|
| |
| GO WHERE IRELAND TAKES YOU! |
|
Tourism Ireland hosts media St. Patrick's Day luncheon; launched new advertising campaign "Go Where Ireland Takes You"
Lisa Raffaele
 |
|
Don Wilmont, Susie McCullough, Chris Meehan, Noel Dempsey T.D., Jayne Shackleford, Declan Kelly, Michelle Maguire, Frieda O'Connell and Deidre McGlone | | To kick off St. Patrick's Day in true Irish fashion, Tourism Ireland, along with their partners invited the media to the Four Seasons Hotel in Toronto before participating in Canada Blooms where they are a major sponsor. More than a St. Patrick's Day luncheon, the event highlighted the Island of Ireland's record-breaking visitation numbers in 2008, as well as Tourism Ireland's new advertising campaign with the tag line "Go Where Ireland Takes You," consisting of print ads, television spots and 12 online Webisode clips.
[Full
text and pictures]
|
|
| |
|
| |
| ACTA WARNS AGENCIES |
|
ACTA warns travel agencies and small business of increasing transaction fees on premium credit cards and debit cards
Yesterday afternoon, ACTA communicated to the travel industry some of the rising costs of doing business. The organization said that credit card merchant fees have been rising, and noted that debit cards may also cost small businesses more money when customers choose to pay with plastic. ACTA stated that the advent of 'premium affinity' cards issued by banks come at the cost of merchants and not consumers.
[Full
text and pictures]
|
|
| |
|
| |
| JADE TOURS SMILES WITH YOU |
|
Jade Tours releases "Smiles of Asia" 2009 brochure; new additions include Bhutan, Nepal, UAE
The 2009 edition of the "Smiles of Asia" brochure by Jade Tours features a collection of new destinations across Asia, giving your clients a chance to broaden their experience of one of the most fascinating and diverse continents on Earth. New additions include: highlights to the unexplored Himalayan region of Bhutan and Nepal and travels to the United Arab Emirates. The latest edition of the brochure also introduces the all-new deluxe "Emerald Collection". The Emerald Collection gives your clients the chance to experience Asia in high style with the best product that Jade Tours has to offer. Keep reading for more.
[Full
text and pictures]
|
|
| |
|
| |
| TOURISM WILL FUEL RECOVERY, SAYS EUSTACHE |
|
 |
| Jean-Marc Eustache | | Transat's CEO Jean-Marc Eustache says tourism will help to fuel the economic recovery; tourism industry will become more sustainable
Jean-Marc Eustache, President and Chief Executive Officer of Transat, highlighted the fact that tourism will continue to play a major role in tomorrow's economy, and will comply more and more with the principles of sustainability. His speech was delivered in Quebec City at an international symposium on the development of sustainable tourism organized by the ministère du Tourisme du Québec. Transat's chief executive also emphasized the economic impact of tourism, which represents more than 200 million jobs worldwide, and pointed to the travel industry's remarkable track record of resisting recessions and other market downturns. Keep reading for more.
[Full
text and pictures]
|
|
| |
|
| |
| NCL SAYS, 'WHAT RECESSION?' |
|
NCL reports a 15 per cent increase in booking volume from last March; 288 per cent increase in group staterooms blocked
Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) has reported a double-digit increase in booking volume. The company saw its bookings rise 15 per cent year over year through March 15, 2009. In addition, its new Groups 2.0 program, launched in December, saw a 288 per cent increase in group staterooms blocked compared to the same time last year.
[Full
text and pictures]
|
|
| |
|
| |
| PORTER ADDS THUNDER BAY |
|
Thunder Bay route from Toronto City Centre Airport begins June 26, 2009; bookings open
Porter Airlines is introducing service to Thunder Bay, Ontario, in time for the summer travel season. Non-stop flights will operate between Porter's downtown base at Toronto City Centre Airport (TCCA) and Thunder Bay International Airport. The first flights begin June 26, 2009, with a schedule of three daily roundtrips during the week and two roundtrips on both Saturday and Sunday. Seats are available for immediate booking. Connecting flights to other Porter destinations, including Ottawa, Montreal, New York and Chicago are also available.
[Full
text and pictures]
|
|
| |
|
| |
| EMIRATES LAUNCHES A380 IN YYZ, BKK |
|
Emirates launches A380 service from Toronto and Bangkok, Thailand beginning June 1, 2009
Emirates Airline announced it will introduce its double decker A380 aircraft on its Bangkok and Toronto routes. Effective June 1, 2009, the aircraft will debut in Canada. Emirates president Tim Clark said, "Our Toronto route has had consistently high demand since the thrice weekly service was launched two years ago. The A380 will allow Emirates to address some of the unmet need in Toronto while [on the] Bangkok [route], the A380 will help support the Thai government 's new tourism initiatives."
[Full
text and pictures]
|
|
| |
| |
| MEXICO BUS CRASH |
|
 |
| Illustration by Robert Cross | | Bus crash in northern Mexico kills 11; 3 Canadians dead, 4 Canadians injured; drunk driver cause of accident
Canadian Press
A drunk driver fell asleep at the wheel before his tractor-trailer hit a tour bus head-on, killing three Canadians and eight others in a crash that left a rural highway in Mexico littered with twisted metal and shattered glass, police said Tuesday. Four other Canadians were also injured in Monday's crash, which killed seven Americans and the Mexican bus driver. Among the Canadian dead was a Quebec man, Robert Lacas, 56, who was living his dream by taking a six-month working holiday. The tour group consisted of mostly retirees en route to Zacatecas from McAllen, Texas.
[Full
text and pictures]
|
|
| |
| |
| ONTARIO WAITS FOR ENHANCED LICENCES |
|
 |
| Transport Minister Jim Bradley | | Still no firm date for Ontario to introduce enhanced driver's licences to enter U.S.
Canadian Press
There's still no firm date for when Ontario motorists will be able to use an enhanced driver's licence instead of a passport to cross into the United States. On Monday, Quebec Premier Jean Charest unveiled that province's new driver's licences, which contain a hidden radio frequency identification chip that allows border guards to access information such as citizenship. Only Quebec residents who are Canadian citizens can obtain the new enhanced licences, which they can use to cross the U.S. border without a passport. Ontario's Ministry of Transportation has been promising to unveil its enhanced driver's licences sometime this spring.
[Full
text and pictures]
|
|
| |
|
|
