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Air Canada adds nonstop fl ights to Hawaii
Then he added: “Stay tuned … we're going to have new announcements, new measures” as Canada begins to reopen to international travel. INDIA & PAKISTAN FLIGHT BAN EXTENDED
The federal government is also extending its flight restrictions and third country pre-departure testing requirements for India and Pakistan until June 21, 2021. Passengers who depart India or Pakistan to Canada, via an indirect route, must obtain a COVID-19 pre-departure test from a third country before continuing their journey to Canada. Canada first announced a ban on flights from India and Pakistan on April 23, for 30 days, in response to record-breaking cases of COVID-19 in both countries.
“These ongoing measures are in place to help protect Canadians and manage the elevated risk of imported cases of COVID-19 and variants of concern into Canada during a time of increasing pressure on our healthcare system,” said Alghabra.
Air Canada to launch new Hawaii routes this winter
MONTREAL — Air Canada is heading to the Aloha State this winter with nonstop service from Canada, including its first Montreal-Honolulu and Toronto-Maui flights. These new flights complement the airline’s long-standing services from Calgary and Vancouver to the Hawaiian Islands and will enable convenient connections across Canada as well as from Europe.
According to Mark Galardo, Senior Vice President, Network Planning and Revenue Management, Air Canada is seeing “strong demand” in sun markets this winter. “As we finalize our schedule to position Air Canada’s leadership in leisure travel this winter, we have added new nonstop flights to Hawaii from Montreal and Toronto in addition to our flights from Calgary and Vancouver, making it more convenient than ever for Canadians across the country to experience the Hawaiian Islands,” he said. “From Europe, customers will be able to easily connect to our Hawaii flights from our
Hawaii
Montreal and Toronto gateways. We know people will be excited to travel this winter and we look forward to welcoming our customers onboard.” Air Canada’s new Hawaii flights from Montreal and Toronto feature a choice of three cabins of service, including the airline’s premium travel experiences and Air Canada Signature Class featuring lie-flat Executive Pods. Seats are on sale now for next winter. Montreal to Honolulu departs Wednesdays and Sundays and begins
Dec. 12, 2021, with connections to/ from Brussels, Frankfurt, intra-Quebec and Atlantic Canada.
Toronto to Maui departs Saturdays and starts Dec. 19, while Toronto to Honolulu departs Mondays, Fridays and Sundays beginning Dec. 17, with connections to/from London Heathrow, Frankfurt, Vienna, Atlantic Canada, intra-Ontario and Manitoba. Calgary to Honolulu departs Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays starting Dec. 18, while Calgary to Maui departs Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays commencing Dec. 18, with connections to/from Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and other Canadian markets. Vancouver to Honolulu departs up to daily in peak winter starting Sept. 14. Vancouver to Maui starts Sept. 10, also up to daily in peak winter, while Vancouver to Kona will start Dec. 19 on Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays. Connections are seamless to/from B.C. and other Canadian markets.
To provide reassurance to customers, Air Canada’s new refund policy offers options of refunds, an Air Canada Travel Voucher or equivalent value in Aeroplan Points with a 65% bonus should the airline cancel or reschedule a flight by more than three hours. This policy is applicable to all tickets purchased.
New Tourism & Travel grant to provide Ontario businesses with one-time payments
TORONTO — More aid is coming to travel agencies and small tourism businesses, courtesy of the Ontario government’s new $100 million grant.
Announced on May 14 by Lisa MacLeod, Minister of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries, the Ontario Tourism and Travel Small Business Support Grant will provide onetime payments of $10,000 to $20,000 to support eligible small tourism and travel businesses struggling to recover from the impact of the pandemic.
Small business owners can use the grant in whatever way makes the most sense for their business. Applications for the grant will close on June 25, 2021. For information on eligibility and how to apply go to www.ontario.ca/covidsupport.
According to MacLeod, the grant will support businesses that did not receive the Ontario Small Business Support Grant (OSBSG), which include travel agents, hotels, motels, resorts and bed and breakfasts. To qualify, businesses must have fewer than 100 employees and demonstrate they have experienced a minimum 20 per cent revenue decline between 2019 and 2020.
