weak pricing in the caribbean hits proﬁts of mass market...

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

May 1, 2014Volume 42 Issue 17

PM40015622

Weak pricing in the Caribbean hits profits of mass market cruise linesMIAMI — The Caribbean is the most pop-ular region in the world for cruise lines.

But the major mass market lines are finding that it’s not all smooth sailing in the region.

Sure the staterooms are full but lines such as Carnival and Royal Caribbean have had to

be creative with discounts and special pro-motions, cutting into first quarter profits.

And, in a sign of the times, Royal Ca-ribbean will be moving its glitzy new Quantum of the Seas to Shanghai after an inaugural season to the Bahamas and Caribbean from Bayonne, NJ.

Royal Caribbean sees the Caribbean re-maining challenging for the rest of 2014 while Asia-Pacific and Europe are seeing strong bookings at strong pricing.

Demand for European sailings from all key sourcing regions and for China sailings remain particularly strong and double digit yield improvements are expected for both products.

“Despite pressures in the Caribbean, the diversity provided by our global footprint is proving its value. This model has allowed us to take advantage of the strong demand for our European and Asian products, while successfully navigating pressures in the Caribbean,” said Jason T. Liberty, chief financial officer.

In China, Quantum of the Seas will join Mariner of the Seas and Voyager of the Seas in Asia, increasing the company’s ca-pacity in the region by 66%.

Pricing pressure in the Caribbean meant first quarter net income fell to $46.1 mil-lion compared to $78.2 million in the first quarter of 2013.

Ticket revenue was in line with expec-tations across most key itineraries and, as expected, Caribbean yields were down slightly while yields in other itineraries were up nicely.

Booking volumes for the past three

C A T I O N

OUT NOWLUXURY EDITION

3 CLIA CRUISE WEEKCLIA Cruise Week is the new name for

CLIA’s National Cruise Vacation Week

9 CARNIVAL CAMP OCEANCarnival Cruise Lines is introducing a new

Camp Ocean program for children

12 USA ROUND-UPIPW in Chicago gave delegates a chance to

find out the latest U.S. travel news

30 FEATURE THISSoftvoyage has launched TripBook and

TripSearch to help agents perform better

THISWEEK

Hurtigruten’s expedition ship, the MS Fram, sails exclusively in Polar waters. The company has an early

booking deal for all 2015 Antarctica voyages booked by June 30, 2014.

For full selection of hotels, visit SignatureVacations.com

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a company

May 1, 2014 TRAVELWEEK 3

topnews In addition to North America, the

promotion will take place in the UK, Ireland and Australasia. In North America, the event will be held Oct. 6-13, a prime travel booking time-frame. It will include enhanced fea-tures, offers and tools, including a CLIA Cruise Week ‘How-to’ guide for travel agencies and agents.

These tools will provide informa-tion on how to make the most of this

months have been up about 16% year-over-year, with bookings for the past eight weeks up by more than 20%, stronger than typical post-Wave peri-ods. For example, the company expe-rienced a record booking week at the end of February which is an unusual time for so much activity. As a result, load factors and APDs are higher than same time last year. While the promo-tional environment in the Caribbean has contributed to the strong booking volumes, demand has also increased for other itineraries.

Carnival Corporation & plc saw net income drop to $2 million for the first quarter of 2014 compared to $67 mil-lion in the first quarter of 2013.

Carnival Corporation & plc President and Chief Executive Officer Arnold

Donald said “we see progress with our continental European brands and con-tinue to be pleased with Carnival Cruise Lines’ pace of improvement.”

On a constant dollar basis, net rev-enue yields (net revenue per available lower berth day or ALBD) decreased 2.1% for 1Q 2014.

Since January, booking volumes for the remainder of the year are running well ahead of last year at lower prices. At this

The promotion, which has been a public relations and sales success for agents, cruise lines and consumers for a decade, is now going global. While oth-er CLIA associations outside of North America have held similar promotions under different names, to drive consis-tency in branding and greater consum-er awareness, the promotion will now utilize the ‘CLIA Cruise Week’ name in-ternationally.

time, cumulative advance bookings for the remainder of 2014 are ahead of the prior year at prices below prior year levels.

Donald noted, “We have experienced a solid wave season, with booking volumes up almost 20% globally surpassing last year’s cumulative advance booking levels, albeit at lower prices.”

‘CLIA Cruise Week’ new name of CLIA’S annual National Cruise Vacation WeekFORT LAUDERDALE — The new name – ‘CLIA Cruise Week’ – replaces the for-mer Cruise Lines International Associa-tion’s (CLIA) National Cruise Vacation Week.

THIS MODEL HAS allowed us to take advantage of the strong demand for our European and Asian products, while successfully navigating pressures in the Caribbean.

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“‘CLIA Cruise Week’ will continue to offer promotions and opportunities for consumers, travel agents and cruise lines,” said CLIA President & CEO Christine Duffy. “This is the cruise industry’s single largest annual promotion and represents an impressive collaboration between CLIA’s cruise lines and thousands of CLIA travel agencies and travel agents.

“Dedicated public relations and mar-keting will assure it receives significant attention and market penetration.”

The promotion has been conducted during the fall each year in North Amer-ica and under several names including National Cruise Vacation Night and Na-tional Cruise Vacation Month. The tag line has consistently been ‘The World’s Largest Cruise Sale’ and that will remain for CLIA North America.

CLIA Cruise Week is one of many new CLIA programs designed to meet agents’ changing needs. These include a new CLIA website scheduled for roll-out this summer and an updated and enhanced educational curriculum. CLIA is also busy evolving CLIA’s travel agent value propo-sition. Based on travel agent and agency owners’ feedback, the project will provide new resources and benefits, which will be exclusive to CLIA agent members.

For more on the benefits of CLIA membership, visit cruising.org.

Clients save up to 65%, agents earn 13% by booking Sandals with Holiday House and FunSun VacationsTORONTO — Sandals is on sale with Holiday House and FunSun Vacations.

Right now, savings of up to 65% off are available at any Sandals resort, which is valid throughout the year on select departure dates and room cat-egories with a minimum six-night stay.

On top of that, when clients book by May 14, 2014, these exclusive offers are also available:

An air credit of $150 per couple plus up to $555 in additional Sandals air cred-its (must be booked before May 1 with a minimum six-night stay. It is applicable for travel up until Dec. 26, 2015, and var-ies depending on resort) that are auto-matically reflected in pricing;

A US$100 coupon per room for Is-land Routes Caribbean Adventures, the official excursion provider for Sandals, for clients to use during their stay (not applicable to Sandals Royal Bahamian or Sandals Emerald Bay);

$200US off* your stay and less than 3 hours away. Learn more at GoToBermuda.ca

*Restrictions apply

4 TRAVELWEEK May 1, 2014

topnews

EditorPatrick Dineen, Ext. 132, [email protected]

Managing EditorKathryn Folliott, Ext. 128, [email protected]

Associate EditorCindy Sosroutomo, Ext. 130, [email protected]

French Journalist for Profession VoyagesAriane Cloutier, 450-531-6193, [email protected]

Graphic DesignerJonathan Carmichael, Ext. 126, [email protected]

Web Application DeveloperAntonio Carito, Ext. 134, [email protected]

Web Graphic Designer & Online StrategistMichael Smith, Ext. 125, [email protected]

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CirculationDenys Cruz, [email protected]

AccountingMarie Mercado, Ext. 121, [email protected]

ENVOYGlen Harwood, Ext. 133, [email protected]

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Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary & Edmonton 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. 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 | 05012014

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4x bonus Loyalty Points – a value of more than $50 – on every booking; and

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up to $265 in booking bonus savings and up to $355 in Romance & Spa bonuses.

Visit HolidayHouseAgent.ca or Fun SunAgent.ca for more information and to book.

The Travel Agent Next Door signs up a range of preferred suppliersTORONTO — The Travel Agent Next Door is not only signing up new agents at a rapid rate following a very successful launch last month, the group has been busy signing agreements with key sup-pliers that fit the group’s strategy for its agents, according to the organization.

“We are very pleased with the re-sponse to the launch of our business,” said Flemming Friisdahl, founder, The Travel Agent Next Door. “Suppliers have been very receptive to our busi-ness model and we are very pleased to announce the first group of suppliers we will be working with and support-ing through our network.”

The Travel Agent Next Door will have 32 preferred and approved suppliers. The fol-lowing is the first group being announced: Transat Holidays/Nolitours, Kensington Tours, Exotik Tours, Norwegian Cruise Lines, Princess Cruise Lines, Viking River Cruise Lines, Trafalgar Tours, Holiday House and Air Canada Vacations.

Friisdahl said suppliers have been im-pressed by The Travel Agent Next Door’s unique approach to agent compensation, which assures suppliers support from their agents. “Our agents will be focused on our preferred and approved suppliers like no other group,” said Friisdahl. “They are mo-tivated in every way to support them.

“Our supplier list is further augmented by our affiliation with TRAVELSAVERS and the Affluent Traveler Collection,” said Friisdahl. “While our agents are highly motivated to sell our preferred and ap-proved suppliers, we recognize that in order to satisfy their customers on oc-casion, our agents need access to a wide range of suppliers and the TRAVELSAV-ERS and the Affluent Traveler Collection arrangement makes this possible.”

