All posts filed under: News

European Visitors Flock To Central America

Published by

Central America was a big hit with European visitors in 2012 according to new figures released by the ministries of tourism of the seven Central American countries. In total Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama – received 832,567 European visitors last year, an increase of nearly 16 per cent when compared to the previous year. The German and British markets experienced the biggest growth last year, and were up by nine per cent and seven per cent respectively. Spain continues to be the main European outbound market for Central America with 151,202 visitors in 2012, followed by Germany (120,911 visitors) and the UK in third place (107,101 visitors). While Costa Rica continues to be the most popular destination for British visitors, a growing interest in the Maya culture and the celebration of the start of a new era according to the Maya calendar resulted in a huge surge in visitors to Guatemala, which received 31,286 British visitors in 2012, 27 per cent more than in 2011. Honduras, another destination with a …

Hotwire Reveals Annual List of Canadians’ Top Ten Destinations for Victoria Day Weekend

Published by

Also announces the “Great Weekend Sale” – Save Up to 70% on Deals for Holiday Travel and Beyond SAN FRANCISCO, May 7, 2013 /CNW/ – Hotwire.com®, a leading discount travel site, today announced the 10 most popular destinations for Canadian travellers booking hotels over Victoria Day Weekend 2013 (May 18-20). This year, more Canadians are staying in Canada, with domestic destinations like Montreal, Vancouver and Ottawa gaining popularity and newcomer Quebec City joining the list. Still, perennial favorite New York City tops the list. The good news is that regardless of where travellers want to venture to this holiday, they can now score even deeper discounts with Hotwire’s biggest sale ever – the “Great Weekend Sale” – offering folks up to 70 percent off weekend Hot Rate hotel bookings made throughout the month of May. [“Great Weekend Sale” ends 5/31/13. Saturday night stay required. Hotwire Hot Rate hotels only] “Hotwire prices are down in eight of the ten most booked cities for Victoria Day, so the trend was already good for holiday travel, and with …

TravelBloggers.ca

Visit Barbados And Get “Free Spending Money”

Published by

Barbados’ Island Inclusive Package Boasts Added Value With “Free Spending Money” On-island Travelers seeking the ultimate Caribbean getaway need look no further than the sun-drenched island of Barbados, now offering even more reasons to flock to the destination this year — free spending money for island experiences! This exciting offer is available for travel May 1 – December 21, 2013 inclusive, but trips must be booked during the period April 29 – June 22, 2013 in order to experience the island known for mastering the art of fine living with daily lessons offered to those seeking to do the same!

TravelBloggrs.ca

Tangiers Group Launches Medical Insurance For Workers, Travellers & Volunteers Living Or Visiting Dangerous Places

Published by

Tangiers forms new international private medical insurance underwriter SLIEMA, Malta, April 23, 2013 /CNW/ – Tangiers Group announce the formation of a product development and insurance underwriting subsidiary called Tangiers Global. The company’s goal is to provide creative insurance solutions for workers, travellers, and volunteers living in or visiting dangerous places.  With the support of Lloyd’s of London, Tangiers Global have launched battleface™, an individual travel medical insurance plan, and International Employee Defence™, (IED), a comprehensive group healthcare plan. “We’ve been managing difficult medical cases for some of the largest international insurance companies since 2006,” said Tangiers Group CEO Christopher Catrambone. “It made sense for us to include product development and insurance underwriting as an extension of the great work our claims department is doing. We’re excited about the team we’ve assembled to carry out this mission.”

Proposed U.S. Border Fee For Canadians Ruffles Feathers

Published by

The United States government wants Canadians to pay to enter the United States to help ease their desperate financial situation. TORONTO, April 21, 2013 /CNW/ – The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Fiscal Year 2014 budget requests a study to determine the feasibility of collecting a fee from pedestrians and passenger vehicles crossing between the United States and Canada by land. Whether this fee would focus on those entering or exiting the United States, or both, and how much each crossing might cost has yet to be determined. “While we appreciate the fiscal challenges faced by our friends in the United States we would prefer the U.S. government focus on ways to reduce obstacles at the border that hinder trade and tourism,” MacKenzie said. The Canada-U.S. economic relationship is one of the largest in the world. Trade in goods and services between the two countries totaled $645 billion in 2010—more than $1.7 billion in goods and services each day. Fees for many commercial goods and agricultural inspections are already charged at the U.S. – Canada border. …

