CANADA’S TRAVEL TRADE PUBLICATION June 12, 2014 Volume 42 Issue 22 PM40015622 THISWEEK 4 SUNWING GATEWAYS Sunwing is adding flights from Winnipeg, Gander, Deer Lake and Moncton 6 NEW SUNQUEST HOTELS Sunquest is now featuring Occidental Hotels & Resorts in seven destinations 8 SANDALS MEGA FAMS Sandals and Beaches will be holding three Mega FAMS from Canada this fall 38 USA ROUND-UP NYC & Company’s campaign to get visitors to explore all five boroughs is working N. American carriers most profitable but make just $11.09 per passenger The International Air Transport As- sociation (IATA) launched the Economic Performance of the Airline Industry report at its agm here outlining how air transport is adding value for consumers, the wider economy, governments and investors. The report illustrates how the airline industry continues to improve profitability through efficiency gains while connecting more cit- ies, lowering transport costs, supporting jobs and making major investments. Global spend on air transport is ex- pected to reach $746 billion in 2014, which equals 1% of world GDP. The number of passengers is expected to reach 3.3 billion as travellers benefit from a growing global network and air- fares that are expected to fall 3.5% in real terms (after inflation). The catalytic benefits of aviation are illustrated by the $621 billion in tour- ism spend that the industry will facili- tate over the course of the year, as well as the $6.8 trillion worth of goods that will be delivered by air. Employment supported by aviation has reached some 58 million jobs worldwide. In ad- dition, airlines are making enormous investments in modernizing fleets. This year, the industry will take delivery of 1,400 aircraft worth some $150 billion. DOHA, Qatar — Thanks to consoli- dation and closely watching capacity, North America’s airlines are the fullest and most profitable in the world. That’s not saying a lot however, as these carriers make a net profit of $11.09 per enplaned passenger, not much more than the cost of a couple of lattes at Starbucks. Still, this is a marked improvement from just two years earlier when it was $2.83. But that’s still only a net margin of 4.3% on rev- enues. This improvement has been driven by consolidation and the contribution of ancillary revenues. Load factors have risen to record levels with the passenger load factor reaching 83.7% in April. Occidental Grand Xcaret
Transcript
C A N A D A ’ S T R A V E L T R A D E P U B L I C A T I O N
June 12, 2014Volume 42 Issue 22
PM40015622
THISWEEK4 SUNWING GATEWAYSSunwing is adding flights from Winnipeg, Gander, Deer Lake and Moncton
6 NEW SUNQUEST HOTELSSunquest is now featuring Occidental Hotels & Resorts in seven destinations
8 SANDALS MEGA FAMSSandals and Beaches will be holding three Mega FAMS from Canada this fall
38 USA ROUND-UPNYC & Company’s campaign to get visitors to explore all five boroughs is working
N. American carriers most profitable but make just $11.09 per passenger
The International Air Transport As-sociation (IATA) launched the Economic Performance of the Airline Industry report at its agm here outlining how air transport is adding value for consumers, the wider economy, governments and investors. The report illustrates how the airline industry continues to improve profitability through efficiency gains while connecting more cit-ies, lowering transport costs, supporting jobs and making major investments.
Global spend on air transport is ex-pected to reach $746 billion in 2014, which equals 1% of world GDP. The number of passengers is expected to reach 3.3 billion as travellers benefit from a growing global network and air-fares that are expected to fall 3.5% in real terms (after inflation).
The catalytic benefits of aviation are illustrated by the $621 billion in tour-ism spend that the industry will facili-tate over the course of the year, as well as the $6.8 trillion worth of goods that will be delivered by air. Employment supported by aviation has reached some 58 million jobs worldwide. In ad-dition, airlines are making enormous investments in modernizing fleets. This year, the industry will take delivery of 1,400 aircraft worth some $150 billion.
DOHA, Qatar — Thanks to consoli-dation and closely watching capacity, North America’s airlines are the fullest and most profitable in the world.
That’s not saying a lot however, as these carriers make a net profit of $11.09 per enplaned passenger, not much more than the cost of a couple of lattes at Starbucks.
Still, this is a marked improvement from just two years earlier when it was $2.83. But that’s still only a net margin of 4.3% on rev-enues. This improvement has been driven by consolidation and the contribution of ancillary revenues. Load factors have risen to record levels with the passenger load factor reaching 83.7% in April.
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topnews These benefits are being generated
and investments being made, despite persistent weak profitability and a tax burden which this year is expected to reach $121 billion (up from $113 in 2013). Airlines are expected to earn a net profit in 2014 of $18.0 billion for a net profit margin of 2.4%. This will be up from earnings of $6.1 billion in 2012 and $10.6 billion last year.
“Aviation is a catalyst for economic growth. Airline revenues now total 1% of global GDP and the industry will safely transport 3.3 billion people and $6.8 trillion worth of goods this year. In
governments. That means a regulatory structure that facilitates success; the provision of cost-efficient infrastruc-ture to meet consumer and business demands; and a reasonable tax burden. Governments should understand that the real value of aviation is the global connectivity it provides and the growth and development it stimulates, not the tax receipts that can be extracted from it,” said Tyler.
The global industry profit of $18.0 billion will continue an improving trend. It is, however, a slight downgrade from the previous forecast of $18.7 bil-
Improved airline performance: Air-
lines continue to improve their own
performance through an improved
industry structure. Consolidation and
joint ventures on long-haul markets
are delivering efficiency gains as seen
through the load factor which is ex-
pected to reach a record industry-wide
full-year high of 80.4% this year. At the
same time, the number of unique city-
pairs served is expected to reach 16,161
addition, the jobs and tourism receipts
aviation helps generate are major con-
tributors to the global economy. Air-
lines themselves remain burdened with
high taxes and weak profitability. With
a net profit margin of just 2.4%, airlines
will retain only $5.42 per passenger car-
ried. There is a mismatch between the
value that the industry contributes to
economies and the rewards that gener-
ates for those who risk their capital to
finance the industry,” said Tony Tyler,
IATA’s Director General and CEO.
“Airline efforts to improve perfor-
mance further need a counterpart in
lion (March). The main factors impact-
ing the industry’s profitability include:
Global economic performance: Since
March the economic environment has
deteriorated. World trade has slowed
and business confidence has fallen with
concerns over China’s economic growth
and various geopolitical risks. The cur-
rent profit forecast is built on expected
global GDP growth in 2014 of 2.8% (be-
low the 2.9% anticipated in March) and
growth in world trade of 3.6% (down
from 4.5%). Economic prospects are,
however, expected to improve as the
year progresses.
AVIATION IS A CATALYST for economic growth. Airline revenues now total 1% of global GDP and the industry will safely transport 3.3 billion people and $6.8 trillion worth of goods this year.
FOR FULL SELECTION OF HOTELS, VISIT WWW.SUNWING.CA
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topnews
in 2014, up 2.4% on 2013 and nearly double the number served in 1994.
Passenger Trends: Air travel has been extremely robust in the face of relative-ly weak economic growth and persis-tently high fuel costs. Overall passenger growth is expected to remain strong in 2014 (5.9% up on 2013), but the pre-mium component of that growth has slowed in line with the recent deterio-ration in business confidence. Aviation remains a very competitive business. Airfares, after adjusting for inflation and before surcharges and taxes, are expected to fall by some 3.5% in 2014 compared with the previous year.
Sunwing introduces flights to Orlando next winter from Winnipeg, Atlantic CanadaTORONTO — Sunwing Vacations is expanding its Florida program across Canada with the introduction of new flights to Orlando from several addi-tional gateways including Winnipeg, Gander, Deer Lake and Moncton.
Sunwing already offers direct service to Orlando with daily flights from To-ronto and weekly flights from Halifax. With the launch of these additional
flights combined with introductory rates, more Canadian travellers will have convenient and affordable access to visit this popular vacation hotspot.
The new Winnipeg-to-Orlando flights will operate on Sundays start-ing Dec. 21, 2014 until April 12, 2015. Travellers from Gander and Deer Lake, Newfoundland can enjoy weekly flights to Orlando on Thursdays between March 19 and May 7, 2015. Passengers from Moncton can take advantage of weekly Thursday flights starting Feb. 12 until May 7, 2015.
“With the overwhelming success of our Orlando program and feedback re-ceived from our customers and travel agent partners, we are pleased to offer this popular destination to more Cana-dian travellers this winter,” said Andrew Dawson, Chief Operating Officer of Sunwing Travel Group. “Orlando is an important part of our vacation offering because it truly does have something for everybody – families, honeymoon-ers, singles and couples – and it fits into every budget.”
“Canada is our second largest inter-national market and the decision by Sunwing to expand its Canadian service is exceptional news for our community,” says Phil Brown, Executive Director of the Greater Orlando Aviation Author-ity. “Not only will Sunwing add service
Edmonton, Toronto & Calgary departures. All prices are gross per person based on double occupancy for 7 nights on all inclusive vacations (unless otherwise specifi ed) and were available at the time of printing. Seats at the above prices are limited and subject to change without prior notice. Applicable to new bookings only. Not combinable with any other off ers. Transportation taxes & related fees shown must be pre-paid. Applicable local taxes payable in destination are extra (DR $30US). Flights are with Sunwing Airlines or Travel Service. For full terms and conditions, please refer to the Sunwing Vacations 2014/15 brochure. 27 Fasken Drive, Toronto, ON M9W1K6. Ont Reg #2476582 | 06122014
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to its existing gateways, it is also start-ing service from two new markets that have never had access to the United States, Gander and Deer Lake.”
Sunwing features a variety of accom-modation in Orlando from budget ho-tels to deluxe properties, including a selection of hotels within and near ma-jor theme parks. Vacation packages to Orlando include roundtrip airfare on-board Sunwing Airlines, hotel accom-modation, and a mid-sized car rental to get around.
Sunwing’s Orlando Holiday Homes are quickly growing in popularity among families, as each holiday home features three to seven bedrooms and a private pool. Every family-style holi-day home package of two bedrooms or more offers a 7-seater minivan rental included in the vacation price.
Sunwing also sells tickets to all ma-jor attractions in conjunction with its packages. Customers can book their tickets and passes ahead of time, so that when they step off their flight and pick up their car, they can get started right away enjoying all Orlando has to offer.
A one-week vacation package to Orlando staying at Champions World Resort starts from $485 plus $349 taxes per person, based on double occupancy departing from Winnipeg on Jan. 4, 11, 18 or 25, 2015. From Gander and Deer Lake, prices start at $695 plus $350 tax-es departing on March 19, 2015. From Moncton, the price per person based on double occupancy is $595 plus $327 taxes departing on Feb. 12 or 19, 2015.
Sunquest now features Occidental Hotels & Resorts in seven destinationsTORONTO — Sunquest has expanded its sun product portfolio to now in-clude Occidental Hotels & Resorts in seven destinations.
Now featuring a total of nine Oc-cidental and Allegro resorts in the Caribbean and Mexico, the addition
complements Sunquest’s already ex-tensive lineup of properties in these regions.
The resorts are: Occidental Grand Xcaret, Occidental Royal Hideaway Play-acar, Occidental Grand Nuevo Vallarta, Occidental Grand Cozumel, Allegro Cozumel, Occidental Grand Papagayo, Allegro Payagayo, Allegro Varadero and Allegro Club Cayo Guillermo.