Today’s list is by no means a reflection of the final supplier lineup for The Trav-el Agent Next Door, he said. A further group of suppliers have already signed and will be announced very soon.

The Travel Agent Next Door was cre-ated to fully support the home-based travel agent.

Friisdahl said the program offers mem-ber agents benefits and opportunities that are unmatched by any other home based group in Canada. Through an affiliation with TRAVELSAVERS and the Affluent Traveler Collection, The Travel Agent Next Door has access to a broad range of pro-grams. The company has a head office in downtown Toronto and a branch office in Vancouver with ACTA, TICO, CLIA and IATA designations. To contact The Travel Agent Next Door, visit thetravelagentnext door.ca or call 416-367-TAND (8263).

Sunquest brings back ‘Sun Deal’ incentiveTORONTO — Sunquest has brought back its popular ‘Sun Deal’ incentive, offering agents the chance to earn up to 20x Loyalty Points simply by booking.

Valid on all new Sunquest package bookings (air-only, land-only, cruise and online B2B2C bookings are not eligible) made between April 23 and May 30, 2014, for travel anytime, from any gateway, for any duration and to any destination, with Sun Deal, everyone is a winner.

Once a booking is complete, agents simply need to go online to Sunquest Agent.ca, enter their valid booking num-ber and play to win. The number of bonus points that can be won range between 2x and 20x Loyalty Points, which can then


topnews

For more information, contact your Tour Operator or1-800-SANDALS

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be redeemed for gift cards (among other things), valued up to $100.

After each play, Sunquest will send an e-mail to the agent confirming the prize that was won and the bonus Loy-alty Points will be automatically added to each agent’s account every week.

The more you book, the more you can play, and the more you can win.

The Sun Deal promotion is also com-binable with all other Sunquest offers, including the current Sandals/Beaches/Grand Pineapple promotion that gives customers up to $500 in added benefits, including an air credit of up to $400 per couple and a relaxed payment policy re-quiring a deposit of just $300 instead of full payment at time of booking.

Visit SunquestAgent.ca to find out more.

The Sandals Difference is in the details: RichardsTORONTO — Agents need to know what they’re selling to their clients, now more than ever, especially when it comes to all-inclusive resorts.

That’s the message from Lorna Rich-ards, training manager for Sandals Re-sorts, in town last week to kick off the company’s cross-Canada series of travel agent workshops.

From dive inclusions (or exclusions), to the quality of on-site spas, to the safety and organization of kids’ clubs,

“it’s all in the details,” she said. And those details make the Sandals Differ-ence, and that’s why the resort chain is picking up its ‘The Closer You Look, the Better We Look’ theme for its work-shop series.

Sandals’ Red Lane Spas, for example are “second to none”, she says, and while spa treatments aren’t included in the base price, “you can pre-sell and make some extra money. Your clients are doing an average of two treatments while they’re on holiday.”

A new Beaches brochure, coming soon, details the quality inclusions at the family-friendly resorts, from the V.I.K. kids’ camps to a kids’ dive program. Ex-

periences like the Scratch DJ Academy are also commissionable, she adds.

Richards also talked extensively about destination weddings, a pio-neer market for Sandals. While only a handful of agents at the Toronto workshop were certified Sandals Wedding Specialists, Richards said she always encourages agents to take part in the program. “It’s an amazing way to grow your business,” she said, adding that Sandals’ Your Wedding. Your Style offers a customizable wedding-planning tool for agents and their clients.

The Re-Tie the Knot program, offer-ing vow renewals, is another potential


topnews

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Maureen Barnes-Smith, Director of Sales & Marketing, Unique Vacations Canada Inc. meets with

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the Luxury-Included properties.

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ALBATours’ fall 2014 transatlantic crossing cruise now on saleTORONTO — The fall 2014 sailing of

ALBATours’ popular transatlantic cross-

ing cruise is now available in the system

and features savings of up to $900 per

couple when booked by May 16.

This 26-day/24-night cruise holiday,

which this year will take place aboard

the Costa Mediterranea, starts from

$2,799 plus taxes & fees per person.

That price reflects an early booking dis-

count of up to $200 per couple plus a

free stateroom upgrade.

Departing from Toronto on Nov. 16,

2014, this cruise holiday package includes:

A direct flight from Toronto to Rome, with a connecting flight to Na-ples, aboard Alitalia;

A 6-night pre-cruise tour in Italy that visits Sorrento, Pompeii, the Amal-fi Coast and Rome, and includes trans-fers, city tours, 4-star hotel stays and some meals;

A 19-day/18-night cruise that stops in various ports in the Mediterranean before heading across the Atlantic to the Caribbean and disembarks in Mi-ami; and

A direct flight from Miami to To-ronto aboard WestJet.

In the Mediterranean, the Costa Medi-terranea will pick cruise guests up in Sa-vona, Italy on Nov. 23 and take them to Marseille/Aix en Provence, Casablanca, Funchal/Madeira and Tenerife before heading west across the Atlantic. After five days at sea, the ship will arrive in St. John’s, Antigua, followed by stops in Tor-tola, Catalina Island and Grand Turk be-fore wrapping up in Miami on Dec. 11.

For more information or to book, visit ALBATours.com or TravelBrandsAgent.ca.

Carnival Cruise Lines introduces new marine-themed ‘Camp Ocean’ children’s programMIAMI — Carnival Cruise Lines is un-veiling Camp Ocean – a new marine-themed children’s program coming to its fleet of 24 ‘Fun Ships’.

Set to debut on Carnival Freedom on May 24, the expansive new program will immerse children ages 2-11 in the wonders of the sea through fun, engag-ing and educational experiences. More than 200 new ocean-inspired activi-ties will range from educational games such as Sea Creature Discovery, Marine Life Trivia, Under the Sea Mad Libs and


topnews

Continued on page 21 ...

MyMagic+An incredible new level of Walt Disney World magic.In 2014, we’re enhancing the Guest experience like never before. MyMagic+ makes

you a true superhero, giving you the power to unleash an unparalleled Disney

experience to your Clients.

Unlock a new dimension of magic for your Clients with MyMagic+.For more information, visit disneytravelagents.ca.

Disney FastPass+Now your Clients can reserve access to select attractions and entertainment

experiences before they leave home, and add and make changes on the go

with FastPass+ service. Guests will discover more attractions than ever before

to pick from. Plus, for the first time, they can even select fireworks and parade

viewing areas, shows, Disney Character Experiences and more! And best of all,

it’s included in Theme Park admission.

Online PlanningAfter your Clients book their vacation with you, tell them to visit

StartYourDisneyExperience.com. There, they can access My Disney Experience

and discover an incredible family of online tools to personalize their experience

— before and during their visit.

MagicBandsWith the simple touch of a MagicBand, your Clients can connect to all the choices

they made online. They can use their MagicBand to enter their Disney Resort hotel

room, enter Walt Disney World Parks and access FastPass+ attractions. They can

even purchase food and merchandise at select locations if they are staying at a

Disney Resort hotel.

Valid Theme Park admission required. Disney FastPass+ attractions and entertainment experiences, the

number of selections Guests can make and available arrivals are limited.

Online registration required.

MagicBands are available to Guests staying at select Disney Resort hotels and for purchase at select

merchandise locations. Credit card must be presented at Disney Resort hotel check-in for purchases with

MagicBand. Purchases are charged to Disney Resort hotel account. MyMagic+ is a service provided in

the U.S. MagicBands are intended for use in the U.S.

Memory MakerWhen Guests add Memory Maker to their vacation package, they’ll enjoy an

unlimited array of photos taken by Disney PhotoPass Photographers during their

vacation — plus, photos taken at select attractions and Character Dining locations.

Memory Maker includes photos taken during the Memory Maker window and associated to the Memory

Maker Guest’s My Disney Experience account. Photos will expire pursuant to the expiration policy at

mydisneyphotopass.disney.com/help-and-support. If Memory Maker is added to a Magic Your Way

Package, any photos taken within three days from the date Memory Maker is purchased will not be included

and must be purchased separately. Not responsible for missing, lost or damaged photos. Subject to Memory

Maker Terms and Conditions.

©Disney ©Disney/Pixar CS-14-32189

USAROUND UPIPW 2014 in Chicagoby Devin Kinasz

CHICAGO – U.S. Travel Association’s IPW 2014 recently took place in the Windy City of Chicago, with more than 1,400 buy-ers and 6,200 delegates from over 70 countries in attendance. With nearly 24 million Canadians visiting the U.S. in 2013 (up 3% from 2012), and Canada representing 34% of inbound arriv-als, it’s obvious that U.S. travel equates to big business.

Research shows that Florida continues to draw the highest number of Canadians with 37% in visitor nights. New York fol-lows close behind with 19%. A total of 60% of Canadians arrive in the U.S. via car and 35% by air, with 79% going for leisure com-pared to 11% that go for business.

