |
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Hurricane Hanna threatens US East coast after weakening over Bahamas
Canadian Press
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| Hurricane Hanna, image taken September 1, 2008 | | Hanna slumped to tropical storm strength while grinding away at the Bahamas and other Atlantic islands on today, but forecasters said it still poses a hurricane threat to the U.S. East Coast. The storm snapped trees and kept Providenciales, capital of the Turks and Caicos islands, without power. It also hurled rains that caused flooding across Cuba, Haiti and Puerto Rico, where at least one person died in a rain-swollen river and another was missing. Hanna's maximum sustained winds slipped to 110 kilometres an hour, but the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said it could regain hurricane strength of 119 km/h within a day. Forecasters say it could hit the U.S. coast by Friday or Saturday.
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| KOMPAS EXPRESS, AUSTRIAN AIRLINES’ NEW PACKAGES |
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This year's Incredible Getaways program features a new “Sound of Music” package tour to Salzburg
Canadian tour operator Kompas Express and travel partner Austrian Airlines are about to launch the sixth consecutive season of the “Incredible Getaways” program to Austria and beyond. This comes after a record-breaking 2007-2008 season with higher numbers of Canadians travelling to Vienna. The 2008-2009 program will feature the lowest prices for hotels in Vienna, Budapest, Prague and Venice. Kompas will also launch a dedicated “Sound of Music” package to Salzburg featuring all the locations seen in the movie in addition to concerts, opera and festivals. The launch date for both programs is September 15, 2008. For more, go to kompasexpress.com.
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| JAMAICA OPEN FOR BUSINESS |
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Jamaica reports 'business as usual', little or no damage to tourist infrastructure
The Jamaica Tourist Board is happy to report it is business as usual for the country’s mainstay, tourism. As there was little or no damage to the island’s resorts and attractions, most entities were up and running during and immediately after the tropical storm. Weather conditions are beautiful and visitors are engaged in normal activities. The current situation is as follows. Airports: Both International Airports in Kingston and Montego Bay reopened on Friday, August 29. Full operations experienced on Saturday August 30. Hotels: No structural damage to hotels has been reported. Resorts are open, guests are in house and there is some cleaning of debris from trees. Keep reading for more updates on water & telephones, as well as power.
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| GRAND CAYMAN CLEAR FOR BUSINESS |
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The government of the Cayman Islands issues "all clear" notice from Hurricane Gustav, welcomes back travellers
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| Seven Mile Beach: image taken September 1, 2008 | | The government of the Cayman Islands has issued the “All Clear” from Hurricane Gustav for Grand Cayman as of 12 p.m. on August 30. Assessments are still being done in the sister islands of Little Cayman and Cayman Brac, therefore the “All Clear” notice has not yet been given for them. The Cayman Islands returned to business as usual on Sunday. Owen Roberts International Airport has already re-opened for inbound and outbound flights, allowing visitors from Canada to resume travel into Grand Cayman. All travellers should check with their planned airlines and hotel properties prior to arrival to reconfirm their reservations. In a statement given by Stuart Jack, Governor, he said, "It is essentially business as usual in the Cayman Islands." Keep reading for more details.
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| THN.COM POLL RESULTS |
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Eighty-one per cent of readers pleased with Unique Vacations' no-discount policy on Sandals, Beaches product
Last week, we asked readers how they felt about Unique Vacations’ no-discount policy on all Sandals, Beaches and Royal Plantation product. Most readers – 81 per cent – said they were “happy because I can continue to sell the company’s products with confidence”. Seven per cent of readers were “not so pleased – how am I supposed to sell to my clients without discounting?” Another seven per cent of readers said they did not sell the product so they were not affected by the change, and five per cent of readers agreed with the statement, “I’m indifferent, Unique Vacations has always supported agents so this is nothing new”.
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| CITC/AIR MILES OFFER FREE TICO EXAM VENUE |
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CITC and Air Miles Reward Program will offer 48 CITC members free venue to write TICO Exam with proctor
The Canadian Institute of Travel Counsellors (CITC), as part of its 40th anniversary program of activities, has partnered with the Air Miles Reward Program to offer 48 CITC members a free proctored venue in which to write the TICO Exam. CITC will provide the proctor for free, and the Air Miles reward Program will provide a free training room equipped with computers at its offices at 438 University Avenue in Toronto. The offer is available to 24 CITC members on Friday, September 19 and 24 members on Monday, September 29, with each writing day divided into two sittings of 12 candidates each: 9:30 to 11 a.m. and 12:30 to 2 p.m. CITC members who are interested in taking advantage of this free proctored venue should email the special registration form at citc.ca/en/ticotraining.
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| SOUTHWEST KEEPS IT LOW |
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Expert says Southwest Airlines move could push others to lower prices
Canadian Press
Southwest Airlines Co. has published its schedule and fares for early next year, a move that could spur rivals to lower their fares for the period, an airfare observer said last week. Many airlines take reservations nearly a year in advance, but Southwest usually goes out only about six months. Recently, the Dallas-based carrier issued its schedule and prices for Jan. 9, 2009 through March 6, 2009. The new schedule has forced other major airlines to roll back fares they had been charging to match Southwest's lower prices on many routes, said Tom Parsons, chief executive of travel website Bestfares.com.
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