For more information and to book, visit SunquestAgent.ca.
Agents can win a weeklong vacation with exclusive Sandals and Beaches summer sweepstakesTORONTO — Sandals Resorts and Beaches Resorts are continuing to ex-tend their thanks to travel agents by offering the chance to vacation in style at some of the most lavish suites in the Caribbean.
Now through Sept. 30, 2014, travel agents who book their clients in Club Sandals or Butler Elite suites at any Sandals resort for travel now through April 30, 2015, will be entered to win a seven-night Luxury Included stay in the SkyPool suites at Sandals LaSource Gre-nada Resort & Spa. A total of 25 stays will be awarded.
Meanwhile with the ‘Ultimate Beach-es Getaway’, agents who book their cli-ents in concierge or butler level suites at any Beaches resort now through Sept. 30, 2014 (and for travel through April 30, 2015) also have a chance to win. A total of five seven-night Luxury Includ-ed stays in a spacious 3-bedroom villa at the new Key West Luxury Village at Beaches Turks & Caicos Resort Village & Spa will be awarded.
Each new booking equals one con-test entry which must be registered at uvisandals.ca/sweepstakes. There is no limit on the number of entries per person, so more bookings equal more
6 TRAVELWEEK June 12, 2014
topnews
SANDALS® GRANDE ST. LUCIAN SPA & BEACH RESORT is described as the “closest vacat ion to a picture-perfect postcard.” Set on its own spectacular peninsula with mesmerizing sea views on both sides, Saint Lucia’s Leading Resort includes every luxury from five pools to unlimited golf † and scuba diving.* Enjoy eight restaurants and six bars serving premium brand liquors. Exotic Swim-up Lagoon Rooms let you float up from a pool to the steps of your private patio.Exclusive exchange privileges give you access to two other Sandals Resorts nearby including 15 additional restaurants. Discover the best of Saint Lucia—always included, always unlimited. Only at Sandals.
†Golf available at nearby Sandals La Toc Golf Club. Complimentary transfers included. Caddies mandatory, but not included. *Scuba diving included for certifi ed divers. PADI dive courses and night dives are additional. Sandals® is a registered trademark. Unique Vacations, Inc. is the affi liate of the worldwide representative of Sandals Resorts.
®
Love Is All You Need
Call 1-800-SANDALS or visit sandals.com
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printing. Seats at the above prices are limited and subject to change without prior notice. Applicable to new bookings only. Transportation taxes & related fees shown must be pre-paid. For full terms and
ALL FLIGHTS OFFER SUNWING AIRLINES' CHAMPAGNE SERVICE
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8 TRAVELWEEK June 12, 2014
topnewschances to win. Certain restrictions ap-ply and it is not valid in Quebec.
For more information, contact your local Business Development Manager or Inside Sales at 1-800-545-8283 or visit sandals.com/tas.
Sandals Resorts and Beaches Resorts invite Canadian agents on 3 ‘Mega FAMS’ this fallTORONTO — Sandals Resorts and Beaches Resorts are inviting Canadian agents to participate in one of three Mega FAMs to Grenada, the Bahamas, Turks & Caicos and Antigua this fall.
The three private charters will depart from Toronto and Montreal.
Continuing to invest in travel agent education, attendees will not only enjoy the unmatched service and hospitality offered at Sandals Resorts and Beaches
Resorts, but will also complete a San-dals Marketing Forum on the compa-ny’s newest additions including Sandals LaSource Grenada Resort & Spa and Sandals Barbados.
Agents can choose from two dif-ferent itineraries that include tours of select properties to witness latest devel-
opments firsthand like the all-new Key West Luxury Village at Beaches Turks & Caicos, the recently opened Sandals LaSource Grenada and the enhanced Windsor Block with swim-up suites at Sandals Royal Bahamian.
Additionally, participants can take part in exclusive events and enjoy
Sandals LaSource Grenada
VisitKorea
10 TRAVELWEEK June 12, 2014
topnewsenhanced Luxury Included amenities including Club Sandals and Discovery Dining at up to 19 specialty restau-rants.
Cost is Can$349 per agent. Space is limited so agents are advised to register early at uvisandals.ca/fams.
All Mega FAM participants will re-ceive an exclusive booking incentive for reimbursement of up to 100% of the airfare cost.
Canadian agents can choose from the following Mega FAMs:
Sandals Royal Bahamian, Beaches Turks & Caicos, Sandals LaSource Gre-nada from Montreal Oct. 3-5, 2014 and from Toronto Nov. 21-23, 2014 or
Sandals Emerald Bay, Beaches Turks & Caicos, Sandals Grande Antigua from Toronto Dec. 15-17, 2014.
For more information on Sandals Resorts’ various travel agent programs, agents can contact their local Business Development Manager or Inside Sales at 1-800-545-8283 or 416-223-0028.
Visit California spreads sunshine and latest news during Toronto media blitzTORONTO — Like a breath of fresh air,
California’s tourism partners arrived in
Toronto recently to host a media recep-
tion during which destinations and local
attractions shared what’s new for 2014:
With 36 hotels ranging from high-
end luxury to affordable beach bun-
galows, Santa Monica will welcome a
new Hampton Inn in the next couple
of years. And spanning just 8.3 miles,
the city is gaining a reputation for be-
ing a bike-friendly destination (80% of
visitors ditch the car upon arrival), with
wide bike lanes and the 22 mile-long
South Bay Bike Trail, the largest ocean-
front bike path in the world.
Coming this summer is world fa-
mous Madame Tussauds to Fisherman’s
Wharf in San Francisco. The new attrac-tion will feature a colourful cast of fig-ures including Kate Winslet, Leonardo DiCaprio and Mark Zuckerberg. Also, Scarlet Huntington Hotel made its de-but this past May following a US$15 million renovation, as did Hotel G, which recently completed an extensive two-year reno.
Already making quite a splash in Greater Palm Springs is the new 244-room Ritz-Carlton, Rancho Mirage, the first domestic U.S. opening of a Ritz-Carlton property in four years. Located on a 650-foot bluff, the hotel offers panoramic views, multiple swimming pools, fire pits, terraces in many rooms, and a 25,000 square-foot spa with 14 treatment rooms.
In Los Angeles, the Ace Hotel has opened a new Broadway location fea-turing 180 remodelled rooms and a 1,600-seat entertainment venue that will showcase live performances. The city is also gearing up for the highly an-
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Irresistible CubaHOTEL PLAYA COCO
Vacationers return to Cayo Coco again and again for pristine beaches, proximity to a coral reef teeming with marine life, unspoiled natural surroundings and the sense of calm and relaxation that comes with a stay on one of the cays of the “Jardines del Rey”, or King’s Gardens. The Hotel Playa Coco is an excellent choice for travellers looking for a
laid-back vacation in this stunning destination. The resort’s charming colonial décor, family-friendly touches like free stays for one child under 13, children’s pool area, free wedding packages, a two-kilometre stretch of beach and very reasonable prices make it great value and a whole lot of fun for families and friends.
H O T E L E S
ticipated Despicable Me Minion May-hem 3D experience at Universal Studios Hollywood, coming this year.
One of San Francisco’s most popu-lar attractions just got a whole lot big-ger – and wilder. The Sea Lion Center is now open at PIER 39, featuring educa-tional videos and daily classroom-style presentations led by naturalists. Visitors can even touch a sea lion and size them-selves up next to a real sea lion skeleton.
Redondo Beach has unveiled its new Harbor & Pier Walking Map, avail-able throughout the King Harbor and Pier shops as well as at the Redondo Beach Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Bureau. The map guides visitors from the Redondo-Hermosa bike path wall mural to the gateway of Riviera Village, and also features a camera that points out photo ops, running and walking paths, parking, rest rooms and shops and business.
Surf City USA, otherwise known as Huntington Beach, is still basking in the afterglow of the grand opening of
Vans Off the Wall Skatepark and Garage
Skate Shop. Debuting this past March,
this world class skatepark is free to the
public and includes a skate bowl, street
plaza, fully stocked skate shop and
snack bar. The city will also celebrate
100 Years of Surfing with a year-long
calendar of events, including a golf tournament, a remodel of the Interna-tional Surfing Museum, and an attempt at breaking the Guinness World Record for most people riding a wave on one surfboard.
12 TRAVELWEEK June 12, 2014
topnews
Continued on page 27 ...
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Travellers can sample their way through Hawaii’s best culinary offerings
Hawaii
By Eric Rosen
Although famous for its beaches, volca-
noes and lush jungles, the islands of Ha-
waii also have a vibrant food scene with
artisanal farmers and ranchers produc-
ing some of the world’s finest produce.
Visitors to the islands can sample these
delicacies in both gourmet restaurants
and at festivals across the state as well as
on a variety of new food-focused tours.
OAHUOver the past few years, Honolulu has
developed into one of the country’s
most dynamic restaurant scenes, which
means there is plenty to explore both at
major hotels and beyond.
Known for its spectacular oceanfront
view of Waikiki Beach, the redesigned Bali
Steak & Seafood at the Hilton Hawaiian
Village Waikiki Beach Resort now has a
sophisticated new look as well as a new
menu concept described as ‘Island Har-
vest Cuisine’ by Executive Chef JJ Reinhart. The menu features flavours from locally sourced ingredients. The new Paradise Lounge area encourages guests to relax in a tropical indoor space that transitions into the main dining room. For more infor-mation, visit hawaiianvillage.hilton.com.
The Star of Honolulu’s signature ‘Five Star Sunset Dining & Jazz Cruise’ is the ultimate luxury romance experi-ence on the island. On board, guests will experience an exclusive Captain’s Welcome Reception on the top deck followed by a seven-course French din-ner with white-glove service, a list of premium beverages to choose from, live jazz and breathtaking views of the Oahu coastline. Executive Chef Adam Gilbert presents a seasonal menu that includes Maine lobster and prime ten-derloin of beef as main entrees through the end of June. Rates start at US$179 per person. Visit starofhonolulu.com for more information.
On the third Saturday of every month,
the Kakaako neighborhood comes alive
with the Honolulu Night Market, an
evening event that combines fashion,
live music, art, shopping and local food.
Held under the lights of the Honolulu
skyline, this monthly night market cel-
ebrates the best of urban island culture
and features local artists, designers, mu-
sicians and chefs. For more information,
visit honolulunightmarket.com.
HAWAIICo-founded by Hawaii’s James Beard
Award-winning chefs, Roy Yamaguchi
and Alan Wong, the Hawaii Food & Wine
Festival features wine tastings, cooking
demonstrations and exclusive dining op-
portunities featuring the state’s bounty
of local produce, seafood, beef and poul-
try. The fourth annual festival recently
announced the addition of an event on
the island of Hawaii on Aug. 29 in part-
Hilton Waikoloa Village Kona Pool
14 TRAVELWEEK June 12, 2014
Hawaii
nership with Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort and Hilton Waikoloa Village. That evening’s event will be the Aloha Aina, Aloha Kai gala, which means, ‘Love of the Land, Love of the Sea.’ The event will feature a VIP cocktail reception and six-course gala dinner in the hotel’s Naupaka Ballroom. General tickets cost $250 and VIP entry is $500.