From the beaches of Hawaii to the theatre district in New York, the U.S. has a lot to offer Canadian travellers. But with so many destinations and attractions it’s hard to keep track of what’s new. Below are key takeaways from IPW 2014 from the different destinations across the United States:

– Brand USA will be launching an IMAX film about the coun-try’s beautiful national parks by Academy Award-nominated production company MacGillivary Freeman Films. It will be launched in theatres around the world next year. Furthermore, Brand USA has recently announced representation in Canada – Sana Keller and Patrice Bell.

– Chicago has unveiled the new Terminal 5 at O’Hare Internation-al Airport, marking the completion of a US$26 million transfor-mation by Westfield featuring 24 new luxury retail and dining options. Expedited customs clearance means Canadians can use self-service kiosks for U.S. border clearance, getting them more

quickly to all the great shops, restaurants, architecture, theatre, museums and city sights Chicago has to offer.

– The 9/11 Memorial Museum will open on May 21 in New York at The World Trade Center. It is a 110,000 square-foot exhibi-tion space dedicated to preserving the history of the events of 9/11 by documenting the impact and exploring its significance through stories, artifacts and multi-media displays.

– New York City has 34 new hotels in the pipeline for 2014, plus another 55 over the next two years. Highlights for 2014 include the CitizenM Hotel in the theatre district (114 rooms); Hamp-ton Inn Manhattan Financial District near Battery Park (62 rooms); Archer Hotel luxury property in the Garment District (180 rooms); aloft Financial District downtown (128 rooms); and four new properties by Hilton dotted around the city.

– California has launched its ‘Dream Big’ global brand platform presenting the state as the land of boundless opportunity to consumers across the world. Several events are set to take place this summer with the Amgen Tour of California cycling tour in May, Summer Solstice Parade & Festival in Santa Barbara in June, California State Fair in July and Mammoth Lakes’ Bluesapalooza taking place from July 31-Aug. 3.


Chicago

– There’s plenty to be excited about in Orlando, with Universal Orlando Resort debuting the Wizarding World of Harry Potter Diagon Alley this summer. Walt Disney World will complete the New Fantasyland, which represents the Magic Kingdom’s largest expansion in history. And SeaWorld Orlando launched its 50th anniversary celebration, ‘A Sea of Surprises’, with an array of spe-cial events taking place throughout the year. Orlando will also be the host of IPW 2015.

– DO AC is encouraging travellers to experience everything Atlan-tic City has to offer this summer. The city will host a plethora of events including the DO AC Sand Sculpting World Cup, Lady Gaga Boardwalk Hall, Challenge Triathlon, 4th of July Fireworks, Atlantic City Airshow, DO AC Pro Beach Volleyball Invitational, Miss America Competition and the DO AC Boardwalk Wine Promenade.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter Diagon Alley


– In Washington D.C., two new hotels are opening in May within close proximity to the Convention Center: Marriott Marquis Washington D.C. and Cambria Suites Washington D.C. Conven-tion Center. Both properties feature state-of-the-art meeting and conference facilities and are located minutes away from the Smithsonian Museums, National Air and Space Museum, Na-tional Mall and the White House.

get to Texas with either WestJet or Air Canada, both of which fly into multiple destinations within the state.

– Several ski resorts in Montana will be merging to offer the ‘Big-gest Skiing in America’. These include Big Sky Resort, Spanish Peaks and Moonlight Basin. Now with 5,750 acres of skiable terrain and a 4,350 vertical life, in combination with an average snowfall of 400 inches, Montana has emerged as a leading op-tion for avid Canadian skiers.

– The Florida Keys & Key West is adding 1,100 new rooms over four years. Highlights for 2014 include the new Playa Largo Re-sort & Spa Autograph Collection (90 rooms); the new Hyatt Place (125 rooms); the new Seaport at the Key West Bright, a project by Northwood Hospitality Group (96 rooms); Fairfield Inn & Suites, formerly Days Inn, set to reopen (131 rooms); The Gate of Key West, formerly Quality Inn (100 rooms); and Hilton Garden Inn, formerly Lexington Hotel (140 rooms).

– Another exciting year is in store for Las Vegas. Caesar Entertain-ment has debuted a new shopping district, while the highly anticipated LINQ’s High Roller observation stakes its claim at the world’s largest observation wheel at 550 feet. Jubilee! has re-turned to Bally’s, Olivia Newton John arrives at The Flamingo, Mamma Mia opens at The Tropicana and the Liberace Experi-ence premiers at Neonopolis.

Photo courtesy of Kobby Dagan / Shutterstock.com

– A total of 650,000 Canadians drive through Virginia on the way to other destinations such as Florida. In order to entice travellers to stay and play, the state has launched Virginia’s Cultural Re-gion campaign. The region brings together Alexandria, Arling-ton, Fairfax County, Loudoun County, Prince William County and Manassas for a mix of history, culture, dining and shopping.

– Jay Peaks, Vermont’s renovation project will see more than $40 million invested this summer, on top of the $300 million in resort-wide improvements already spent. Projects include a new 80,000 square-foot base lodge with restaurants and locker rooms, a rental centre and hotel, 84 new mountain cottages, and a complete revamping of the resort’s entrance.

– Boston will welcome nearly two dozen new hotels this year, which help represent a total of 3,000 additional rooms over the next few years. New properties include The Inn at Hastings Park, Mirbeau Inn & Spa, TownePlace Suites by Marriott and The Verb Hotel. Furthermore, the $82.5 million Silver Line Gateway Expansion will begin in 2014, providing a link between new ho-tels in East Boston and Chelsea, the airport and downtown with a travel time of 15-20 minutes.

– Texas is seeing upward growth in international arrivals thanks to new nonstop flights on Turkish Airlines, British Airways and Emirates. In addition, Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways will start flying to the Lone Star State later this year. Canadians can

The Jefferson Memorial during the Cherry Blossom Festival

The High Roller at the Linq, Las Vegas

Meliá Hotels debuts newest YHI Spa in Cuba at the Meliá Marina Varadero

by Condy Sosroutomo

Meliá Hotels has once again raised the bar for luxury travel in Cuba with its newest YHI Spa at the trendy Meliá Marina Varadero. Featuring an infinity pool and high-level treatments, this ur-ban sanctuary caters specifically to the most discerning of clients.

YHI Spas are also available at Meliá Cayo Santa Maria, which boasts six tennis courts, climbing wall and a ful-ly equipped gym, as well as the Meliá Buenavista Royal Service Resort & Spa, the only Meliá property offered entirely with Royal Service. Located in Cayo Santa Maria, this 104-suite adults-only resort offers à la cart dining only, spa-cious rooms in bungalows built on stilts, butler service and a pool and beach concierge.

Three of the YHI Spas are located at Paradisus Hotels: Paradisus Rio de Oro Resort & Spa on Esmeralda Beach in Holguin, Paradisus Princesa Del Mar Re-

sort & Spa in Varadero, and Paradisus Varadero Resort & Spa, also in Varade-ro. The YHI Spa at Paradisus Varadero offers three exclusive spa packages for mom and daughters with kid-friendly skin products.meliacuba.com

More fun to be had at Pestana Cayo Coco with SunwingKnown for its white sand beaches and stunning sunsets, Cuba has long been a favourite destination among Canadian travellers. Knowing this, Sunwing Vaca-tions has ensured a wide array of travel options in this sun-soaked locale, in-cluding affordable family holidays and romantic escapes for two.

For example, the tour operator of-fers the Pestana Cayo Coco Beach Re-sort, a four-star gem located on the

quaint islet of Cayo Coco. The newest addition to Pestana Hotels & Resorts, Pestana Cayo Coco offers comfort-able accommodations with balconies or terraces.

With a spectacular beachfront location in Cayo Coco, this resort boasts a wide variety of dining op-tions, from buffet to specialty res-taurants, in addition to relaxing spa treatments, water sports, basketball, a pool and play area just for kids and a kid’s club. For an authentic Cuban experience, guests can sip mojitos at the beach bar or feast on traditional Cuban cuisine at El Rancho.

And as an added bonus, Canadians can enjoy the convenience of being able to hop on Sunwing’s direct flights to Cayo Coco from 13 Canadian gate-ways, making this tropical island an even more attractive destination for travellers.sunwing.ca

Caribbean

Both kids and adults can book Beaches’ new sailing experienceBeaches Resorts is sailing the high seas with its newly launched sailing program at Beaches Turks & Caicos Resort Villages & Spa, Beaches Negril Resort & Spa, and Beaches Ocho Rios Resort & Golf Club.

Offered in conjunction with the American Sailing Association (ASA), the new ‘Sailing Fun’ Experience in-cludes four two-hour sailing sessions designed to introduce both children (ages eight and older) and adults to the sport of sailing.

The cost of the program is US$150 per person and includes all four two-hour sessions with fellow Beaches Re-sorts guests. Alternatively, parents and children can choose to take a private course for a total cost of $500 for up to four participants. If guests are not able to complete all sessions during

their vacation, hours completed can be

transferred between all Beaches resorts

within 18 months of the first class.

Upon completion, participants will

receive a ‘Sailing Fun’ Experience card

from Beaches Resorts and the ASA.

They will also be registered on the

ASA website and their participation at

Beaches Resorts will count towards an

ASA Sailing Certification.

