All posts filed under: News, Features, Info & Tips

Canada second to last globally, for paid time off work

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TORONTO, March 26, 2013 /CNW/ – Who doesn’t love time off from the office? It’s when we get to relax and unwind, spend time with our loved ones and, of course, travel. Recent findings by Hotels.com®, which looked at the amount of paid and public holiday time around the world, reveal that Canada is near the bottom of global rankings with a mere 15 days, beaten only by Mexico at 13. On the opposite end of the spectrum was Russia, which came out on top with a staggering average of 40 days of paid leave. “There is a substantial level of inconsistency around the world when it comes to the amount of stat holiday or vacation time for employees, particularly when you compare Russia to Mexico or Canada” said Taylor L. Cole, APR, travel expert for Hotels.com. “If you’re looking to take an extended vacation with just two weeks of paid leave, it can be quite the challenge to get that time off. This could lead to vacation deprivation, or travellers either being forced to …

© Cuvee 2013 / Robert Nowell, Cuvée, Niagara, Ontario, Canada, Craft Beer, keg, en Route, European pastries, Black Lager, wineries, icewine, Fallsview Casino Resort

Cuvée 2013 Crushed It! (Niagara Wine Country’s Version Of The Academy Awards)

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Celebrating its 25th Anniversary in 2013, Cuvée is the annual celebration of outstanding Ontario VQA wines and culinary delights over an entire weekend (usually the end of February/beginning of March). The weekend long event started in the Fallsview Casino Resort on Friday night with the Grand Tasting Gala that featured the winemakers’ favourite wines, along with a select group of Niagara’s most renowned chefs treating everyone to sampling plates of their signature dishes – created at live cooking stations. With more than 40 of Ontario’s wineries taking part along with a number of local restaurants it was an evening of intoxicating aromas and delights to the taste buds.

Majority Of U.S. Travelers Struggle To Take All Their Vacation Days

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Best Western Launches Vacation Citation Contest to Empower Travelers to Take Their Vacations PHOENIX, March 18, 2013 /CNW/ – More than half of U.S. travellers expect to leave unused vacation days on the table in 2013 and even when they take time off, travellers struggle to leave the stress of work at the office according to a new Best Western Vacation Citation survey conducted with Wakefield Research. Sixty-two (62) percent of travellers surveyed said they had difficulty taking vacation in the past 12 months and half said work frequently keeps them from relaxing while on vacation. Enjoying their time off is even tougher for frequent business travellers, as 52 percent say work is more likely to ruin their vacation than bad weather. To empower travellers to take vacation, Best Western has launched its Vacation Citation contest on Facebook. Participants can join Best Western’s “Vacation Citation Nation” by issuing themselves or their family and friends an official Vacation Citation and in turn they will automatically be entered in weekly drawings for prizes to inspire travel including Best Western Travel Cards, MasterCard and Amazon Gift Cards, …

Oktoberfest Comes Alive At Night – Wunderbar!

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Stuttgart, Germany – Last year we sampled Oktoberfest during the day [here] and it was a family-friendly atmosphere with beer, dancing on the benches  and singing thrown in for good measure, but what about at night when the adults come out to play? We made a special trip to Stuttgart in the evening to sample the bright lights and the full beer halls in all their glory and I can honestly tell you….. it ain’t nothin’ like the daytime!!! We arrived just in time to have some dinner – around 5:30pm and the halls were filled already. Which one do you choose? We tried a couple during the day, but settled on spending our entire evening in the Dinkelacker beer hall. You have to book months in advance to get in the front section by the band, but we were quite happy to go the back of the hall to watch as the party unfolded before us. The tables seat 30-40 people, but sitting isn’t what you’re there for – standing on the long benches …

Hangzhou, China Kicks Off Worldwide Search for Modern-day “Marco Polo”