Chefs in attendance that evening will include Charles Charbonneau from the Hilton Waikoloa Village and Jayson Kanekoa from the Waikoloa Beach Mar-riott, as well as Jenn Louis from Port-land’s Lincoln Restaurant, Sheldon Sime-on from MiGrant on Maui, and Marcel Vigneron, Top Chef contestant and host of Syfy’s Marcel’s Quantum Kitchen.
The Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort & Spa is offering Pool View rooms over the weekend at a discounted rate of $150 per night. Reservations must be made by Aug. 22.
The Hilton Waikoloa Village is offer-ing special rates starting at $139 per night for stays of three nights or more, or $159 per night on stays of one or two nights. For more information, visit HawaiiFoodAndWineFestival.com.
MAUIFrom Aug. 15-16, Grand Wailea’s execu-tive chef Eric Faivre will host the James Beard Foundation’s ‘Celebrity Chef Tour’ on Maui. James Beard award-winning guest chefs David Burke, Johnny Iuzzini, and Norm Van Aken will come together to prepare their signature cuisines for a once-in-a-lifetime reception and din-ner. The event benefits the James Beard Foundation and its mission to celebrate, nurture and preserve America’s diverse culinary heritage and future. Rates that weekend start at $399 per night. Visit GrandWailea.com and CelebrityChef-Tour.com for more information.
The ‘Island Gourmet’ package at The Plantation Inn is the perfect choice for guests who want to experience the charm of an old Hawaiian plantation while pleasing their palates with culinary delights from one of Hawaii’s leading
chefs. Rates for the two-night package start at $539 and include accommoda-tion in a spacious Deluxe Lanai room with double doors opening to a covered lanai, as well as daily breakfast for two and a gourmet dinner for two at the award-winning Gerard’s Restaurant on the property. This intimate hotel is just steps from the waterfront in Lahaina. The package is valid now through Dec. 19, 2014. For more information, visit plantationinn.com.
KAUAITasting Kauai has added a third ed-ible experience to its food-tour roster. ‘A Taste of Kilohana’ offers a seasonal taste of Kilohana Plantation, set amidst lush landscaping and pineapple fields. The exclusive tour teaches guests how to make a mai tai with fresh-pressed sugarcane and lime juice at Mahiko Lounge, and includes an off-the-menu, three-course, locally sourced meal by executive chef Todd Barrett served in the Private Dining Room of the historic Wilcox Mansion. Tasting Kauai donates a portion of all proceeds to the Kauai Branch of the Hawaii Food Bank.
The new tour runs every three weeks and lasts from 9:30 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. and costs $130 per person. Visit tasting-kauai.com for more information.
LANAIOne of the hottest recent restaurant
openings in the islands was Nobu Lanai, located at Four Seasons Resort Lanai at Manele Bay. The restaurant has just launched a half-acre garden where chefs are cultivating a variety of herbs and vegetables for the menu. Fresh from the farm and grown organically, the ingredi-ents make up nearly two thirds of what is used on the menu at Nobu. The pro-duce is harvested daily to ensure fresh-ness and the garden is cared for by Four Seasons staff led by executive chef Sean Mell. Rates this summer at Four Seasons Lanai at Manele Bay start at $539. Visit FourSeasons.com/ManeleBay for more information.
Culinary tourism is one of the world’s most important travel trends. With the Pacific region’s most prestigious culinary festival, behind the scenes food tours, and more, O‘ahu has become an epicurean paradise for travelers.
Hawai‘i Food and Wine Festival on O‘ahu:
September 3-7
Over 80 internationally acclaimed
chefs from Hawai‘i, the mainland,
and around the globe showcase their
culinary talents using locally sourced
ingredients. Notable sommeliers,
winemakers, mixologists, and culinary
luminaries join chefs at dinners, galas,
demonstrations, tastings, and excursions.
(hawaiifoodandwinefestival.com)
Food Tours
Discover O‘ahu’s eclectic food scene with
Hawai‘i Food Tours (hawaiifoodtours.
com). The Hole in the Wall Tour across
Honolulu reflects the islands’ ethnic
diversity while the North Shore Food
Tour explores the laid back coast with
delicious Hawaiian treats and a tour of a
coffee plantation and chocolate maker.
Food Trucks
Street Grindz (streetgrindz.com)
sponsors inventive food truck events.
The Eat the Street food truck rally brings
themed events on the last Friday of every
month. Honolulu Night Market, the third
Saturday of each month, is an enormous
indoor/outdoor block party with street
food, fashion, art, and music.
Eating with Aloha on O‘ahu
Delicious Adventures in The Heart of Hawai‘i
June 12, 2014 TRAVELWEEK 15
There’s more to see, do and love about Oahu this summer seasonBy Cindy Sosroutomo
The sun-soaked island of Oahu is gear-ing up for a jam-packed summer sea-son, which will see a wide array of new enhancements and packages at hotels and resorts, a slew of entertainment op-tions and a full calendar of events and festivals the entire family can enjoy.
HOTELS & RESORTS: Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach
Resort debuted a series of rejuvenation projects in February, including the newly upgraded Bali Steak & Seafood and Para-dise Lounge, Tapa Bar and new lobby and arrival experience. The resort will also complete the US$4.25 million restoration of its iconic Rainbow Mural this month.
Embassy Suites Waikiki Beach Walk has unveiled its new, family-friendly
‘Fun, Sun and Trolley Run’ package just in time for summer. Parents can relish in more than $200 in savings plus awe-some extras that include a full day of beach gear, in-room pizza and movie and two days of unlimited ridership on the Waikiki Trolley.
Holiday Inn Waikiki Beachcomber Resort is celebrating June Pride Month all year long with its ‘Hawaii Pride Pack-age’, available now through Dec. 26. Package rates start at $249 per night, double, and include two welcome rain-bow lei upon arrival, accommodations, sparkling wine and two tickets to board Hula’s Bar & Lei Stand’s Saturday Cata-maran Sail.
The Kahala Hotel & Resort’s Kahala Suite Amenity Program, which is part of all suite bookings, includes roundtrip airport transfer, daily breakfast for two, kids eat free, nightly chef ’s treat and more. Savings can amount to over $200 per day, with suite rates starting at $980 per night. Agents will receive a Double
Bonus for any bookings made by Aug. 31 for three-night stays up to Dec. 19. Room bookings will be worth $70 per room (at other times $35) and $200 (at other times $100).
Business clients can hold their next group meeting at the luxury JW Marri-ott Ihilani Resort & Spa at Ko Olina with the ‘Get Closer to Paradise’ promotion-al offer. New requests for new meetings booked by Dec. 14 and actualized in 2014 will be eligible to receive free air-line tickets to Hawaii and up to 500,000 Marriott Rewards Points.
Aston Waikiki Beach Hotel is roll-ing out a fresh new look across its 645 guestrooms and suites. Enhancements have been made in the bathroom and near the lanai, improving storage and functionality.
To reduce its carbon footprint, Joie de Vivre Hotels is encouraging its guests to leave their cars behind with its ‘Car-free Oahu Vacation Offering’. Its Hawaii prop-erties — Shoreline Hotel Waikiki and
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Hawaii
Coconut Waikiki Hotel – have partnered with Portland-born Pedal Bike Tours. To-gether, they present a specially curated JDV bike tour of the island that includes a two-night stay at either property, a two-day bike rental at a discounted rate plus two commemorative t-shirts. Joie de Vivre will also reimburse guests up to $50 for eco-friendly airport transporta-tion. Package is priced at $868.
ATTRACTIONS & ENTERTAINMENT: The Polynesian Cultural Center is in
the process of completing a $100 mil-lion refresh over a five-year period, which is scheduled to conclude in Feb-ruary 2015 with the grand opening of a newly expanded marketplace. The new 119,000 square-foot venue will provide additional retail, dining and enter-tainment options, including specialty shops, food carts and restaurant.
Pacific Beach Hotel is excited to be the new venue of Waikiki’s latest luau dinner show. Tihati Productions is kick-
ing off their newest show entitled Te Moana Nui-Tales of the Pacific, during which guests are able to indulge in au-thentic Hawaiian delicacies.
Pedal Bike Tours recently opened in Waikiki, offering bike rentals as well as tours of Honolulu and the North Shore designed for novice riders. Pedal Ha-waii offers tours daily from its shop in the Queen Kapiolani Hotel overlooking Diamond Head. Tours include ‘Hidden Honolulu’ and ‘Explore the North Shore’.
Ala Moana Center, the world’s larg-est outdoor shopping centre, has an-nounced the addition of Blooming-dale’s to open in late 2015. The 167,000 square-foot, three-level luxury depart-ment store will serve as the centerpiece of a major retail expansion and com-mon area renovation.
FESTIVALS & EVENTS: Each June, the Waikiki Aquarium,
NOAA and the Mayor’s Office of Culture and the Arts team up to cel-
ebrate World Oceans Month through marine-themed education, art, mu-sic, film and service projects around Oahu. These include ocean-inspired films, a musical performance by John-son Enos, an art exhibit at Honolulu Hale from June 5-20 and fun educa-tional activities for the family led by Pacific Islands Ocean Observing Sys-tem throughout the month.
The Ke Kani O Ke Kai Summer Con-cert Series will take place on June 12 and 26, July 10 and 24 and Aug. 7 atop the Waikiki Aquarium lawn. As an add-ed bonus, the aquarium galleries will remain open throughout the evening.
Aston Hotels invites guests to go green with reforestation packageIt’s always a good idea to go green, something Aston Hotels & Resorts is
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June 12, 2014 TRAVELWEEK 17
encouraging guests to do. Travellers staying at any Aston Hotels & Resorts Hawaii Island destination — Aston Kona by the Sea, Aston Shores at Waikoloa, and Aston Waikoloa Colo-ny Villas — have the chance to ‘Leave a Legacy with Aston’ with a package that supports reforestation.
Hawaiian Legacy Tours, a new part of the nonprofit Hawaiian Legacy Reforestation Initiative on the Island of Hawaii, is allowing guests to plant their own Koa Legacy Tree and tour a historic forest on the slopes of the Mauna Kea volcano. ‘Leave a Legacy with Aston’ packages start at US$212 per night based on a four-night stay with double occupancy and include two adult tickets for the 90-minute Planters Tour, which includes one Koa Legacy Tree for planting.
In just four years since the first tree was planted, the Hawaiian Legacy Re-forestation Initiative, the nonprofit arm of sustainable forestry company
Hawaiian Legacy Hardwoods, has planted more than 250,000 endemic koa, sandalwood and other endan-gered Hawaiian species across more than 750 acres above the historic Umikoa Village. With a goal of plant-ing 1.3 million endemic trees, this ongoing project is a critical effort in returning pastureland to the majestic forest it once was.
Each tour is a valuable contribu-tion to the biodiversity of Hawaii’s unique ecosystem, supporting clean-er air and water, mitigating global warming and enhancing a habitat for native birds. Guests plant Legacy Trees to celebrate an event, honour an individual or memorialize a loved one, as well as offset their carbon footprint. Each guest receives a spe-cial certificate with a RFID code to track the tree’s growth and view it online via Google Earth.astonHotels.com/greenlegacytrees.org
Honua Kai offers rewards with special Anniversary PackageHonua Kai Resort & Spa is celebrating its fifth anniversary by offering guests even more ways to save.