The ‘Sailing Fun’ Experience can be

booked on site at any Beaches resort,

or in advance by calling 1-800-545-

8283 or online.

beaches.com

RIU to open its first hotel in St. Martin this JuneRIU Hotels & Resorts has added an-

other property to its portfolio with

the recent purchase of the luxury

Riu Palace St. Martin. This US$45

million investment will welcome its first guests in June and will boast 252 rooms, an exceptional seafront loca-tion, several restaurants, bars, swim-ming pools, sports and a mini-club for the little ones. There’ll also be a complete spa and marina, wedding venues and aquatic activities to keep guests entertained all day.

Known as an exclusive destination in the Caribbean, St. Martin beck-ons with its famous beaches, tropical climate and warm hospitality. Most cruise lines make a stop here, giving passengers the chance to experience the island’s plethora of restaurants and leisure activities.

With this new hotel, RIU increases its presence in the Americas where it already has 17 hotels in Mexico, seven in the Dominican Republic, five in Jamaica, two in Cuba, two in Costa Rica, and one property each in Pana-ma, Aruba, Bahamas and Miami.riu.com

E X C E P T I O N A L

The renowned brand Meliá Cuba is enhanced with its Royal Service & The Level, offering guests amazing experiences in a paradise-like setting. It is the perfect combination for an exceptional stay.

WWW.ROYALSERVICECUBA.COM

PARADISUS I Paradisus Princesa del Mar I Paradisus Varadero I Paradisus Río de OroMELIÁ I Meliá Cohiba I Meliá Habana I Meliá Santiago de Cuba I Meliá Buenavista I Meliá Marina Varadero

ROYAL SERVICE & THE LEVEL


Radisson debuts its latest Caribbean hotel in TrinidadThere’s a new player set to make a splash in Trinidad. Radisson has an-nounced the opening of the new Radis-son Hotel Trinidad, a 243-room hotel in Port of Spain featuring stunning views and the city’s largest guestrooms.

“This is the third hotel we have opened in the Caribbean in the last year with this ownership group. We are excit-ed about this expansion and are pleased to welcome a hotel that is perfect for both business and leisure guests,” said Javier Rosenberg, chief operating officer, Radisson

Guests are treated to a bevy of ameni-ties and facilities, including Olympia Res-taurant where they can enjoy themed buffet breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as à la carte menu items. There’s also 360 Degrees Restaurant, the only revolv-ing restaurant in Trinidad, which is also available to book for special events.

Other amenities include compli-mentary high-speed Internet access, business centre, fitness centre, outdoor swimming pool and complimentary parking. And for your business clients, there’s also flexible meeting and event space that can accommodate up to 1,200 people. A dedicated meetings director is on staff to assist in the plan-ning and catering of a wide range of events, from social functions to busi-ness meetings.radisson.com

Sunspots Holidays extends 20% off promo on Caribbean packagesSunspots Holidays is sweetening the spring season by extending its special 25% off promotion on all Caribbean packages, now available through May 30.

“The Caribbean is an incredible desti-nation to spend some vacation time for any traveller,” said Christy Kurian, Di-

rector of Sunspots Holidays. “Sunspots specializes in the Caribbean islands and offers a full range of services for any traveller, any age group, any duration and any preference.”

The tour operator offers net and com-missionable airfare rates with all major air carriers to the Caribbean islands, in-cluding American Airlines, Air Canada, United, US Airways, Delta, LAN, TACA, Copa Airlines and Air Transat. In addi-tion, Sunspots now offers higher com-missions on Caribbean Airlines’ flights and other select major carriers.

As for accommodations, travellers are spoilt for choice. In the Caribbean, the company offers luxury private villa rentals that accommodate anywhere from two to 40 guests, as well as ultra-luxe villas on completely private islands. Villas can in-clude private beaches, swimming pools, tennis courts, private staff and more.

For adventurous guests, private vehicle rentals are available at several Caribbean islands. Rentals are available for the full duration of the holiday or for a few days.

And to complete the booking, Sun-spots can also arrange for group and private transfers from the airport, city tours and excursions ranging from raft-ing to snorkelling. All packages can be customized to fit the needs and prefer-ences of the client.

sunspotsholidays.com

Sandals embarks on cross-country spring workshop for travel agentsSandals Resorts is hitting the open road to conduct a series of travel agent workshops that will allow agents to increase their product knowledge of new resorts and desti-nations as well as gain valuable tips on how to use the company’s various sales and marketing tools to increase their bottom line.

The fast-paced workshops are open to agents seeking to become Certified San-dals Specialists and current CSS agents

Caribbean


who need to maintain their status. The morning sessions run from 8:00 a.m.–12:15 p.m. and breakfast will be served (with the exception of one afternoon session in Sudbury and two evening ses-sions in Ottawa). Space is limited and agents are encouraged to register early.

A non-refundable fee of $35 is re-quired at time of registration. All partic-ipants will receive a workbook and col-lateral kit as well as a certificate upon completion of the workshop.

The spring workshop schedule in-cludes: Hampton Inn & Suites, Barrie, ON (May 1); Ottawa Conference & Event Centre, Ottawa, ON, 5:00 – 9:15 p.m. with light dinner (May 1, English); Otta-wa Conference & Event Centre, Ottawa, ON, 5:00 – 9:15 p.m. with light dinner (May 1, French); Fairfield Inn & Suites, Belleville, ON (May 6); Kingston Banquet & Convention Centre, Kingston, ON (May 7); Holiday Inn Burlington, Hamil-ton/Burlington, ON (May 7); Monte Car-lo Inn & Suites, Markham, ON (May 8); Hilton Garden Inn Niagara-on-the-Lake, St. Catharines/Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON (May 8); Toronto Don Valley Hotel & Suites, Toronto, ON (May 13); Hilton Vancouver Metrotown, Burnaby, BC (May 13); Sheraton Vancouver Guildford Hotel, Surrey, BC (May 14); Coast Victo-ria Harbourside Hotel, Victoria, BC (May 15); Hilton Garden Inn West Edmonton, Edmonton, AB (May 21); iHotel, Red Deer, AB (May 22); Hilton Garden Inn Calgary Airport, Calgary, AB (May 23); Cedar Meadows Resort & Spa, Timmins, ON (June 4); Steelworkers Union Hall & Conference Centre, Sudbury, ON, 1:00–5:15 p.m. with light lunch (June 5); Holi-day Inn Halifax Harbourview, Halifax/Dartmouth, NS (June 10); Ramada Plaza Crystal Palace, Moncton/Dieppe, NB

(June 17); Holiday Inn & Suites Pointe-Claire, Montreal/Pointe-Claire, QC June 18, English); Delta Brunswick, Saint John, NB (June 18); Cascades Casino Resort, Langley, BC (June 24); Hilton Vancou-ver Airport Hotel, Richmond, BC (June 25); and Coast Capri Hotel, Kelowna, BC (June 26). Agents can register online.uvisandals.ca/workshops

Grand Cayman’s Morritt’s Resort debuts The Londoner luxury sectionMorritt’s Resort, a 184-unit property in Grand Cayman, will open a 20-unit luxury section called The Londoner as part of the company’s silver anniversary this May.

Vacationers can book The London-er’s Grand Opening promotion, which offers a two-bedroom suite for US$250 per night (accommodates for up to six people), a townhouse for $275 per night (for up to six people) and a three-bedroom penthouse for $250 per night (for up to eight people). Taxes of 13% and metered utility charges are extra. Rates are valid on reservations made for travel from May 18-Oct. 30 and are subject to availability.

Travel agents booking Grand Open-ing rates will receive a 10% commission.

Accommodations at The Londoner include extra-large private balconies overlooking the beach, ‘Caribbean Chic’ décor, ocean views, and fully appointed kitchens with granite countertops and stainless steel appliances.

“The Londoner has all the ingredients that will help provide a truly luxurious ex-perience in the Cayman Islands and I am

very proud of what we have built,” said

David Morritt, developer and president

of Morritt’s Properties Ltd. “My staff and

I look forward to welcoming first-time

visitors to the Cayman Islands and those

who keep coming back because they

have fallen in love with the island and ev-

erything Morritt’s Resort has to offer.”

When not dining in-room, guests can

enjoy delectable dishes at the resort’s

restaurants, including David’s Deep

Blue Restaurant & Bar and Mimi’s Dock

Bar & Restaurant, which include daily

happy hour and festive themed nights.

Among the many on-site leisure ac-

tivities are Tortuga Divers and Red Sail

Sports, which provide jet skiing, kaya-

king, wind surfing, banana boat rides,

scuba diving, full- and half-day snorkel-

ling and boat excursions.

For those looking for the ultimate

pampered experience, La Mer Spa pro-

vides everything from manis and pedis

to massages and skin care treatments.

La Mer Spa is located on-site at the

Morritt’s Resort Tortuga Club and is

open seven days a week.

