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Issue 56:
March 2007 |
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LET US GET YOU OUT OF TOWN NOW!
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Sunwing
Vacations'
has made Costa Rica more
accessible than ever to
Canadians this winter
thanks to its Splendour
of Costa Rica Tour.
Offered with departures
from Toronto, the
weeklong tour highlights
the diverse flora and
fauna, dramatic scenery
and nature of Costa
Rica.
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It
includes visits to the
Arenal Volcano National
Park, the Monteverde
Cloud Forest and the
bird-filled wetlands of
Palo Verde National Park
- also home to exotic
creatures such as
monkeys and crocodiles.
To take advantage of
Costa Rica's tropical
climate, three nights
are spent in the west
coast beach resort of
Guanacaste.
ACV
headed on a European
Escapade
Air
Canada Vacations (ACV)
has unveiled its all-new
“Escapades” program to
Europe featuring a
selection of
“affordable,
hassle-free” Air & Hotel
packages to London,
Paris and Rome. Non-stop
flights aboard Air
Canada are available to
all three destinations
from Toronto or
Montreal, as well as
from Halifax, St.
John’s, Ottawa, Calgary,
Edmonton and Vancouver
to London. Three-night
getaway packages to
London start at $689*.
Plus, clients earn 1,000
bonus Aero-plan Miles on
bookings made by March
31 for travel completed
on or before April 30.
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Spotlight
on Hawaii
WHALE WATCHING
is a popular past time
in the islands,
especially
December-April when the
Humpback Whales migrate
from Alaska to the warm
waters of Hawaii to give
birth. Whales can be
seen from the land and
ocean of all islands. In
1998 the Pacific Whale
Foundation reported 352
individual whales in
Hawaii's waters and
recorded the songs of 42
different whales. Look
for narrated whale
watching tours offered
on by the Pacific Whale
Foundations on several
of the islands.
CALL
SONIA TO BOOK YOUR
VACATION TO HAWAII. |
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TOUCHSTONE TRAVEL NEWS
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Anguilla
is getting set to host a
number of reggae greats
as Moonsplash 2007 hits
the beach for another
year, March 29 to April
1. The 17th annual event
will feature such acts
as Bunny Wailer, Cat
Coore, Benji Myaz, Corey
Stoot, Alana Davis,
Joanna Williams and Tony
Ruption.
Canada
ranks seventh in a new
study of world travel
and tourism destinations
released Thursday, but
could do a better job
putting out the welcome
mat for tourists. Canada
tied with Singapore and
Luxembourg in the
international survey of
124 countries listed in
the Geneva-based World
Economic Forum's first
ever Travel &Tourism
Competitiveness Report.
Rates for
Internet bookings
increased almost 9%
year over year in 2006,
compared with an
estimated almost 7%
increase for room rates
overall, according to
the study. And 2006 was
the third year in a row
that Internet-booked
rates outpaced those
booked without the
Internet. The biggest
increase for Internet
bookings was the almost
9% increase among opaque
distribution
channels-reservation
sources that reveal the
identity of the booked
hotel only after a
reservation has been
placed. The largest
increase overall, 10%,
was for those rates
booked through central
reservation systems
directly from hotels.
Global distribution
system bookings (travel
agencies reservations
systems) had the lowest
rate of increase at
3.7%.
Transat
launches
program to support
sustainable-tourism
projects. This
initiative is meant
mainly for
not-for-profit
organizations that need
financial support to
develop projects with a
sustainable-tourism
approach, such as
protecting or enhancing
a natural or heritage
site for tourism
purposes while
respecting local
populations and the
environment.
Organizations have until
May 18 to submit
proposals that are
eligible for financial
support of up to $50,000
per project.
Forget
earthquakes,
tsunamis and the
possibility of an avian
flu pandemic. They may
hog all the headlines,
but the real health
dangers to international
travelers are much more
mundane--and often
avoidable. The truth is,
even when traveling to
the most adventurous
destinations, the most
common health hazards
are mosquitoes, water
and plain old traffic
accidents. |
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INN THE NEWS
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Almond
Resorts'
second hotel in St.
Lucia welcomed its first
guests last weekend.
Located on the northwest
coast of St. Lucia, near
the capital city of
Castries, Almond
Smugglers Cove is a
village style resort,
nestled among lush
tropical gardens on a
60-acre estate bordering
a spectacular bay.
Barcelo Hotels & Resorts
announced the addition
of a fifth luxury hotel
at its all-inclusive
Barcelo Maya Beach
Resort in Mexico's
Riviera Maya. The
all-suite Barcelo Maya
Palace Hotel is
scheduled to open at the
end of 2007. |
PLANE TALK
WestJet Airlines
has announced the return of its 2007 Travel
Pass. The Pass is available for $1,700
(including all taxes, fees and surcharges)
and can be redeemed for 10 transferable,
one-way flights on Toronto-Ottawa and
Toronto-Montreal routes for a 12-month
period. Passes must be purchased prior to
March 18 and travel must be completed within
12 months of purchase.
Porter Airlines
is offering savings on flights to and from
Montreal. Travellers can save $25 per
one-way flight to or from Montreal in Firm
class); $50 per one-way flight in Flexible
class; and $100 per one-way flight in
Freedom class. Flights must be booked by
March 31 for travel before April 30.
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
-Wedding Update-Please
be advised, for couples planning to
marry in the Dominican Republic,
effective immediately, the
Government of the Dominican Republic
has implemented a new Judges fee of
$350US. This new fee is required to
be paid in addition to the hotel
wedding package(s).
Passport Update:
The Bush administration is expected
to announce that children under 17
will be exempt from a law requiring
visitors to show a passport at US
land borders by 2009. According to
officials, the move would simplify
cross-border travel for families,
youth groups and sports teams. The
exemption will not apply at airports
where children will still require
passports.
The US Transportation
Department
is investigating policies at JetBlue
and American Airlines that left
passengers stranded aboard planes
for several hours during winter
storms. Last week, the Air Transport
Association, which represents most
major passenger and cargo carriers,
said the Federal Aviation
Administration should allow delayed
flights to come back to terminals so
passengers can exit planes without
forcing those planes to lose their
place in line for takeoff.
*Some
restrictions may apply.
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