When booking the five-night Anni-versary Package, guests will receive an instant US$50 off per night on all suite categories; $5 per photo on each of up to five per day when sharing their five-year experience on social media; a welcome package of five gift certificates from Duke’s Beach House, ‘Aina Gourmet Mar-ket, Honua Kai Concierge, Ho’ola Spa and Beach Activities; a complimentary com-pact, mid-size, full-size or luxury rental car (Compact — Studio & 1 Bedroom Suites; Mid-Size — 2 Bedroom Suites; Full-Size — 3 Bedroom Suites; Luxury — Specialty Suites); and an additional bo-nus resort credit of up to $500 as a valued return guest ($50 resort credit – Studio, 1 and 2 Bedroom Suites; $100 — 3 Bed-
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Hawaii
room Suites; $200 — Penthouse and Alii Suites; $500 — Kamehameha Suite.
Starting rate is $1,370 for the pack-age, or $274 per night (savings of up to 30% on the five-night package). Book-ing dates run from now through July 31 for travel from July 24-Dec. 21, 2014.honuakai.com
Trafalgar’s standalone Hawaii brochure highlights five exciting itinerariesTrafalgar is offering five trips to the islands of Oahu, Hawaii, Maui and Kauai that provide the ultimate flexibility to explore at leisure. Its standalone Hawaii brochure features four itineraries that run on ‘Ha-waiian Time’, including one Family Experi-ences trip that allows families to fully im-merse themselves in local culture.
“Hawaii is one of the most beauti-ful destinations in the world, and our
trips expose travellers to the places and experiences they won’t see or do when doing a resort-style holiday,” said Doug Patterson, President of Trafalgar Canada. “We bring your clients to the heart of Hawaii, introducing them to the locals with our Be My Guest dining and Unique Insights, and we encourage them to immerse themselves in the cul-ture of the island.”
The 11-day ‘Hawaiian Discovery’ trip incorporates all of the exciting features of Trafalgar’s ‘Hawaiian Explorer’ itiner-ary but also includes three extra nights in beautiful Kauai. This leisurely trip visits some of Hawaii’s most beautiful spots and includes two nights in Ho-nolulu, two in Kona and three in Maui. Children and parents alike will delight in a visit to Volcanoes National Park, a walk through an actual lava tube and a farm visit to learn about sustainable ag-riculture. They’ll also enjoy an exclusive Be My Guest lunch and a few days of lei-sure during which they can visit the Fern
Grotto natural amphitheatre or take a helicopter ride to the Na Pali Coast.
For the best parts of Hawaii packed into 10 days, travellers can also opt for Trafalgar’s ‘Best of Hawaii’ trip, which visits Oahu, Maui and the Big Island of Hawaii. Highlights include a visit to Pearl Harbor and the USS Arizona Me-morial, a meeting with a Local Expert about the exotic flora and fauna of the islands and lots of leisure time.
Also available is the 13-day ‘Hawaii Four Island Adventure’ trip, which of-fers all of the highlights of the ‘Best of Hawaii’ itinerary with an additional three nights in Kauai. Here, clients will head into the interior on a Wailua River cruise, passing rainforests before strolling through the Fern Grotto for a riverside lunch. There’ll be two days of free time during which guests can relax at their oceanfront resort, take a helicopter to the Na Pali Coast or take a trip to the Waimea Canyon.trafalgar.com
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Beaches Turks & Caicos celebrates grand opening of Key West Luxury Village
Caribbean
could not be done without the support from our friends in the region and the dedication of our staff.”
Formerly The Veranda hotel, Beaches made very few changes to the old prop-erty, only adding three new restaurants, a second Red Lane Spa outlet and new outdoor patio furniture. Joining the other three existing Villages on prop-erty — Caribbean, Italian and French —Key West Luxury Village is comprised of an East and West Village and a central Veranda House in a four-storey build-ing. There are more than 150 suites and villas (all of which are Concierge level and above), including 20 Butler Service villas and suites that come equipped with new stainless steel appliances and espresso machines, which are exclusive to the Key West Village.
With the addition of three new gour-met dining options, guests have even more choice when taking advantage of Beaches Resorts’ Discovery Dining
by Cindy Sosroutomo
PROVIDENCIALES, TURKS & CAICOS — There were acrobats, aerialists, even a mer-maid or two at what was widely regarded as the social event of the year among Turks and Caicos’ elite. But the ‘White Party’, which required all guests to attend in white attire, held extra special meaning for Beaches Resorts – it was the official grand opening of the new Key West Luxury Vil-lage at Beaches Turks & Caicos.
“We are thrilled to celebrate yet an-other addition to this marvelous desti-nation and a new pinnacle at this resort,” said Gordon ‘Butch’ Stewart, chairman of Sandals Resorts International, parent company of Beaches Resorts. Speaking to an audience of government dignitar-ies, travel industry partners and me-dia from around the world, he added, “Beaches Turks & Caicos has earned a reputation as a leading destination for family fun in the Caribbean, and this investment helps us meet the eager de-
mand of our guests wanting to visit the beautiful Grace Bay Beach.”
Though having opened to guests on May 22, 2013, the new Village only re-cently held its official launch party last month and was attended by the Chair-man, Sandals CEO Adam Stewart, San-dals Foundations Director of Programs Heidi Clark, Turks and Caicos Premier Rufus Ewing and Prime Minister of Ja-maica Portia Simpson-Miller. Dignitar-ies from throughout the Caribbean arrived to watch Chairman Stewart receive the coveted Six Star Diamond Award for Key West Luxury Village and cut the official ribbon to commemo-rate its grand opening.
“We started at this property with 150 bedrooms many years ago and have de-veloped it into one of the most luxuri-ous and most popular family resorts in the world,” he added. “We pride our-selves on exceeding the expectations of our guests time and time again, and this
Official ribbon cutting ceremony at Key Wext Luxury Village
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20 TRAVELWEEK June 12, 2014
US$3,645,996 in hard dollars, with the total value of implemented programs and services being $16 million between the same period.
Beaches guests can do their part to help local communities by signing up for a Reading Road Trip. In Turks and Caicos, they’ll visit the Enid Capron Pri-mary School where they’ll help to foster the love of reading and improve literacy skills through reading, worksheets and interactive games. They are also en-couraged to donate a gently used book to help build the school’s library.
In other Beaches Resorts news, Adam Stewart announced two new properties in the company pipeline: one in Anti-gua, which will feature a stunning wa-terpark, and another 400-room prop-erty in Barbados, which will undergo a $65 million restoration that will include up to 18 restaurants.
“We know how hard it is for families to find quality time together so all we try to do at Beaches Resorts is connect
program. Bayside overlooks the award-winning Grace Bay Beach and offers an array of international cuisine, while Sky serves up perfectly grilled steaks and delicious seafood on a rooftop terrace. Neptunes, on the other hand, prepares fresh Mediterranean fare to be enjoyed alongside panoramic views of the Ca-ribbean Sea. These three additions bring the total number of restaurants at the resort to 19, more than any other resort in the company’s portfolio.
In total, Beaches Turks & Caicos boasts 758 rooms and suites with 44 categories on over 75 acres, a 7,000 square-foot retail village, its very own Pirates Island-themed aqua playground, an X-Box Play Lounge with plasma screens and much more.
“Beaches Resorts is all about the kids,” said Adam Stewart during a spe-cial media lunch where he praised the brand’s exclusive partnership with Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit edu-cational organization behind Sesame
Street. Now in its 10th year, the partner-ship allows Beaches guests to interact with their favourite characters, like Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch, during spe-cial breakfasts and chance encounters throughout Beaches properties.
Calling Sesame “one of Beaches great-est partners”, Chairman Stewart noted how the two companies share similar sentiments toward education and the preservation of the environment. San-dals Foundation was launched in 2009 as a way to “use our brand strength and valuable partnerships, both locally and internationally, to do more in our Caribbean communities,” said Heidi Clarke, Director of Programs, Sandals Foundation. “In five short years, we’re extremely proud of the over 300 proj-ects and programs we have been able to implement across six islands and the positive impact we’ve made on the lives of thousands of people.”
From March 2009 and February 2014, Sandals Foundation has raised a total of
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22 TRAVELWEEK June 12, 2014
Coco will open its doors in November, just in time for the busy winter season.
As Meliá Hotels International’s 27th ho-tel in Cuba, the new all-inclusive, five-star beach resort was designed to resemble a sugar cane plantation featuring a con-temporary style. It boasts 1,176 modern rooms distributed over 25 three-storey bungalows. Rooms offer stunning views of the pool, gardens or the ocean and will be divided into two sections: one for fam-ilies and the other for adults only.
Meliá’s luxury concept, The Level, the equivalent of Royal Service in Paradi-sus Resorts, will also be available at this property.
Situated just 10 kilometres from the Cayo Coco International Airport on Playa Flamenco, a sheltered long beach bordered by luxurious vegeta-tion, guests will see an abundance of fish, making snorkelling the perfect leisure activity. Families in particular will enjoy the wide range of activities available on site, which include a baby and miniclub.
For those looking for ultimate pam-pering during their stay, Meliá Jardines del Rey will also boast the Yhi Spa, the seventh in Cuba, featuring a beautiful wellness area, tennis courts, fitness gym and both salt and freshwater pools.
Other resort amenities and facilities include an all-new convention centre with Wi-Fi, a tourist village with over 30 shops and four restaurants (opening 2015), five swimming pools, daily activ-ity program as well as shows in the eve-ning, eight restaurants (five à la carte, two pool grills and one buffet), an ice cream parlour, six bars, wedding gazebo and wedding coordinator, and free and à la carte wedding packages.
As an added bonus, guests staying at Meliá Jardines del Rey will benefit from three free daytime resort passes, allow-ing them to visit the other Meliá resorts in Cayo Guillermo and Cayo Coco and sample restaurants and facilities. Fish-ing, diving and birdwatching are just some of the activities that are highly recommended in this part of the island.meliacuba.com
families together by building facilities to allow them to do that,” he added.beaches.com
Secrets Royal Beach Punta Cana and Now Larimar Punta Cana to debut upgradesSecrets Royal Beach Punta Cana and Now Larimar Punta Cana have kicked off enhancement projects that will take place over the next few months.
Over at Secrets Royal Beach Punta Cana, guests will enjoy upgrades to the resort’s restaurants, including the new Seaside Grill (construction starting Aug. 4) and the new Portofino Restaurant. In the beach area, there’ll be a new photo shop and towel area, which will be locat-ed nearby the beach restroom facilities. New coralline terraces will also be added to all Junior Suite Swim-Up rooms, pro-viding better access to the pool.
Additionally, guests at Now Larimar Punta Cana will be able to experience a number of first-class upgrades and ad-ditions, including newly painted walls in the lobby area as well as new furnish-ings such as chairs, sofas, curtains, pil-lows and lamps. Moments Lobby Bar will get a refresh with elegant décor and furnishings while the Preferred Club will see an additional 80 rooms, an ex-panded Preferred Club Lounge and the
rebranding of the Relax Pool into the new Preferred Club Pool that will soon feature a new pool bar (construction starting Sept. 1).
In terms of dining, Now Larimar Pun-ta Cana’s restaurants will enjoy beauti-ful new décor. These outlets include Mercure Restaurant, Tamarindo Res-taurant, Carnival Restaurant, Castaways Restaurant and Spice Restaurant.
And over at the beach, guests will be able to take advantage of a new Water Sports Center and Barefoot Grill, which will be connected to the Preferred Club pool, plus new restroom facilities.