Kids can enjoy their own fun at

Camp David, a kids activities program

that caters to guests ages four through

12. Activities include sandcastle build-

ing, scavenger hunts, cave explorations,

beach Olympics, arts and crafts, nature

walks and more. Half-day (US$45 per

child) and full-day ($80 per child) ses-

sions are available daily (except Tues-

day). Evening sessions ($50 per child,

including dinner) are held from 6-10

p.m. daily (except Tuesday). Camp Da-

vid offers discounts for families enroll-

ing three or more children.

morritts.com

CAYO COCO, CUBA

ONE WEEK . ALL INCLUSIVE

$595 + $315 Taxes

TORONTO DEPARTURES

Toronto departures. Price is gross per person based on double occupancy for 7 nights on all inclusive vacations (unless otherwise specified) and was available at the time of printing. Seats at the above price are limited and subject to change without prior notice. Applicable to new bookings only. Not combinable with any other offers. Transportation taxes & related fees shown must be pre-paid. Applicable local taxes payable in destination are extra (CUBA 25CUC). 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, Ontario, M9W 1K6. Ont Reg #2476582 | 05012014

PESTANA CAYO COCO BEACH RESORT

Torochan25CU


Hurtigruten’s experience in Polar waters makes it an expedition leader

Cruising

by Kathryn Folliott

When you’ve been sailing ships in Po-lar waters for 120 years, you learn a thing or two about cruising in chal-lenging environments.

Hurtigruten’s expedition ship, the MS Fram, and the company’s Captains and crew are the only ship to operate 100%, year around on Polar itineraries.

Hurtigruten’s expertise is such that it trains the Pilots (and has for years) required to escort vessels into some of the most sensitive and pristine Po-lar waters.

And unlike other operations, the ship, Captain and crew do not deploy to the Mediterranean or the South Pacific or other non-Polar parts of the world. “This fact alone creates an exclusive level of dedicated expertise not found anywhere else,” says the company.

It can also go a ways in reassuring cli-ents who are new to expedition cruis-ing, especially in this part of the world.

And because who you cruise with can be just as important as where you cruise, Hurtigruten is justifiably proud of its Expedition Team, who serve as hosts onboard and ashore, and lead lectures on history, geology and the eras of human exploration. “Our Ex-pedition Team is carefully picked for their local knowledge, specific exper-tise in fields of relevance and most important of all, their enthusiasm, curiosity and love for the areas we choose to spend time in on any one of our expeditions. They are modern explorers, willing to share stories, in-terpret what you see and guide you to the most interesting sites and experi-ences,” says the company.

Hurtigruten has an early booking deal for all 2015 Antarctica voyages, of-fering savings of up to 25% for bookings made by June 30, 2014.

The line’s featured itinerary, the Po-lar Circle Expedition, departing Jan. 28

and Feb. 11, comes with savings of up

to US$3,300 per person. Other options

include the 19-day Great Antarctic Ex-

pedition, the 19-day In the Realm of the

Great Explorers and the 10-day Land of

the Penguins.

hurtigruten.us

Double the sights, twice the fun with Grecian Holidays’ Greece & Turkey cruiseThere’s no better way to discover the

splendours of Greece than by boat,

something Grecian Holidays can at-

test to. Its 14-day ‘Grecian Odyssey’ not

only showcases some of the country’s

most stunning islands, but also sails

into neighbouring Turkey for a compre-

hensive multi-destination voyage.

Order the complete product brochure

only from Hurtigruten

WWW.HURTIGRUTEN.COM

To register as a fully commissioned seller of Hurtigruten Voyages, contact the North America Office

call 855-850-1877 or visit www.hurtigruten.com*Offer valid on select sailing dates. Not included: Flights, transfers, luggage handling and travel insurance. Offer subject to availability and Hurtigruten’s normal booking conditions. Offer open to new bookings only and cannot be added retrospectively. Ships’s Registry: Norway.

THE LIGHTS ARE ON IN NORWAY

During Europe’s Off-Season

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SAVE UP TO 25% ON SPECTACULAR NORTHERN LIGHTS VOYAGES*


Starting in Athens, travellers head to Corfu where they’ll spend five nights on what is considered the greenest of all the Greek islands. From there, they’ll head back to Athens to board a Louis cruise vessel for their week-long cruise, with a first stop in Istanbul.

The voyage continues through the Mediterranean to the port city of Kusa-dasi. A full day is spent in the paradise retreat of Santorini, famous for its sun-sets and whitewashed houses. While on its way to Crete, the ship stops at Ag Nikolaos where travellers have the op-tion to explore the ruins of the Palace of Knossos.

The romance of Santorini is followed by the charm of Rhodes, also known as the ‘Island of Roses’. The trip winds down with stops on the islands of Chios and Mykonos.

“We at Grecian Holidays are con-stantly looking for ways to enhance travellers’ experiences and give them greater insight into local cultures and customs,” said John Andreopoulos, President of Grecian Holidays. “With ‘Grecian Odyssey’, we felt combining two destinations into one package was the best way to achieve the great-est results. It’s a cruise getaway that will leave a lasting impression.”

Grecian Odyssey is priced from $2,099 per person, double occupan-cy at a four-star hotel and $2,299 at a five-star. Price includes five nights’ accommodation in Corfu with break-fast and dinner, seven-night Greek Is-lands & Turkey cruise in an inside cab-in, meals as per itinerary, one night in Athens with breakfast, afternoon city tour in Athens, all transfers, meeting and assistance, local taxes and service charges and domestic air flight from

Athens to Corfu, return, including air-port taxes. A cruise port tax of $375 applies. Departures run from April 20 through Oct. 19.grecianholidays.com

Princess Cruises’ 2015-16 Americas sailings go on sale May 13Princess Cruises’ new 2015-2016 Ameri-cas lineup goes on sale May 13 with sail-ings in the Caribbean, Canada and New England, Panama Canal, Mexico, Hawai-ian Islands and West Coast, and dura-tions ranging from three to 28 days.

One dozen ships will sail on more than 230 departures on 48 itineraries to 86 destinations. Guests will have the opportunity to sail on Princess’ two newest cruise ships to the Caribbean — Royal Princess and Regal Princess —while for the first time ever, two of the line’s largest sister ships, Crown Princess and Ruby Princess, will be positioned together on the West Coast.

Princess will also offer a nostalgic 50th anniversary cruise to Mexico and a new five-day Mexico sampler cruise with an overnight stay in Cabo San Lucas.

Regal Princess will sail on seven-day voyages roundtrip from New York to New England and Canadian ports. Ca-ribbean Princess will sail on the line’s popular 10-day itinerary between New York and Quebec.

Five ships will sail to the Caribbean from Ft. Lauderdale and Houston, in-cluding Regal Princess and Royal Prin-cess. Regal Princess will offer both sev-en-day Eastern and Western Caribbean

voyages, while Royal Princess will sail on the line’s most popular Caribbean itin-eraries: the 10-day Southern Caribbean Medley and 10-day Eastern Caribbean Voyager. Other ships in the Caribbean include Emerald Princess, Ocean Prin-cess and Caribbean Princess. Coral Prin-cess and Island Princess are back in the Panama Canal.

On the West Coast, four ships will be deployed from three homeports — L.A., San Francisco and Vancouver — to Hawaii, Mexico and along the California coast.

A nostalgic 50th Anniversary cruise to Mexico, where the line first sailed, will take place on Pacific Princess de-parting Dec. 3, 2015 - the same day Princess Patricia departed on its first-ever cruise in 1965.

Crown Princess and Ruby Princess will become the largest sister ships to sail from the West Coast this season of-fering a variety of destination options including Mexico, Hawaii, and Califor-nia Coastal voyages sailing from L.A. Grand Princess will return to San Fran-cisco for voyages to Mexico, Hawaii and along the West Coast. Star Princess will also offer voyages to Hawaii roundtrip from Vancouver in spring and fall.

Crown Princess will offer a fall depar-ture of the increasingly popular 28-day Hawaii, Tahiti and South Pacific itinerary.

Three- and four- day Getaway voyages will return on three different ships with departures on Crown Princess and Ruby Princess, in addition to fall departures on Star Princess. Passengers will also have the option of an all-new five-day Getaway itinerary, offered in November and December on Star Princess that in-cludes an overnight in Cabo San Lucas.princess.com

Cruising

airliners.ca 877 727 6387 grecianholidays.com800 268 6786

CRUISETHEGREEKISLANDS


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Ocean Artifacts Memory Tray to cre-ative arts opportunities such as Design Your Own Aquarium, Make Your Own Sailboat, Sea Salt Art and Create a Pen-guin from Oreos.

Camp Ocean, which will replace the line’s existing Camp Carnival program, will welcome youngsters in with light blue and white underwater coloured spaces and friendly, experienced staff. Three age-related categories will each have their own identity: children ages 2-5 will be dubbed ‘Penguins’, with those ages 6-8 called ‘Sting Rays’ while 9-11 year olds will be ‘Sharks’.

Distinctive areas and activities have been custom-created for each of the new age designations – from miniature play igloos for the Penguins to inter-active gaming stations for the Sharks. On Carnival Freedom, which began a multi-million dollar refurbishment last week, and Carnival Vista, which debuts in 2016, a new purpose-built Camp Ocean play area will include Party Reef, a common shared space that brings each of the groups together, as well as Creative Cove, a breakout room for arts and crafts activities.