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The most beautiful trip in the world – a free tour of Hangzhou, coupled with an amazing monetary award HANGZHOU, China, March 11, 2013 /CNW/ – The ceremony launching the worldwide search for the modern “Marco Polo” was held with grandeur in Hangzhou on March 11. The selected traveler will be entitled to the most beautiful trip in the world, including a 15-day complimentary tour of Hangzhou, the opportunity to experience Chinese lifestyle and an award of 40,000 euros. All the winner is required to do in return is share with the world the details of his or her unforgettable Hangzhou stay. The organizer, Hangzhou Tourism Commission, invited Dr. Liu Yun, Vice President of Google and President of Google China, to the launch ceremony. Liu Yun, on behalf of YouTube, together with Li Hong, director of Hangzhou Tourism Commission, Wang Xinzhang, deputy director of Hangzhou Tourism Commission, and a number of Chinese and foreign guests and reporters, witnessed the release of the “Be the Modern Marco Polo Experience Program” campaign on four major international social …

The average price of a hotel room around the world went up in 2012

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TORONTO, March 5, 2013 /CNW/ – The average price of a hotel room around the world rose by three per cent during 2012, compared with the previous year, according to the latest Hotels.com® Hotel Price Index™ (HPI™). The rate of increase has moderated when judged against the four per cent rise in 2011 as the Eurozone’s problems pulled down the global average and slowed growth in the second half of the year. Three regions drew away from the rest. The Caribbean saw a six per cent rise, North America had one of its best results in recent years growing at five per cent and the Pacific gained four per cent, all outpacing the global figure. Asia added two per cent and Latin America one per cent while the Europe and Middle East region registered a slight fall.

Canadians Have Access to All-Inclusive Air Prices as Airlines Transition to New Advertising Requirements

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OTTAWA, March 5, 2013 /CNW/ – WestJet, Air Canada, Porter, Air Transat, Canadian North, First Air, Air Creebec, Sunwing, Air Inuit and Orca Airways are now displaying all-inclusive air prices on their on-line booking systems—in line with new regulations that came into force on December 18, 2012. The regulations enable consumers to easily determine the total advertised air price and promote fair competition between all advertisers in the air travel industry. They apply to any person who advertises air prices to the public, for travel within, or originating in Canada, through any media. When searching for an air fare, consumers can now expect to see the total all-inclusive price. The success in achieving a high level of industry compliance can be attributed in large part to the Agency’s collaboration with air price advertisers and its efforts to help them understand their obligations and to provide guidance on all aspects of the new regulatory regime. The Agency is continuing to work with the industry to ensure that all advertisers understand all of the regulatory requirements, which includes …

Australia is Hiring, Tourism Australia Launches Search to Fill “Best Jobs in the World”

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New Campaign Highlighting Australian Work and Travel Opportunities Features Six New Dream Jobs March 4, 2013 /CNW/ – Tourism Australia is teaming up with industry and State and Territory tourism partners in a new global campaign directed at the international youth market to promote tourism opportunities provided by Australia’s Working Holiday Maker (WHM) program. At the heart of the campaign is a global competition involving six of Australia’s State and Territory Tourism Organisations that is each offering their own unique “Best Job in the World” as a prize. The six ‘Best Jobs in the World’ each come with an attractive six month salary package worth A$100,000 including living costs and are: Chief Funster (New South Wales) Outback Adventurer (Northern Territory) Park Ranger (Queensland) Wildlife Caretaker (South Australia) Lifestyle Photographer (Melbourne) Taste Master (Western Australia) The competition was unveiled today in Cairns, one of the country’s most popular destinations amongst young travellers, by the Federal Minister for Tourism, Martin Ferguson AM MP, alongside Ben Southall who was the winner of Tourism Queensland’s highly successful “Best Job …

SHOP.CA Launches New Travel Category With “Triple Dip” Travel Rewards

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TORONTO, March 1, 2013 /CNW/ – SHOP.CA announces the launch of SHOP.CA Travel, in partnership with TravelOnly Inc., one of the top-rated travel agencies in North America. Together, this partnership will bring an integrated on-line travel-booking engine to SHOP.CA, adding an exciting new category to SHOP.CA‘s extensive online marketplace with bonus travel reward opportunities. “This partnership offers never before seen value for SHOP.CA members who are also active users of other travel loyalty programs. We are constantly adding selection to create a better experience for our members, and travel is an important category our consumers were demanding. This unique offering has been in the works for over a year,” says Drew Green, CEO and co-founder.