During this construction period for the new Preferred Club rooms at Now Larimar and for the new Seaside Grill at Secrets Royal Beach, nearby room areas may be closed to avoid disturbances. Any guests affected by this closure will be ac-commodated. There will be a minimal visual and noise impact for guests in all other construction areas during this time.secretsresorts.comamresorts.com
Meliá Jardines del Ray set to make a splash in Cayo Coco this NovemberThere’s good news for Cuba-bound travellers this winter season: the brand new hotel Meliá Jardines del Rey in Cayo
Caribbean
Key West Luxury Village at Beaches Turks & Caicos
Travellers save big with group offer from Transat and Nolitours
Group Travel
Sunspots Holidays specializes in customized and escorted group toursAs a travel wholesaler specializing in groups and special interest tours, Sun-spots Holidays has all travel needs covered. Through close airline partner-ships, the company is able to offer spe-cial rates with more than 40 signature carriers including American Airlines, United Airlines, Air Canada, US Air-ways, WestJet, Delta, LAN, TAM, British Midland, TACA and more. Special rates are available on any missionary group to the Caribbean, South America, East-ern Europe, Africa and Asia. And when it comes to special occasion groups, whether it be a wedding, family gather-ing or corporate function, every detail is also taken care of.
Charter flights are available for groups of 70 passengers or more. Sun-
by Cindy Sosroutomo
Transat Holidays and Nolitours have a
special group offer that will save your
clients a pretty penny.
The offer allows travellers to save
$200 per couple and benefit from a re-
duced deposit of $100 per person when
booking any hotel from any gateway be-
fore June 30 for Fall/Winter departures
from Nov. 1, 2014 to April 30, 2015. This
offer is applicable on all groups (mini-
mum 10, maximum 50 passengers) for
South package bookings.
Along with great savings and ad-
vantages for clients, travel agents will
receive double Bonbon rewards on
group bookings for the entire month
of June for reservations made be-
tween June 2–30.
In addition, Transat and Nolitours
are offering a free seat promo: book
100 to 199 passengers and get two free
seats, or book 200-plus and get four
free seats. This offer is applicable on all South Group bookings (excluding Flori-da, Cruise & Las Vegas) made from Nov. 1, 2013 to Sept. 30, 2014 for travel from Nov. 1, 2014 to Oct. 31, 2015. Free seats earned are for travel in Economy Class.
The offer is even more enticing for Atlantic Canada, where travellers can save $300 per couple and benefit from a reduced deposit of $50 per person when booking selected hotels with At-lantic Canada departures before June 30 for Fall/Winter departures from Nov. 1, 2014 to April 30, 2015.
Selected resorts include Melia Hotels International, Bahia Principe, Occiden-tal Hotels & Resorts, Iberostar Hotels & resorts, AMResorts, Palace Resorts, Pal-ladium Hotels & Resorts, Rex Resorts, Hard Rock Hotels & Casino, Velas Re-sorts, Sirenis Hotel & Resorts, and Excel-lence Luxury Hotels & Resorts. transatholidays.comnolitours.com
24 TRAVELWEEK June 12, 2014
Fuji, Hakone and Kyoto; the three-day ‘Hidden Treasure of Shirakaway-Go’ to Takayama, Shirakawa-go and Kanazawa; the eight-day ‘Enchanting Korea’ visiting Seoul, Daegu, Gyeongju, Busan; and the 11-day Korea Heritage & Temple Tour’, which visits Seoul, Gaegu, Gyeongju, Busan, Chungju, Seoraksan National Park, DMZ and more.
taipantours.com
Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit offers groups their choice of perksThere’s even more reason for groups to book the AAA Five Diamond Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit on Mexico’s Pa-cific Coast. The upscale resort is offer-ing a choice of complimentary perks as well as other value-added features for new bookings made through Nov. 1, 2014 for travel from now through Dec. 15, 2014.
Groups can pick one perk from a selection that includes: complimen-tary décor and music for one themed party, like a themed fiesta or a Black & White Gala; complimentary setup for one private event, or a complimen-tary 18-hole round of golf for each guest. Planners also have the option to select one coffee break service stay.
In addition to the chosen perk, one three-night complimentary return stay certificate, 25% savings on all in-house audio visual equipment and one complimentary massage for one designated group member are includ-ed with the package.
The promotion is not valid for groups under contract, combinable with other promotions or special of-fers and restrictions and blackout dates may apply.
Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit features a top-notch convention centre suit-able for any meeting or event, big or small. There’s over 25,000 square feet of indoor meeting facilities, including the Grand Marissa Ballroom at over 6,000 square feet, which can be easily
spots also offers its own fully escorted group departures, including one to Is-rael departing Nov. 9-18 (limited space available so book early). But for groups who wish to travel at their own pace, the company can customize any group tour as well as design digital brochures.
In addition to competitive airfare for groups, Sunspots can attach an exclusive vacation component to the program for added value. For exam-ple, while on a missionary trip in Haiti, groups can spend three days in Santo Domingo at the three-star BQ Santo Domingo hotel for $89 per room, in-cluding taxes.
There are dozens of tours available in Latin America since Sunspots has built a strong network of suppliers in the re-gion. Agents are encouraged to ask the company’s experts about customized tours based on their group’s preferred length of stay and preferences. sunspotsholidays.com
Solo travellers won’t have to pay more to join groups with Tai Pan ToursIn its 25th anniversary year, Tai Pan Tours is not only celebrating the launch of its new 2014-2015 Asia brochure but also highlighting its Explorer product line that includes local escorted group tours in Korea and Japan.
Ideal for solo travellers, these group tours have no minimum number of participants required, meaning de-partures will run with just one person at no extra cost.
“We believe that a customer’s vaca-tion is far too valuable to waste on min-imum tour participant requirements, and that they should not risk their trip being cancelled because someone else is not joining. But more importantly, customers should not pay extra for be-ing solo,” said Lisa Lau, Global Develop-ment Manager, Tai Pan Tours.
Explorer tours include the six-day ‘Dynamic Japan’ visiting Tokyo, Mt.
Group Travel
June 12, 2014 TRAVELWEEK 25
per person when they book as part of a Globus group, or $100 per person when they book as part of a Cosmos group. Plus, there’s a ‘Get Out & Give Back’ 2015 group incentive whereby the company will donate up to $1,000 to the group’s church upon completion of travel. A minimum of eight passengers is required for a $500 charitable dona-tion while a minimum of 26 passengers is required for $1,000.agentlingo.ca
Tauck increases number of small group departures to meet demandAsk Tauck about the state of group travel today and the company will tell you it couldn’t be better. After boosting the number of special small group de-partures on its classic land tours by 30% in 2013, Tauck is once again increasing
subdivided into five separate rooms for breakout sessions or individual workshops.
Once work has been completed, groups can take advantage of the re-sort’s leisure facilities and amenities, including a three-tiered infinity pool. Located on a long stretch of pristine beach, Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit boasts 267 oceanview suites with plasma TVs, wireless Internet access, fully stocked minibar, L’Occitane ame-nities and Nespresso machines.
Of the resort’s five restaurants, three serving French, Italian and Mex-ican gourmet cuisine have received AAA Four Diamond awards. And when guests want the full pampered treatment, they can head over to the resort’s Leading Spa of the World, which features 20 treatment suites and more than 30 spa treatments, many of which are inspired by the na-tive traditions of Mexico.velasmeetingsmexico.com
Globus’ group offers and incentives are still up for grabsThere’s still time to take advantage of Globus’ attractive group incentives. Clients who book and deposit a 2015 group of 16-plus passengers with any of the four Globus brands (Globus, Cosmos, Avalon Waterways and Mono-grams) from March 9 to June 24 will re-ceive a $500 bonus as soon as the group as departed.
Those who book 10 clients on select itineraries from any of the four brands by June 24 will also receive one free pas-senger (up to four comps).
Better still, Globus, Cosmos or Monograms’ groups are eligible for the $100 per person saving on select holi-days of six nights or more when booked by Sept. 16.
For faith-based vacations booked and deposited between March 19 and Sept. 16, 2014, clients will save $200
South Groups Book by June 30 and get more!Fall/Winter Departures, November 1, 2014 to April 30, 2015
*Sav* avSavingsingsgsingsn of of of of of of $200$20020$200$200$200 per perpe pe pe cou coccco ple,le,ple, $10 $ 0 dedeposiposiit pet peeeeer par par pr par par paassenger er and and doubd le Bonbon arre ape ape ape applicplicplip ableeee onon on on new newe bookbookbookingsingsings mad mad ma e bye by June 303000, 20, 202, 2 14 o14 o14 ooon allaln aln an a l Sll Sl SoS thuthuth ppackpackp agesages fofofo, for trr tr trr travelavellla Novovembebebeemberr 1r 1,r 20014 to4 to4 to AprApr Apr Aprililil 3il 300, 2015.5.5 **A **Atlantlantic tictictic CanaCanadada: SSavings g of $of $of $ff $30030000 300 ppeper coupouple le on sen selectlect hotels,s, $5 $50 ddepositsit p perperperpasspasseenger and dod ddd doubleuble BonBo bon onon are applicababable ole on new bookings made by JJJune ununeunne 3003030, 201401401420142020 on allallllall SSoutSouth paah pacckagc ages fs from om r travtravtrtravtravel Nel Nel NNel Novemovemovemovemmbber bbb 1 21 21 21, 21 22014 014 014014 4 totoo AAprilp 30,0,0,0, 201 201 201 20 5. Offerffers dos do notnot app a ly when hen sepasepararate group contractacts areaa reqrequired, land and onlyonly gro groups,pspsups, Flo Floridarida cr, cr, cruiseuiseuise and and and airair a onl only. Ay pplicablble toe to all all gro groupups (minimum 10, maxmaxaxaximumimumimuimu 50 50 passp engeengers) rs) ITC packagesage . **Free seats: Offer applicable on all South Group bookingsngngsngsgs (excludes Fs Fs FFloolorilorilo da,da, a,da, CruiCruiCruiCruise &se &se & LaLas Vegaas) as) a mademaaadede Nov Nov Novembeember 1,r 1, 201 2013 to3 SepSeptetembmbmber 3r 3eeer 0, 20, 2014014 for travel Novemovemberber 1, 21, 2014 014 to Oto Octoctober 3r 31 21 21, 2015015015. FreFre Freee seee s atats earned are fe foror toror tor traveraveraveravel inl inl inEconomy CClasClass Ns. No tro tro t acackckiac ng rg requiq red.red. To To qualqualify,y gro groupssupsps mustmustmustmu have deposit on file. If a cancecellation of group passengers drops below www thethe th miniminimum mum salesales res quirquiremenement tot totto ear earearearn a n ann a seatsea , yoou wiu will bll be che chargearged fd for thhe fre ee sseatseatseats youyou you redred redeemeeemeeememed. Td. Td. Taxesaxeax and feefeeeeees arars ars are noe noe noe t int int t includcluded. . For oFor For termtermtermrms as ans and cod c nditditions, please ask your r grougro p agent. TheT se se oe offerffers mas mamay bey bey bey altalterederederee oror withdrawn at any time and maay bey bey be subsub subjectjectjectj toto to certcertcecertainainainaain condcondcondndditioitioiitions aans ans ans and bnd bnd bnd bn lacklaclackaclackk out ou out oou perper pe perererioiods. Transat HoHolidalidad ys ays ays and Nnd Nn olito ours aree divdivisiois ns of Trf Traansat Tours rss CanaanaCanaCanada ada ada ada a ddnd an re rregiseg tered as travel vel e wholwholesalesalers in OOOOntantarntarntario (io (i Reg.# 505050500094094009009486) 86)86)6) with offices at 191 T1 he West MallM , SuSuite ite 800 800 Etobtobicoke, OON M9N M9C 5KC 5K8, B8 ritiritish Ch Ch Ch Columolumolumolumo bbia biabia (Reg(Reg(Reg. . #. #2454)454) wit with ofh ofh ofo ficesficesficefices at at 555 555 Westt Ha Hastingingngngs Sts Sts Ss Ss S reet, SuuSu, Suitite ite itit 9950,50,50, Va Vanan VVancoucouvcouver, er, BC VBC VCB 6B 4B 46B N5N5 a5 a5N5 nd Qd Qd Qnd Qd uebueuebeuebec (Rc (Reg.# 75454241)241) w with officess at at 300 300 Léo-Léo-é PariPariseauause Str Street,eet,eet, Sui Sui Su te 5te 50000, M tMontrealreal(Q(Quebec) H2X2X2X2X 4C2C2.