“While our current children’s pro-gram consistently gets very high marks, we’ve challenged ourselves to exceed expectations with a truly dynamic and diverse program for our young-est guests,” said Mark Tamis, Carnival’s senior vice president of guest opera-tions. “With our new highly tailored age groupings and themed activities con-nected to the oceans and their fascinat-ing underwater habitats, we’re excited to invite kids to Camp Ocean to have an extra special and memorable Carni-val vacation experience.”

Camp Ocean also provides travel agents with an exceptional family-friendly feature to market to their cli-ents with children, he noted.

The new Camp Ocean activities span across 11 key categories of play, in-cluding the core themes of active play, games, free play, arts and crafts and dig-ital, coupled with additional categories

such as role play, music, party time, sci-ence and discovery, social and food fun, all designed to find the ideal combina-tion of activities catering to children’s varied interests.

Carnival will also introduce a Badge Challenge as part of Camp Ocean, which will provide the opportunity for kids to earn and collect badges as a special me-mento of their cruise. Badge challenges will include a variety of unique activities that provide an original way for kids to learn about their vessel, experience on-board adventures and gain a sense of ac-complishment. After completing tasks which may include trying a new food, making an aquatic towel animal or rid-ing the water slide, children will collect corresponding Camp Ocean badges.

The new Camp Ocean program builds upon Carnival’s leadership posi-tion in family cruising with more than 700,000 kids expected to sail on Car-nival ships in 2014. Another recently announced enhancement to the line’s children’s programming is a partner-ship with Dr. Seuss Enterprises to intro-duce the family-focused Seuss at Sea, with youth, family, dining and enter-tainment experiences inspired by the world and words of Dr. Seuss.

Carnival’s popular programs for tweens and teens, Circle C (for 12-14 year olds) and Club O2 (for 15-17 year olds) will continue across the fleet.

Rollout of Camp Ocean will be-gin aboard Carnival Freedom in May 2014 following a major refurbish-ment which will also include the line’s

first Dr. Seuss Bookville interactive reading venue. Camp Ocean will be introduced on Carnival Magic, Car-nival Breeze and Carnival Triumph later this year with the balance of the fleet implemented by 2016, including Carnival Vista which is set to debut in early 2016.

Goway adds Iceland to destinations it offersTORONTO — Goway is adding Iceland as a new destination, either for a holi-day or as a stopover en route to Europe with Icelandair.

“Iceland is nature at its best, and it’s all concentrated in a small country that makes it easy to experience,” said Karl Kannstadter, General Manager for Go-way’s Latin America, who travelled to Iceland recently.

“Millions of birds, thousands of wa-terfalls, hundreds of hot springs and 15 active volcanoes as well as the midnight sun in summer and the northern lights in winter.

“The long days of summer mean plenty of daylight hours to hike the pristine landscapes, take a four-wheel drive over a glacier, or to go for a swim in a thermal pool. In winter the coun-tryside is bathed in the eerie light of the Aurora Borealis, local festivals abound and snow sports are a must.”

Goway offers three group tour itin-eraries, and two self-drive itineraries for

aircanadavacations.com/agents

8942

Visa required for Turkey. Prices refl ect applicable reductions, are subject to change without notice and cannot be combined with any other offer or promotion. Prices are in Canadian dollars, apply to new bookings only and for departure dates as indicated. Prices are per person based on double occupancy, in Economy class. Non-refundable. Subject to availability at time of booking. International fl ights operated by Air Canada. Holder of Quebec permit #702566. TICO registration #50013537. BC registration #32229. ®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.

Istanbul Cappadocia Pamukkale Kusadasi Canakkale

Highlights of Turkey

13 days | 11 nights From Toronto or Ottawa Oct. 17, 2014

$2249Add taxes & other fees: $560

Add $250 for departures from Vancouver, Calgary or EdmontonAdd $125 for departures from Halifax and $190 from Winnipeg

Continued from page 9 ...

the 2014 season, as well as three and four day Reykjavik stopovers, for those travelling to and from Europe.

To promote its newest destination, Goway is offering a free tour of the Blue Lagoon Geothermal Spa on bookings on any of their 2014 summer trips.

For more information, call one of Goway’s specialists at 1-888-469-2955 or visit Goway.com.

Firdosh Bulsara joins TravelBrands Inc. as new Vice President, Commercial, for ALBAToursTORONTO — Firdosh Bulsara has been named Vice President, Commercial, for ALBATours, announced Frank DeMari-nis, CEO of TravelBrands Inc.

In this new role, Bulsara will take over the management of ALBATours from Gianni Bragagnolo, who has man-aged and grown the brand for the last 37 years and will continue on with the company as a consultant.

“We are proud to welcome Firdosh to the TravelBrands team,” said De-Marinis. “With his incredible wealth of experience in the travel industry,

and knowledge and insights when it comes to brand growth and develop-ment, I know that Firdosh will be a valuable member of our organization and a key player in ALBATours’ con-tinued success.

“Firdosh takes over from Gianni Brag-agnolo, and those are big shoes to fill,” continued DeMarinis. “Having built AL-BATours from the ground up, Gianni’s passion for the brand and its products has been integral in its success; we are delighted he will continue on as a con-sultant as we further grow the ALBA-Tours offering.”

Bulsara is based at TravelBrands’ Mis-sissauga head office and can be reached at [email protected].

Hapag-Lloyd Cruises names GLP Worldwide Canadian representativeTORONTO — GLP Worldwide Expedi-tion Travel & Tours, which represents a wide range of cruise and land products in Canada, now represents Hapag-Lloyd Cruises in Canada.

Many may think the Hamburg-based is a huge container shipping company only but the line also has another divi-sion and owns four luxury cruise ships that sail all around the world with many ports of call in Europe, Asia and Africa.

It is one of the oldest shipping com-panies in the world going back to the 19th century.

“For those well versed with cruising, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises is the ultimate in luxury ship cruising with exceptional ser-vice and activities on board,” said Alan Law, director of sales and marketing for GLP Worldwide Expedition Travel and Tours. “In Canada they are not known but for those seeking elegance, range of activities, superb cuisine and fascinating itineraries Hapag-Lloyd Cruises will never disappoint even the most discerning traveller.”

Hapag-Lloyd Cruises operates four ships: MS Europa, MS Europa 2 – the newest ship to join the fleet, MS Hanseatic and the MS Bremen. The MS Europe 2 was awarded the Berlitz Cruise Guide’s 2014 highest rating of 5-stars plus – the only ship to be awarded such an honour. Both the MS Hanseatic and the MS Bremen are Hapag-Lloyd Cruises’ two expedition ships.


topnews

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Prices are subject to change without notice and cannot be combined with any other offer or promotion. Prices are in Canadian dollars, are valid at time of printing, apply to new bookings only and for departure dates as indicated. Prices are per person based on double occupancy, from Toronto - Pearson International Airport in Economy

class and include surcharges. Non-refundable. Not applicable to group bookings. Flights operated by Air Canada or Air Canada rouge. For applicable terms and conditions, consult the Air Canada Vacations brochures or www.aircanadavacations.com/agents. ®Aeroplan is a registered trademark of Aimia 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.

aircanadavacations.com/agents

JAMAICANon-stop fl ights from Toronto, Hotel & Transfers

$679Add taxes & other fees: $417

Jamaica Grande Resort AAAa

All-Inclusive Exclusive renovated oceanview rm.

From left to right: Firdosh Bulsara, Frank DeMarinis and Gianni Bragagnolo.

Hapag-Lloyd Cruises feature the culi-nary creations of Michelin-starred chef Dieter Miller on board the MS Europa. In 2014, GLP Worldwide is featuring ‘Con-noisseurs of Cuisine’ cruises that not only focus on luxury but gourmet cuisine for culinary enthusiasts. These gourmet-themed cruises will feature top chefs and culinary experts from traditional German cuisine to Italian ice cream makers.

For all of the Connoisseurs of Cui-sine cruises, Hapag-Lloyd will be using its newest ship in the fleet, the Europa 2. This 5-star plus 500 passenger luxury ship combines the latest technology and design trends with a casual and stylish ambience. The suites are incred-ibly spacious and amongst the largest afloat.

Cuisine takes centre stage with seven restaurants on board from romantic fine dining to casual grill options and even Asian specialty dishes. Spa, pools, entertainment centre and lounges will keep guests occupied.

Hapag-Lloyd features many themed cruises for families, golfers, music lov-ers, short excursions and international expeditions. For complete details on itinerary, pricing, terms and conditions, visit GLP Worldwide at glpworldwide.com/products/Hapag-Lloyd-Cruise/.

Porter to launch new summer route between Stephenville and Halifax June 28TORONTO — Porter Airlines is intro-ducing seasonal service between Ste-phenville, NL, and Halifax.

From June 28 to Aug. 31, Porter will operate one weekly roundtrip flight, with introductory one-way fares be-ginning at $163, including all fees and taxes.

“As the only scheduled service be-tween these destinations, we’ll be able to offer passengers an easier, more af-fordable flight option than anything that is currently available,” said Robert Delu-ce, president and CEO of Porter Airlines.

Stephenville is Porter’s fourth desti-nation in Atlantic Canada, with flights already operating from Halifax, Monc-ton and St. John’s.