TravelBloggers.ca,albatros-africa.com, Going On Vacation,

The National Airlines Council of Canada (NACC) Says Canadian Travellers Are Paying Excessive Taxes And Fees

Published by

OTTAWA, April 18, 2013 /CNW/ – The National Airlines Council of Canada (NACC) welcomed a federal government report supporting its position that air travellers are being unduly penalized by excessive taxes and fees that are making air travel more costly for Canadians. The report, One Size Doesn’t Fit All: The Future Growth and Competitiveness of Canadian Air Travel by the Senate Standing Committee on Transport and Communications, builds on earlier work of the committee that concluded taxes and fees imposed on travellers and airlines are making Canada’s aviation industry uncompetitive. The senate report includes the following key findings and recommendations: Canada needs a single, cohesive National Air Travel Strategy to chart a new course to ensure competitive air travel in Canada. The Government of Canada must stop treating the aviation sector as a source of public revenue and start recognizing the sector’s ability to create jobs. Airport rent should be eliminated. Canadians continue to drive to U.S. airports to take advantage of lower airfares at an alarming rate. The rules governing the use of foreign pilots should be strengthened. “We note that …

Icelandair And WestJet Join Forces To Open The Skies Between North America And Europe

Published by

QUINCY, Mass., April 17, 2013 /CNW/ – WestJet and Icelandair have launched a new interline agreement opening up the skies for passengers connecting between the Americas and more than 20 Icelandair destinations throughout Europe. Passengers can now book a single combined e-ticket for WestJet and Icelandair flights which includes the conveniences of single check-in for all flights and baggage sent through to the final destination.                                  When connecting in the Americas, Icelandair customers will enjoy WestJet’s fleet of Boeing 737 Next-Generation aircraft serving more than 80 cities in North America, Central America and the Caribbean.

WestJet, TravelBloggers.ca

WestJet expands code-share with American Airlines

Published by

New cities now available via American Airlines’ Dallas-Fort Worth hub CALGARY, April 15, 2013 /CNW/ – WestJet announced today it will begin code-sharing on American Airlines flights to 16 new cities beyond Dallas-Fort Worth in conjunction with WestJet’s new, non-stop service between Calgary and Dallas-Fort Worth launching April 29, 2013.  WestJet and American Airlines together will provide three round-trip flights per day between the two cities.   The WestJet code has now been added on American Airlines-operated routes connecting through Dallas-Fort Worth to Albuquerque, N.M., Austin, Texas, Nashville, Tenn., Charlotte, N.C., Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Jacksonville, Fla., Kansas City, Mo., Orlando, Fla., Miami, Fla., New Orleans, La., Oklahoma City, Okla., Raleigh-Durham, N.C., San Antonio, Texas, St. Louis, Mo., Tampa Bay, Fla., and Tulsa, Okla. “Our airline partnership strategy continues to grow, offering guests additional opportunities to connect throughout WestJet’s world and beyond,” said Chris Avery, Vice-President, Network Planning, Alliances and Corporate Development. “The addition of 16 new cities beyond Dallas-Fort Worth greatly increases connectivity for both WestJet and American Airlines guests, opening new markets for business …

Go Airport Shuttle, TravelBloggers.ca

New app Lets Travellers Book Airport Shuttles Quickly With Just One Click

Published by

The GO Group has launched an updated app that allows travellers to book a GO Airport Shuttle from their mobile phones.  The new version called GO Airport Shuttle, stores users’ personal information, which speeds up the booking process thereby making it easy for travelers to find transportation in their destination city. To make a reservation, users simply access the app and enter their flight, arrival and/or destination information and the app connects them with reservations for an airport shuttle service. This program also now stores a customer’s information, so travellers who use the app multiple times will be able to book transportation with just the touch of a button.  “Mobile devices [are] increasingly becoming the booking method of choice for travellers, so this app allows one-stop shopping for all travel needs, allowing anyone to book ground transportation quickly from any location,” said John McCarthy, president of The GO Group – serving more than 50 airports in the United States, Canada and Europe. The app is ideal for anyone that travels to international destinations like London, Paris, Toronto, Mexico City, as …