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26 TRAVELWEEK June 12, 2014
Group Travel
ify while Enhanced requires a minimum of three full-fare suites.
Travel agents with existing 2014 or 2015 groups departing July 1 or later booked under the previous GAP pro-gram have the option to convert to Sil-ver Simplicity.
Groups that reserve back-to-back voyages will enjoy the applicable On-board Spending Credit for each voyage depending on the length of sailing. On-board Spending Credits are not available for groups booked on expedition cruises.
Group travel is a highly lucrative market for travel professionals looking to boost their income. By reaching out to local schools, companies, houses of worship and other organizations to le-verage a group interest or need, agents can effectively maximize their earning potential. And Silversea’s eight ships, of-fering over 700 worldwide destinations, can provide the perfect itinerary for group travellers wishing to indulge in such common interests as history, art, nature, wildlife, fine wine, gourmet cui-sine and more.
“Our aim with Silver Simplicity is to help travel agents increase their group business by simplifying our policies and making it as easy as possible to sell to groups,” said Kristian Anderson, Silver-sea’s senior vice president and general manager for North America. “Instead of dealing with a complicated point system that varies from voyage to voy-age, agents can now take advantage of a standard group program offered on all voyages, or an enhanced program avail-able on select sailings.
For a list of enhanced group voyage dates, agents can visit the Communica-tions section of My Silversea.silversea.com
portant to the company are the satis-faction levels these departures are cre-ating among its guests. In the three key metrics Tauck tracks (value, likelihood to travel with Tauck again, and overall experience), guests are consistently scoring the small group departures at or above the high marks already earned by regular departures of the same itineraries. tauck.com
Silversea rolls out new simplified group sales programGroups are sailing the high seas with Silversea Cruises’ new Silver Simplic-ity sales program, which replaces the cruise line’s Group Amenity Point (GAP) program.
Available for new group bookings on all future 2014 and 2015 voyages, Silver Simplicity is comprised of The Stan-dard Group Program and the Enhanced Group Program.
The Standard Group Program, which includes one complimentary tour con-ductor berth per nine guests, $200 onboard spending credit per suite for voyages of up to nine days, and $300 onboard spending credit per suite for voyages of 10 days or longer. The En-hanced Group Program on select voy-ages only, which includes one compli-mentary tour conductor per five guests, $200 onboard spending credit per suite for voyages of up to nine days, $300 onboard spending credit per suite for voyages of 10 days or longer, and bonus travel agent commission.
The Standard program requires a minimum of five full-fare suites to qual-
the number of dates by an additional 20% for the coming year.
The small group departures on the company’s Tauck World Discovery land journeys typically average just 24 guests versus approximately 40 on regular de-partures of the same itineraries. In all, Tauck will offer over 360 small group departures on some 55 land tours in North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia and the Middle East.
“While so many of our guests really enjoy the camaraderie and esprit de corps found with our regular group size, we’re also seeing tremendous growth among travellers seeking a small group experience,” said Tauck CEO Dan Mahar. “In fact, bookings on our small group departures are up double digits over last year at this time.”
Mahar went on to note that, while travelling on small group trips does entail additional cost, it can be far less than travellers might expect.
“Guests who want a small group ex-perience on our 18-day ‘A Portrait of India’ journey will pay a modest up-charge of only 8%, or just $39 per day,” he added. “On over 40 itineraries, the cost increase is less than $1,000, and on seven, it’s $500 or less to enjoy a small group experience.”
In addition to small group departures on its regular land journeys, Tauck of-fers a portfolio of ‘Culturious’ trips designed for active boomer-age travel-lers. These host just 17 to 21 guests on average. Also, most of Tauck’s safaris are limited to 20 to 30 guests and the company’s new ‘World Cities’ explora-tions of Florence and London average 24 guests each as well.
While Tauck welcomes the growth of small group travel, even more im-
SeaWorld’s 18-month long 50th Celebration is in full swing with new interactive experiences, shows, animal encounters and prizes. Opening in time for the kick-off was Explorer’s Reef, fea-turing multiple touch pools containing shark pups, rays, skates and little clean-er fish. Starting this summer, new shows like Shamu’s Celebration: Light Up The Night will be sure to draw crowds, while SeaWorld’s Surprise Squad continues to roam the parks each day, giving away prizes and special gifts.
For more information on what’s new in California for 2014, go to visitcalifornia.com.
ALBATours still has space on select June and July Med cruises at special pricingTORONTO — ALBATours has some special pricing on a number of its de-partures for Mediterranean cruises in-cluding select sailings in June and July.
Right now, clients can take a 10-day/8-
night Western Mediterranean cruise
aboard the MSC Musica for $2,099 plus
tax per person departing June 20 or
$2,419 plus tax per person departing
July 18. Pricing includes airfare, a one-
night pre-cruise stay in Rome, a 7-night
cruise that starts and ends in Rome and
travels to Palermo, La Goulette (Tunis),
Palma de Mallorca, Valencia, Marseille
and Genoa, and all transfers in Italy.
ALBATours still has space available
through the summer months until mid-
October, but the pricing that’s available
now is only guaranteed on bookings
made by June 18.
Other cruise options available include:
A 9-day/7-night Eastern Mediterra-
nean itinerary on the MSC Fantasia that
sails roundtrip out of Venice stopping
in Bari, Katakolon (Olympia), Santorini,
Athens, Corfu and Dubrovnik;
A 12-day/10-night Eastern Medi-
terranean itinerary on the MSC Prezi-
osa that sails roundtrip out of Venice
stopping in Bari, Katakolon (Olympia),
Izmir, Istanbul and Dubrovnik;
A 14-day/12-night Western Medi-
terranean itinerary on the MSC Splen-
dida that sails roundtrip out of Naples
stopping in Messina (Taormina), La Goulette (Tunis), Barcelona, Marseille and Genoa.
ALBATours also offers a 22-day/20-night ‘European Grand Voyage’ aboard the MSC Poesia.
Offering an unrivalled combination of land tour and cruise vacation, this itinerary visits a total of seven different countries, starting off in Rome for two nights before taking an escorted coach tour that visits Frankfurt (two nights), Dresden (two nights) and Berlin (two nights), followed by a 10-night cruise that sails out of Warnemünde, to Zee-brugge (Brussels), La Coruña, Lisbon, Gibraltar, Barcelona, Marseille and end-ing in Genoa, after which customers spend two nights in Florence before fly-ing back to Toronto out of Rome.
This tour plus cruise package departs on Sept. 5 and is priced at $4,019 plus tax per person.
For more information, including complete itineraries and pricing, visit ALBAToursAgent.com.
Auto Europe offers free car rental upgrades, savings up to 15% this summerPORTLAND, ME — Auto Europe, a leader in European car rental services for over 60 years, is offering free up-grades and savings this summer.
These savings will expire on June 27, 2014 and the offers include a guar-anteed free one-car class upgrade on various car classes in select European countries. For example in Nice or the Riviera region of France, reserve an economy manual transmission Re-
June 12, 2014 TRAVELWEEK 27
topnews
aircanadavacations.com/agents
8925
Subject to availability at time of booking. Not applicable to group bookings. Flights operated by Air Canada. For applicable terms and conditions, consult the Air Canada Vacations brochures or www.aircanadavacations.com. ®Aeroplan is a registered trademark of Aeroplan Canada Inc. ®Air Canada Vacations is a registered trademark of Air Canada, used under license by Touram Limited Partnership, 1440 St. Catherine W., Suite 600, Montreal, QC.
France Germany Italy Spain
Free nights in Europe
Continued from page 12 ...
H O S T E D T H E F O U R T E E N T H A N N U A L
WestJet & WestJet Vacations
The 2014 Yellowbird Charity Golf Classic on May 16 helped raise thousands of dollars
for the Yellowbird Foundation, which helps rebuild schools in the Caribbean.
“The day was a huge success,” said David LaFayette, President, Travel Guard Chartis
– Canada and co-organizer of the event.
“After 14 years the Yellowbird Golf Tournament, with WestJet as the title sponsor, has
become an event everyone looks forward to. It kicks off the start of the summer season
and it’s the best golf tournament in the travel industry. The weather may have been a
little bit cold this year, but everyone had fun nonetheless”.
On behalf of Gerry Kinasz and all of those at Travelweek and Travel Guard, we want to
thank these sponsors. Without WestJet and all our other partners, we cannot help create
educational opportunities for children in need.
Mark your calendars for next year’s Yellowbird Charity Golf Classic,
taking place on May 15, 2015.
THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS:
30 TRAVELWEEK June 12, 2014
topnewsnault Clio or similar, normally $105 per week and receive a guaranteed free up-grade to a compact manual transmis-sion VW Golf or similar, normally $133 per week.
Upgrades are also available in Belgium.In addition, save 15% off any prestige,
Mercedes Benz or sports car rental in Eu-rope and up to 7% off any European car rental service at any of 10,000 locations. All discount offers are valid for reserva-
tions made now through June 27, 2014 for travel through Dec. 31, 2014.
Upgrade offer validity dates, available locations and applicable car categories vary depending upon rental location and are available in select European countries only. Rates shown subject to change without no-tice. All discount offers apply to time and mileage only. Offers cannot be combined with any other promotion or discount and are subject to change without notice.
Carnival doubles amount of reward points travel agents can earnMIAMI — Carnival has doubled the amount of reward points travel agents may earn while playing Carnival Adven-tures, the line’s award-winning social learning game.
As part of the game, agents earn Fun Points that are then converted to reward points which are redeemable within the Travel Agent Rewards Program.
Prior to June 1, agents could redeem 100,000 Fun Points for 100 Reward Points. Moving forward, agents may redeem 50,000 Fun Points for 100 Re-ward Points, doubling their earning op-portunity. Fun Points are redeemable in 50,000 increments only.
“Carnival Adventures is the most pop-ular activity within our overall Carnival Passport learning management system and we wanted to show appreciation to travel agents for their enthusiasm and support of this groundbreaking edu-cational tool,” said Joni Rein, vice presi-dent of worldwide sales for Carnival.