Between June 28 and Aug. 31, Porter will offer a Saturday flight departing from Halifax at 4:55 p.m. and landing in Stephenville at 6:35 p.m. A return flight departs Stephenville on Sunday at 9:30 a.m. and arrives in Halifax at 10:25 a.m. All times are local.

Silversea offers new ‘Silver Select’ promotion exclusively in U.S. and CanadaFORT LAUDERDALE — For a limited time, Silversea Cruises is offering a spe-cial booking incentive exclusively in the U.S. and Canadian markets.

Its new Silver Select promotion en-ables guests to personalize their voyage with three offers: a two-category suite upgrade, a $500 per person credit to-wards the purchase of the Silver Sky air program or a $500 per person onboard credit that can be used for shore excur-sions, spa treatments, specialty restau-rants and more.

Silver Select is available on new book-ings made by June 30, 2014 for select voyages sailing this year in Alaska and the Mediterranean.

The Silver Select promotion is avail-able on 26 voyages and is a capacity-controlled program and subject to availability. Travel agents must mention promotion code NASELECT03 at the time of booking to receive this special offer. For complete details and fares, visit Silversea.com/silverselect.

Club Med offers Buccaneer’s Creek in Martinique from $1,699 including airMONTREAL — Club Med has a new offer to the French West Indies – seven nights flight included starting at $1,699 per person for departures from Toron-to and Montreal between Aug. 23 and Oct. 25, 2014.

Clients must book by June 24 to take advantage of this offer.

For more information and to book, visit clubmedagents.ca.

Sunwing launches new Destination Weddings GuideTORONTO — Sunwing Vacations is launching the newest edition of its Des-tination Weddings Guide.

The theme, ‘Spring back to basics’, centres on once-upon-a-time, fairytale-style weddings in gorgeous settings around the world. Featuring useful tips, tools and checklists, exclusive real wed-ding stories, the inside scoop on the


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best honeymoon hotspots, and more, this guide offers valuable advice to help brides and grooms-to-be plan their dream destination wedding.

A useful resource for brides is the plan-ning and packing tips, which shares ideas on maximizing suitcase space while en-suring they bring everything needed for a wedding vacation. Continued favourites among readers are the Real Weddings features, a collection of six inspiring sto-

ries from recent newlyweds. Couples will also appreciate articles about the lat-est wedding trends, such as eco-friendly weddings and bonfire parties, tools for tech-savvy couples, and more.

Readers will have the chance to win trip prizes in two exciting contests. Newly-weds who believe their destination wed-ding was the stuff of fairytales can submit their best wedding photos for a chance to be featured in the next Destination Wed-

dings Guide, and win a trip to Memories Grand Bahama Beach & Casino Resort.

Sunwing’s wedding planning service, known as Sunwing Weddings, offers cou-ples two wedding planning packages, each including personalized time with a dedi-cated wedding consultant based in Can-ada. Couples can choose from either the Diamond or Platinum packages to ensure every detail of their dream wedding is at-tended to. The wedding planning services include expert consultations, information on legal requirements, assistance with the necessary paperwork for a destination wedding, budget spreadsheets, a month-to-month wedding checklist, and a per-sonalized, interactive wedding website.

Couples who book their wedding group by July 22, 2014 will receive a num-ber of early booking bonuses, including a complimentary upgrade to Elite Plus on-board Sunwing Airlines, complimentary access to Plaza Premium airport lounges (at select airports), a $500 anniversary fu-ture travel voucher, and a $100 per couple destination excursion credit.

The new Destination Weddings Guide will be available in travel agencies nation-ally this month, or can be downloaded from sunwing.ca.

Homewood Suites by Hilton opening six new hotels in CanadaMCLEAN, VA — Homewood Suites by Hilton, Hilton Worldwide’s international brand of upscale, all-suite, extended-stay hotels, continues its expansion into Can-ada, with two new hotel openings in Q1 2014, and four more properties slated to open in the market in Q2 2014.

The brand’s 11th Canadian property in Hamilton opened on Feb. 21. Homewood Suites Winnipeg Airport-Polo Park opened March 12, and is the brand’s 12th property in Canada and first hotel in the Manitoba market.

The brand’s wave of Canadian hotel openings comes on the heels of what Scotiabank highlighted in a recent report

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TRAVEL BLOGSLinkedIn for the home-based agent: 9 million Canadians are now Linked togetherSeaWorld Parks & Entertainment rolled out a Sea of Surprises during its 50th anniversary celebrations on March 21. The celebrations will continue for the next 18 months...

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FRIDAY FIVEFriday Five – Katharine Bonner, Vice President of Tauck River & Small Ship CruisingIt’s no secret that river cruising has surged in popularity in recent years, with first-time cruisers and big-ship converts making the most of Europe’s and Asia’s most beautiful rivers. Gearing up for the busy summer season is Tauck River & Small Ship Cruising, which offers a wide...

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topnews on the Canadian tourism market as a na-tional trend of increased domestic travel due to Canadians’ tighter travel budgets and a weaker Canadian dollar. These fac-tors have many Canadians booking trips closer to home, significantly supporting the domestic tourism market.

Simultaneously, there has been an up-tick in the number of international trav-ellers visiting Canada, with nearly 2,800 more international overnight trips to Canadian markets taken in December 2013 than during the same time period in 2012, according to a recent report from the Canada Tourism Commission.

“As the Canadian tourism market con-tinues to grow and become more lucrative, it remains an important area for develop-ment for Homewood Suites,” said Bill Dun-can, global head, Homewood Suites by Hilton and Home2 Suites by Hilton.

Over the last decade, Homewood Suites has steadily built its presence in Canada, which now exceeds 1,300 suites across 12 hotels. The majority of the brand’s current Canadian portfolio is located in Ontario and Quebec, including locations in Bur-lington, Cambridge, Hamilton, London, Markham, Mississauga, Mont Tremblant, Oakville, Sudbury, Vaughan and Toronto Airport, which shares a flag with Hampton Inn & Suites as the first dual-branded hotel property in the Canada market.

“Kicking the first quarter off with entrance into the Manitoba market, Homewood’s surge into new markets throughout Canada is in line with the brand’s overall goal of increasing its foot-print within urban and primary suburban North American markets,” added Duncan.

Additional Canada property open-ings this year include the following ho-tels, all slated to open in Q2 2014:

Homewood Suites by Hilton Calgary-Airport featuring 122 suites is slated to open in April 2014 and is owned by Prestige Hospitality HW. The hotel will be Homewood’s first in Alberta.

Homewood Suites by Hilton Ajax, Ontario featuring 104 suites is slated to open in April 2014 and is owned by Wella Investments Inc.

Homewood Suites by Hilton Halifax-

Downtown featuring 135 suites is slated to open in May 2014 and is owned by Silver-Birch No. 15 Operations LP. The hotel will be Homewood Suites’ first in Nova Scotia.

Homewood Suites by Hilton Wa-terloo/St. Jacobs, Ontario featuring 97 suites is slated to open in June 2014 and is owned by Benjamin Hotel Inc.

For more information, visit homewoodsuites.com.

eventsThe Association of Canadian Travel Agents will hold its annual general meet-ing at the Sheraton Toronto Airport Hotel & Conference Centre, 801 Dixon Rd., To-ronto, on Tuesday, May 13, 2014 at 4 p.m. EDT. One item on the agenda will be to approve the change of name of the corpo-ration from the Association of Canadian Travel Agents to the Association of Cana-dian Travel Agencies.

The 13th annual St. Maarten Annual Regional Trade Show (SMART 2014) is taking place May 14-16, 2014 at the Radisson Blu Resort on French St. Martin. L’Association des Hoteliers de St. Martin and the St. Maarten Hospi-

tality & Trade Association in conjunc-tion with L’Office du Tourisme de St. Martin and the St. Maarten Tourist Bu-reau expect numerous tour operators, travel agents, travel writers and event planners from across the U.S., Canada, Europe and Latin America to return to the island for SMART 2014, which provides a unique opportunity for lo-cal and regional hoteliers and activity providers to present their product, network and negotiate prospective business opportunities. SMART 2014 kicks-off on Wednesday May 14 when delegates have the opportunity to meet and mingle with their peers at the Welcome Reception hosted at the Radisson Blu Resort. Business ap-pointments will take place on May 15, followed by a farewell party that evening. Islands attending this event include Anguilla, Antigua, Barbuda, British Virgin Islands, Dominica, Gua-deloupe, Montserrat, Saba, St. Barth’s, Statia, St. Kitts & Nevis and Barbados, making SMART a significant event for the entire region. More information on SMART 2014, including registra-tion forms, can be found at shta.com/smart or by contacting the St. Maarten Hospitality & Trade Association via e-mail at [email protected].


At the GFOB University, travel agents can familiarize themselves with the Globus family of brands, increase product knowledge and improve their bottom-line.