“Thousands of travel agents engage in Carnival Adventures each month and we’re committed to continually invest-ing in these types of innovative travel agent learning tools.”
Available through Carnival Passport, which resides on the line’s travel agent Internet Portal, GoCCL.com, Carnival Adventures is the cruise industry’s first interactive social learning game. The game features a ‘Carnival Cruise-Ader’ avatar, guiding agents through three levels of training, including first-time cruiser acquisition, Carnival booking tools and policies, and an in-depth training on Carnival’s fleet of ships.
While advancing through each level, travel agents will engage in friendly competition by earning Fun Points. Agents are able to exchange these Fun Points for points in the line’s popular Travel Agent Rewards Program. For each 50,000 Fun Points earned, agents may earn 100 Reward Program points.
Target marketing is vitally important if you want to keep your customers. And re-member the old adage, it costs 10 times as much to acquire a new customer as it does to retain the ones you’ve already got. Cus-tomer retention is where you should focus a lot of your marketing efforts.
In my next three columns we will explore marketing in the following ways: Social Me-dia, Email and Print.
It is vital in the 21st century to use dif-ferent channels to reach all your customers. One size does NOT fit all. Once you under-stand all that you should be doing, it will be important to find a host agency that provides the most comprehensive market-ing services.
BROUGHT TO YOU BY:
MARKETING IS KEY TO INCREASING YOUR SALES, REACHING YOUR CUSTOMERS, AND CUSTOMER RETENTION … AND YET IT IS AN AREA WHERE TRAVEL AGENTS SO OFTEN FALL DOWN. HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED WHY YOUR MARKETING EFFORTS ARE NOT SUCCESSFUL?
It’s probably because you aren’t a mar-keting expert! If you are a travel agent your specialty should be, and likely is, sales. Selling is where you should be concentrat-ing your efforts.
One of the most frustrating aspects of a marketing person’s job is that everyone thinks they know marketing. Everyone has an opinion. Senior executives love to dabble in it. They will scrutinize ad copy, redesign brochure covers and change taglines. This drives the marketing heads crazy, trust me! But they have to play along if they want to keep their jobs.
Good marketing instincts are not human nature. It is a specialty, partly learned at col-lege or university, and partly based on gut instinct for those who have it. The rest of us really should leave it up to them!
And so when you become a home based agent, the very last thing you should have to worry about is marketing your services and spe-cial products and promotions to your database.
One of the most important services you should look for in a host agency is marketing. What do they provide? What does it cost? How much is included in your base fee?
And we’re not just talking ads in your lo-cal newspaper here. In fact, we’re likely not talking about that at all these days.
MARKETING 101 – DON’T DO IT YOURSELF!By JILL WYKES
Target marketing is vitally important if you want to keep your customers... it costs 10 times as much to acquire a new customer as it does to retain the ones you’ve already got.
June 12, 2014 TRAVELWEEK 31
topnews For more information regarding Car-
nival Adventures, including terms and conditions for the point-earning process, travel agents may visit GoCCL.com.
Expedia Affiliate Network expands hotel inventory for early and last minute shoppersTORONTO — Expedia Affiliate Net-work is making it easier for clients to secure a particular hotel/room category for events beyond a year away as well as those booking at the last minute.
“We have extended our booking win-dow limit from 330 days to 500 days. This extends potential sales by adding almost half a year of additional invento-ry to your site,” said Dianne Jackson, Ac-count Management for Canada. Once a booking is confirmed and paid for, the rates are guaranteed.
On the opposite side of the spec-trum, EAN is making sure clients are given the convenience of booking last minute by extending the same day cut off time to 11:59 p.m. “With the trend to more mobile transactions, we need to ensure we offer your clients last min-ute availability,” Jackson added.
Neither of these updates requires any changes to your core API code. Simply update any UI logic for calendars or date selectors to allow customers to search and book within the extended windows.
G Adventures partners with Tourism New Zealand and Air New Zealand, offers 20% off toursTORONTO — Small-group adventure travel tour operator G Adventures is partnering with Tourism New Zealand and Air New Zealand to offer savings.
Through to June 30, 2014, Canadian agents’ clients can save 20% on all New Zealand trips offered by the tour opera-tor, for travel by Dec. 15, 2014.
To take advantage of the promotion, Canadian agents must use promo code 20NZA2014 when booking. If booking air as well, special rates from Air New Zealand may apply.
“Whether your travellers are look-ing for a pulse-racing, three-week Ac-
tive New Zealand adventure; a Classic best-of trip such as Highlights of New Zealand, or a Comfort tour that com-bines meaningful small-group travel experiences with a little more polish like New Zealand in Style, we’ve got you covered,” says Robyn James, marketing manager, Canada, G Adventures.
For a glimpse at the activities and experiences that distinguish a New Zealand adventure, agents are invited
to share G Adventures’ New Zealand Guidebook video with their clients at https://vimeo.com/95531105.
First Lufthansa flight from Munich touches down in TorontoTORONTO — Lufthansa celebrated the first flight from Munich touching down at Toronto’s Pearson Airport with water cannon salute, a taste of the impressive first class cabin, a ribbon cutting cer-emony and more.
Lufthansa expands its long-haul ser-vices from Toronto to include a sec-ond German destination, Munich. The new flight will connect travellers from Toronto to the award-winning global Munich hub throughout the summer travel season, effective June 5, 2014 to Oct. 24, 2014.
The new flight, LH 495, is operated by an Airbus A330-300 aircraft and will feature the new First and Business Class with a configuration of First, Business and Economy Class seats.
“Lufthansa is very pleased to offer Canada’s largest city access to a sec-ond German destination, increasing access to more than 450 destinations in 118 countries,” Hans DeHaan, Direc-tor, Lufthansa Group Canada said. “This reflects Lufthansa’s commitment to the Canadian market and the high level of demand we are seeing here. The new route is a great addition to our services by adding more than 1,500 additional seats to Germany and beyond every week.”
Lufthansa already operates daily non-stop flights between Frankfurt and
Toronto, but this is the first time Lufthan-sa has flown from Toronto to Munich.
Munich, the capital of Bavaria, is the third largest city in Germany and home of the world renowned Oktoberfest cel-ebration. It attracts numerous tourists from around the globe due to its rich German history and culture. The city houses some of the most prominent museums and galleries including the Deutsches Museum, the world’s largest museum of science and technology.
The Lufthansa global hub in Munich of-fers a broad range of connectivity options for travel to and within Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Southeast Asia and Russia.
The Toronto-Munich service is the second new route introduced to Can-ada this year. On May 16, 2014, the Montreal-Frankfurt service was the first new Lufthansa flight launched in Canada this year. The two Cana-dian routes are the only new services Lufthansa will be launching in North American this year.
Photos from the event at Toronto’s Pearson Airport are available to view at travelweek.ca/photos.
AC’s Calin Rovinescu named IATA Chairman for the next yearDOHA — The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has announced that Calin Rovinescu, President and CEO of Air Canada, has assumed his duties as Chair-man of the IATA Board of Governors for a one-year term, effective immediately.
“As we continue to celebrate 100 years of commercial aviation, I am ex-cited at the opportunity of taking on the Chairmanship of the IATA Board of Governors. Air transport delivers enor-mous benefits to the global economy every day. I look forward to working closely with IATA Director General and CEO Tony Tyler to encourage and sup-
32 TRAVELWEEK June 12, 2014
topnews
NETS everywhere1 877 727 6387airliners.ca
Welcoming the new flight from Munich are (from left) Mr. Walter Stechel, Consul General of the
Federal Republic of Germany; Scott Collier, VP of Customer and Terminal Services, GTAA; Juergen
Siebenrock, Vice President, Americas, Lufthansa; and Hans DeHaan, Director of Canada, Lufthansa.
port industry and government policies and practices that will enable aviation to play an even bigger role in the global economy during the second century of commercial flight,” said Rovinescu.
Rovinescu succeeds Richard H. An-derson, CEO of Delta Air Lines, whose one-year term expired at the conclu-sion of the Association’s 70th Annual General Meeting (AGM) and World Air Transport Summit in Doha, Qatar.
“Calin will be a fitting successor to Rich-ard. His proven leadership will be crucial as IATA works with our industry and gov-ernment partners to address a number of priorities, including aircraft tracking, im-proving safety in Africa, and continuing to support ICAO efforts to draft a market-based measure to manage aviation’s car-bon emissions. I know I can count on Calin to provide strong support for the New
Distribution Capability (NDC) initiative to modernize the standard for transmission of airline product offers,” said Tony Tyler.
Rovinescu joined Air Canada in 2000 as Executive Vice President, Corporate Development and Strategy. In addi-tion, he held the position of Chief Re-
structuring Officer during the airline’s 2003-2004 restructuring. From 2004 until he rejoined Air Canada in 2009 in his current position, Rovinescu was a co-founder and principal of Genuity Capital Markets, an independent in-vestment bank. Prior to 2000, he spent more than 20 years in the legal profes-sion, including serving as the Managing Partner at Stikeman Elliott in Montreal.
IATA represents some 240 airlines comprising 84% of global air traffic.
Agents attending Bestway webinars on Egypt, Indonesia and Turkey to be entered into a drawVANCOUVER — Bestway Tours & Safa-ris will be hosting various webinars on three exotic destinations: Egypt, Indo-nesia and Turkey this month.
Agents will also be entered in a draw to win some exciting travel prizes after completing the webinars. The 30-min-ute webinars will be presented by geog-rapher and travel lecturer Peter Langer.
Agents can learn about the wonders of Ancient Egypt, Egypt’s Early Christian and medieval Islamic heritage and dis-cover one of the world’s most important paleontological sites. Explore deserts and cruises on the River Nile. Partici-pants who complete the webinar and answer a few questions will be entered in a draw to win a 4-day Nile Cruise for
June 12, 2014 TRAVELWEEK 33
topnews
aircanadavacations.com/agents
9119
Prices are in Canadian dollars, apply to new bookings only and for departure dates as indicated. Prices are per person based on double occupancy unless otherwise stated in Economy class and include surcharges. Non-refundable. Subject to availability at time of booking. Not applicable to group bookings. International fl ights operated by Air Canada. Holder of Quebec permit #702566. TICO registration #50013537. BC registration #32229. ®Aeroplan is a registered trademark of Aimia Canada Inc. ®Air Canada Vacations is a registered trademark of Air Canada, used under license by Touram Limite Partnership, 1440 St. Catherine W., Suite 600, Montreal, QC.
$2000SAVE
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$7459Add taxes & other fees: $820
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Nine CAA counsellors from nine different CAA Travel stores around Quebec, plus one head office
CAA Quebec colleague from the Travel Products division, recently enjoyed an action-packed learning
experience in the Myrtle Beach area, commonly referred to as the Grand Strand, as part of the first
CAA Quebec fam tour to the destination. Seen here are Brigitte Charrois, Mélanie Gagnon, Sara
Dugal, Johanne Harvey and Kimberly Hartley; and Virginie Hénault and Véronique Dion. The group
flew on Spirit Airlines from Plattsburgh, NY nonstop to Myrtle Beach International Airport,
The Canadian Account Manager, Kimberly Hartley, co-hosted the fam trip with Elaine Michaud,
International Sales Manager, Myrtle Beach Area CVB, showcasing several of the area’s 450 resorts that
cater to the CAA market and member.