For Monograms independent vacation solutions

Exploring the lucrative tour market with Globus

Information on selling river cruises with Avalon

COURSES AVAILABLE INCLUDE:

With each course completed, Agents that complete the course will be entered to WIN an APPLE iPAD MINI with Retina display*.Register at Travelweek’s Learning Centre at www.travelweeklearningcentre.ca*terms and conditions apply

peopleGoway Travel has named Bronwyn Hodge General Manager of IslandsEscapes by Goway. IslandsEscapes is an exclusive division of Goway Travel that specializes in vacations to Tahiti, Fiji, Maldives, Mau-ritius, Seychelles, the Cook Islands, Sa-moa, Tonga and Bali. Hodge, who will be

reporting to Goway’s General Manager for Wholesale, Anita Emilio, has worked previously as Goway’s Asia Product and Marketing Manager for more than three years, and has experience in both whole-sale and retail sales. “Bronwyn has worked with international suppliers and tourism boards, and has experience in product de-velopment and marketing initiatives. She understands the industry and the needs of Goway’s clients and travel agent partners,”

said Emilio. “Goway’s Idyllic Islands encom-pass some of the most beautiful places in the world and I see a lot of opportunity for growth to these beautiful destinations,” said Hodge. “I am looking forward to de-veloping a strategic plan to grow our sales, and continue to ensure we have the best staff, best products, and best promotional offers in the industry. I want to provide more opportunities for our agent partners to benefit through working with Goway.” Hodge can be reached at 1-800-387-8850 ext. 5636 or [email protected].

The Bermuda Tourism Authority has named Victoria Isley its Chief Sales and Marketing Officer. Isley, a 20-year veteran of the tourism and hospitality industry, will oversee all of the Bermuda Tourism Au-thority’s (BTA) sales and marketing efforts in North America based out of its New York office. She will start her new position on June 2, 2014. Bill Hanbury, BTA’s CEO and a former colleague of Victoria’s during his tenure as CEO of Destination DC, not-ed: “Vicki Isley brings an extraordinary level of marketing and sales expertise to the ef-fort of repositioning Bermuda as one of the world’s pre-eminent tourism destinations. Her decision to join our team is another indication of Bermuda’s serious intention to compete with other top-level tourism destinations across the globe.” Isley previ-ously served as the Chief Operating Officer for Destination Marketing Association In-ternational (DMAI). In her role with DMAI, Isley oversaw the association’s integrated executive team, which included marketing and communications efforts, membership and business development, professional development and meetings departments, as well as its convention sales products.

Sunquest has named the winner of its Top Gear agent promotion: Lisa Smith from Marlin Travel in Port Hope, ON, takes home the grand prize. Between March 18 and April 14, for every Barbados booking that agents made, they were entered in a draw to win their very own Barbados get-away: a 5-night air-inclusive trip for two staying at the Hilton Barbados Resort. The agent contest was part of Sunquest’s on-


topnews

Sedan Service Included! On all air-inclusive tours, receive roundtrip home to airport sedan service. A $300 value!†

Thousands of Guaranteed Departure Dates

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A Full Cash Refund travel waiver for cancellation right up to the day prior to departure

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†Not valid on group travel. Service is offered on all air-inclusive departures when within 100 km radius from most major Canadian gateways. Other restrictions may apply; call for details. $300 savings based off an average 12-day parking fee at major airport.

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going Top Gear Festival promotion, which automatically provides customers with special bonus inclusions when their travel dates to the island includes the festival weekend of May 17-18. The perks available include room upgrades, free daily break-fast and complimentary transfers to the festival, at four featured Barbados resorts

– Accra Beach Hotel & Spa, Bougainvillea Beach Resort, Hilton Barbados Resort and Almond Beach Resort. For more informa-tion, visit SunquestAgent.ca.

MSC Cruises USA President Richard E. Sasso has announced the appointment of Bonnie Levengood to the newly cre-

ated position of senior vice president of marketing, leading the company’s con-sumer and travel industry marketing and digital activities throughout North America. “As our new senior vice presi-dent of marketing, she joins the com-pany at an auspicious time to help grow and strengthen awareness of our brand to both consumers and our travel agent partners,” said Sasso. Levengood brings extensive expertise to her new position, with nearly two decades of marketing and financial experience and a proven track record creating successful multi-channel campaigns. Most recently, she ran her own marketing company. Prior to that, she headed up marketing and sales for nearly eight years for 1-800-Pet-Meds, America’s largest pet pharmacy, leading the company’s annual revenue to more than $239 million by creating new direct marketing programs that in-cluded comprehensive e-mail marketing campaigns, new TV commercials and di-rect mail and catalog programs.


topnews

Resorts of Ontario is once again launching our Travel Trade Appreciation Month for May 2014. A special travel trade rate is extended to you as our valuable partners, for the month of May of $69. per room/night, based on double occupancy at participating resorts. Taxes are over and above the special rate. Accommodation is subject to availability (some conditions may apply)

Resorts of Ontario has launched our 2014 Go Resorting Magazine, filled with stories of awe-inspiring resort experiences and informative articles by professional travel writers. Please share, distribute and spread the word on resorting!

For more information on the participating resorts visit www.resortsofontario.com/travel.htm

You can order your Go Resorting Magazine at [email protected] or at www.envoynetworks.ca

Resorts of Ontario Appreciates your Business!

We invite you to “GO Resorting”

Lisa Smith (left) and Heidi Lord, BDM, TravelBrands

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/

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We offer unlimited earning potential, a fun work environment, great benefits and much more!

Travel Consultant Position – AlbertaCarlson Wagonlit Travel has a full-time position

available – IMMEDIATELY!

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marketplace

As we continue to grow, we are seeking additional part-time travel analysts to monitor and assess real-time worldwide events and produce well-written and informative travel alerts for eTT clientele.

written skills, computer literate, effective time-management skills,

Why partner with a Top Employer?Let our agents tell you!

Take your career to the next level with industry leading commissions, training and support.

To learn more about this unique business opportunity please visit:

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

flightcentreassociates.com or call 1 866 474 3140

Please forward your resume to [email protected]

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CORPORATE COUNSELLORSCWT Markham has

immediate openings for Senior Corporate

Counsellors.Our expanding corporate

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If you thrive in a busy work environment, have strong

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McCord Travel Management, one of Canada’s leading travel agencies is looking for an energetic, experienced travel professional to join

its Corporate Travel Team based in downtown Ottawa. Our clients present us with a vast array of intricate and sometimes near-impossible travel requirements that will challenge the problem solving skills and resourcefulness of even the most experienced travel agent.

Ideally, you have senior level experience as a full time Corporate Travel Consultant who has:

Five years of corporate travel experienceSolid knowledge of international fare constructionProven superior problem solving abilities, resourcefulness and customer service skills

Excellent verbal and written communication skills coupled with professional phone etiquetteAn ability to adapt your communication style to the needs of the colleague or client that you are dealing with An ability to handle a fast-paced sometimes high pressure work environment.

[email protected] successful candidates shall be contacted for interviews.

Softvoyage launches TripBook and TripSearch, tools that will make booking and searching even easier

For more information email [email protected].

featurethis

trol Centre then the Affiliates tab and adjust each agent’s viewing capabilities.

In addition to TripBook, Softvoyage will also be debut-ing TripSearch, now available at the package shopping re-sult level. As the latest SIREV enhancement for travel agents, TripSearch provides additional features and options that were not previously available to agents.

Available under the Package Plus tab in SIREV, the tool provides agents with a quick overview of the vacation pack-age, including the itinerary and pricing details. A new ‘Save My Quote’ feature gives travel agents the chance to keep track of quotes and follow up with clients.

Agents can also add a price alert by clicking on the exclama-tion mark on the left, view local maps and points of interest under the Location tab, and read and print reviews on Monarc.ca. If the SIREV account administrator gives access to agents for alerts and quotes, a new link will appear on the SIREV left menu as ‘Alerts and Quotes’. Travel agents will then access the list of all alerts and quotes created by all agents in the SIREV account. However, it is possible to narrow the search by agent as it is one of the multiple filters available at the top of the page. Each quote and alert can be viewed by clicking on the orange hyperlink, after which agents can send a new request to verify if the price has changed, make a booking or delete the alert or quote from the list.

Once travel agents click on the Update button, SIREV will send a new request to verify if the vacation package is still available and if the price has changed. The previous quotes or alerts remain visible to allow for comparison.

Both TripBook and TripSearch are available in both English and French.

To ensure that travel agents perform their job to the best of their ability, Softvoyage has announced the launch of two new industry tools – TripBook and TripSearch.

TripBook is an enhanced booking application that allows travel agents to perform additional tasks after the book-ing is successfully completed. These tasks include adding a payment using a secured environment if only a deposit was provided at time of booking, accessing the eDocs for partici-pating suppliers, cancelling the booking, and emailing and printing the ‘My Booking Summary’ (with or without the commission amount). Agents can also consult and print the

supplier hotel description for packages, consult and print lo-cal maps and points of interest for the property, consult and print the Monarc.ca rating for the property, and add the cli-ent’s email address for Monarc.ca.

Agents will find TripBook on the left-hand side of SIREV, under the Bookings tab. If a Bookings tab is not shown, agents must get their agency management to allow them ac-cess to view this. Management will have to click on the Con-

TRIPBOOK IS AN enhanced booking application that allows travel agents to perform additional tasks after the booking is successfully completed.

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