The MBA Specialist program continues to offer travel agents detailed information about the
Myrtle Beach area, rewarding lucky winners each month with hotel stays, beach towels, beach bags
and gift cards. Travel agents can register at travelweeklearningcentre.ca.
Agents who wish to visit the destination on their own personal fam tour, can contact Kimberly
Hartley for more information and assistance.
two from Aswan to Luxor. Webinars will be held Wednesday, June 18, 2014 from 9-9:30 a.m. PDT and from 12:30-1 p.m. PDT and on Tuesday, June 24 from 12:30-1 p.m. PDT and from 2:30-3 p.m. PDT.
You can register for a session on Egypt here: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/rt/2523052989486172674.
Indonesia is more than the island of Bali. Bestway Tours & Safaris has organized sev-eral tours that visit the islands of Sumatra,
Borneo, Java, Bali, Komodo, Sulawesi and New Guinea, including several UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Agents will learn about a 15-day tour that includes Indone-sia’s most important islands. Participants who complete the webinar and answer a few questions, will be entered in a draw to win a 4-day vacation for two in Bali.
Webinars will be held Tuesday, June 17, 2014 from 9-9:30 a.m. PDT and Thurs-day, June 19, 2014 from 12:30-1 p.m. PDT.
You can register for a session on In-donesia by visiting https://attendee. gotowebinar.com/rt/3026621618571234306.
Agents have the opportunity to learn about Turkey and an 11-day pro-gram by Bestway Tours & Safaris that covers the best of Western Turkey. This tour starts in the historical city of Is-tanbul and covers places such as Cap-padocia, Pamukkale, Kusadasi Troy and sites relating to the First World War. Participants who complete the webinar and answer a few questions, will be entered in a draw to win a 4-day vacation for two in Istanbul.
Webinars will be held Tuesday June 17, 2014 from 12:30-1 p.m. PDT and Thurs-day, June 19, 2014 from 9-9:30 a.m. PDT.
You can register for a session on Turkey by visiting https://attendee. gotowebinar.com/rt/8110402745593679617.
Registered participants will receive an e-mail with information needed to join. The audio will be available in VOIP. Al-ternatively, participants can call toll free 1-888-433-2192 and enter access code 2582915 to listen to the webinar over the phone.
Copa Airlines offers new nonstop flights from Montreal to Panama CityTORONTO — Copa Airlines has launched four nonstop flights a week between Montréal and Panama City.
The additional flights will accom-modate the growing number of Qué-bec travellers to Panama and positions Panama City’s - Tocumen International Airport as a connection hub for Cana-dians to other Latin America cities.
The new flight is Copa’s second Cana-dian destination after Toronto. Flight 423 leaves Montréal at 9:33 a.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, while flight 422 is scheduled to leave Tocumen at 6 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thurs-days and Saturdays. The five-and-a-half-hour flights arrive in Panama at 2:22 p.m. and in Montréal at 12:49 a.m.
34 TRAVELWEEK June 12, 2014
topnews
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The new routes will strengthen Pan-ama’s position in regional air travel and provide Montréal business and leisure travellers with an efficient way to con-nect to Panama. The airline will add eight new Boeing Next Generation 737-800 aircraft in 2014, bringing its total fleet to 98 state-of-the-art aircraft, and increasing available seats by 10%.
For passengers connecting to other Latin America cities, they are offered a 72-hour stopover in Panama for US$40 per person and a free 30-day health insurance card.
peopleThe Outrigger Expert Agent prize pe-riod has closed on Travelweek’s Learning Centre and Diana Lamirande of Hooked on Travel in Carseland, Alberta was an-nounced as the winner of the 5-night stay. “I was completely surprised when I heard I won this trip, as I don’t usually win any-thing,” says Lamirande. “I have only been in the travel industry for the past year, so when I saw that Outrigger Resorts had a course I decided to do it because it is al-ways good to have the knowledge to re-lay to clients.” The grand prize includes a 5-night say in a partial ocean view room at Outrigger on the Beach in Hawaii, as well as a $100 Amazon gift certificate. While the prizing period is finished, the course will be available to Canadian agents for the rest of the year at Travelweek’s Learning Centre. Agents can learn about the several resorts Outrigger has in Hawaii and across the Pacific region. Agents who complete the Certification Course will still receive these benefits: free Client Welcome Amenity; rewards for joining; reward points redeem-able for cash or merchandise certificates; invitations to exclusive FAM trips; exclu-sive incentives and much more. “Thank you to Travelweek magazine and Outrig-ger Resorts for this great opportunity,” says Lamirande. “I look forward to seeing the resort myself and then I will have firsthand knowledge of what the resort has to offer.” To take the course, visit travelweeklearning centre.ca/partnerCourses/view/23.
Air Canada Vacations has named Amr Younes Vice President, Independent Travel. He will report directly to President Eamonn Ferrin and will be responsible for the development of the North Amer-ica, International, Europe and Cruise pro-gram. He will lead the development of Air Canada Vacations’ strategy through vari-ous corporate initiatives. “Mr. Younes is a seasoned executive who comes to us with over 20 years of experience in the travel
and tourism industry,” said Ferrin, Presi-dent and Chief Operating Officer of Air Canada Vacations. “His leadership skills as well as vast industry knowledge will un-doubtedly serve him well in his new role at Air Canada Vacations.” Younes spent the last 12 years at Thomas Cook Canada where he led several departments, includ-ing the call centre and sales. Most recently, he held the role of Vice President, Cruises (Encore Cruises).
June 12, 2014 TRAVELWEEK 35
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topnews/extras
HRG North America. A Hogg Robinson Group company.
Openings across Canada for Junior, Intermediate and Senior Travel Counselors.Detailed descriptions of the positions can be found at: www.hrgworldwide.com /en-noam/Pages/default.aspx
Qualified applicants should visit our talent network to apply:www.jobs.net/jobs/hrg-north-america/en-us/
It’s the human touch
that makes the difference.
marketplace
36 TRAVELWEEK June 12, 2014
famsTAIWAN/VIETNAMJade Tours, Eva Airways and Taiwan Tourism BureauSept. 5-15Highlights of the tour include two
The winner of a contest in Travelweek’s USA Travel Professional is Nicolle Kirk (right) of Tripcentral.
ca in Hamilton who plans a girl’s getaway with her mother and sister. She receives her prize from
Kimberly Hartley of Visit Myrtle Beach which includes two WestJet airline tickets from Toronto to
Myrtle Beach, a 5-day/4-night stay for two at the Hampton Inn & Suites Oceanfront Resort; Myrtle
Beach attraction tickets to Ripley’s Aquarium, SkyWheel, Brookgreen Gardens and WonderWorks
and show tickets to Legends in Concert, The Carolina Opry and Alabama Theatre.
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Our move to a consumer brand with FCA allowed us to continue the way we did our business and also offer the wonderful array of travel products that Flight Centre offers to our clients. We have a reliable, supportive administrative team and that support is something we very much value and appreciate. – Charlie and Susan Pitchford
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Business Development Managers and Account Managers BC, Alberta, and Ontario
Recently announced as the World’s Leading Travel Management Company in 2013, FCm Travel Solutions creates value by delivering industry-best solutions and cost savings.
Due to expansion, FCm Travel Solutions has opportunities for dedicated Business Development Managers and Account Managers to join our expanding teams in BC, Alberta, and Ontario.
If you have travel sales experience and the limitless motivation that this role demands, we invite you to apply. Whether you are a true sales “hunter” or a seasoned master at building and fostering B2B relationships, these roles are for you.
Enjoy an attractive remuneration plus a host of fantastic benefits. With a focus on developing a cohesive team culture with opportunities for advancement, you will be an integral part of this well respected Employer of Choice.
For more information & to apply please visit www.applyfirst.ca/job56892
marketplace
June 12, 2014 TRAVELWEEK 37
USAROUND UP
& Company. NYC & Company and a dozen of its tourism industry partners recently wrapped up a three-city Canadian sales mission with stops in Vancouver, Montreal and Toronto.
“People want to live like locals” when they travel to New York, said Heywood. “They want to experience the authentic New York City.” Part of that means going beyond the typical tourist attrac-tions in Manhattan, he added.
NYC & Company’s Neighborhood x Neighborhood initiative, showcasing the highlights of all five boroughs, has lots of appeal
NYC & Company’s 5-borough initiative is bearing fruit in the Big AppleTORONTO — Visitors to New York City are not only making the trek beyond Manhattan on getaways to the Big Apple, they’re staying overnight, opening up a world of opportunities for agents looking to sell into the ‘other’ boroughs of Brooklyn, Queens, Stat-en Island and the Bronx.
Some 35% of all hotels built across New York City since 2006 have opened in the four other boroughs, said Christopher C. Heywood, Senior Vice-President, Communications for NYC
especially for mature international markets like Canada – currently the city’s number one international market – where plenty of re-peat visitors are looking for a new angle on the city, he said.
New York City welcomed than 1.1 million Canadian visitors in 2013, a 31% increase since 2006. NYC & Company opened its tour-ism marketing office in Toronto in 2007. New York City is also on track to bring in 55 million visitors worldwide for 2014, one year ahead of its 2015 goal.
What can visitors to the other boroughs expect? Brooklyn is the cool, hipster destination where the streets of Williamsburg and Park Slope are lined with shops, restaurants and hotels too, says Heywood. At Coney Island, the new Thunderbolt rollercoaster re-cently joined the vintage Cyclone.
In Queens, visitors “can go around the world” with Greek, Ko-rean, Indian, Chinese and other populations giving rise to a thriving food and culture scene, said Heywood.
The Bronx is the greenest borough and home to the Bronx Zoo, the Bronx Botanical Garden and the new Wave Hill, not to men-tion Yankee Stadium.
Staten Island is the “bucolic” borough, peaceful and quiet with Snug Harbor and the Chinese Scholar’s Garden. Staten Island is also the borough most in need of more product to make it visitor-accessible, including hotels (a new 200-room property is coming in the next couple of years). Staten Island will also welcome the New York Wheel in late 2016, billed as the tallest observation wheel in the world with an expected four million visitors annually.
Of course, there’s lots going on in Manhattan too. The 9/11 Me-morial Museum just opened, with a US$24 admission rate and free Tuesday nights. All of Lower Manhattan is seeing a revitalization, with new hotels and restaurants. “Lower Manhattan is another op-tion to Midtown for hotel stays,” said Heywood.
It’s easy for visitors to feel overwhelmed in a sprawling, bustling city like New York. The best strategy for clients is to choose a neigh-bourhood or two “and don’t bite off more than you can chew” when it comes to sightseeing, he said. “Go beyond your comfort zone and explore the five boroughs. There’s so much more to New York City than Manhattan.”
Sample itineraries are available at the nycgo.com website, he added. Agents can find an NYC & Company training academy and other sales tools at nycgo.com/traveltrade.
38 TRAVELWEEK June 12, 2014
New York City welcomed than 1.1 million Canadian visitors in 2013, a 31%
increase since 2006. NYC & Company opened its tourism marketing office
in Toronto in 2007. Seen here on the Toronto stop of NYC & Company’s
three-city Canadian sales mission are Christopher C. Heywood, Senior VP
Communications and Jennifer McGibbon, Manager, Public Relations &
Communications for NYC & Company – Canada.
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