“Prior to the pandemic, Ontario’s tourism generated more than $36 billion in economic activity and supported more than 400,000 jobs across the province,” said MacLeod. “Our government is working with small businesses to overcome the challenges of the past year – through programs like the Ontario Tourism and Travel Small Business Support Grant – and help the tourism industry reclaim its place as an economic powerhouse and key job creator in our province.”
As announced in the 2021 Budget, Ontario is investing more than $400 million over the next three years in new initiatives to support tourism, hospitality, culture, sport and recreation sectors. This builds on investments of $225 million announced earlier, bringing the total support for these sectors to more than $625 million since the pandemic began.
According to Lisa Thompson, Minister of Government and Consumer Services, the government will be ready to deliver payments to the tourism businesses that have faced revenue loss, which will complement fee relief already provided to travel agents and wholesalers earlier in the pandemic. "This substantial grant will support their bottom line and help them keep Ontarians safe until we can once again enjoy travel with friends and family,” said Thompson.
Jean-Marc Eustache and Annick Guerard
Eustache retiring from Transat effective May 27
MONTREAL — Transat co-founder, president and CEO Jean-Marc Eustache is handing over the reins of the corporation to Annick Guérard, in keeping with the company’s succession plan put in place several years ago. The change takes effect May 27 when Guérard, who has been Transat's Chief Operating Officer since November 2017, takes over as President and CEO.
Eustache is also stepping down from his role on the board of directors. Raymond Bachand, the lead director of the corporation, will succeed Eustache as Chairman of the Board and Guérard will join the Board of Directors.
For decades Eustache has been a visionary in the travel industry. He co-founded Transat in 1987 with Lina De Cesare and Philippe Sureau, and steady growth and vertical integration followed.
Before the pandemic hit Transat was poised for acquisition by Air Canada for $720 million. That deal was announced in 2019. The deal foundered and both Air Canada and Transat have since announced financial assistance agreements with the federal government as they look to get back on solid footing post-pandemic. "With the crisis resulting from the COVID-19, we were most happy to have been able to rely on all of JeanMarc's experience and wisdom to face the worse storm in the history of Transat and the tourism industry, until the implementation of the critical $700 million financing announced on April 29, 2021 which will provide Transat with the funds it needs to relaunch its operations on solid grounds once it emerges from the pandemic-induced restrictions,” said Bachand. "We are grateful to Jean-Marc for his contribution and his unwavering dedication throughout his tenure at Transat, and we now hope that he can fully enjoy his well-deserved retirement,” he added.
Eustache said this about his retirement from the company that he helped build from the ground up: ”I leave the company in the good hands of Annick Guérard, who has my full confidence as well as that of the rest of the management team and the Board of Directors.
“I have no doubt that, under her leadership, Transat will accomplish great things and once again become a formidable competitor admired by all.
“It is now time to make room for new decision-makers, as Transat will deploy the plan that will once again make it a solid, profitable company and, for a long time to come, the symbol of leisure travel in the eyes of its many customers, in Quebec and elsewhere.”
Viking to resume European river sailings in July
LOS ANGELES — Viking has set its sights on a July restart for its European river operations, with select itineraries sailing in Portugal, France and along the Rhine. Offered exclusively for vaccinated guests as part of Viking’s ‘Welcome Back’ collection, the first five European river itineraries now available in July are among the company’s most popular. These include the eight-day ‘Rhine Getaway’ sailing from Amsterdam to Basel; the 10-day ‘Portugal’s River of
Gold’ from Lisbon to Porto; the eightday ‘Paris & the Heart of Normandy’, Paris roundtrip; the eight-day ‘Lyon & Provence’ sailing from Avignon to Lyon; and the 15-day ‘France’s Finest’, a journey that combines the northern and southern France itineraries.
The news comes on the heels of EU ambassadors agreeing on measures that will allow fully vaccinated visitors into the EU, quarantine free.
“The response to our initial Welcome Back ocean voyages has been overwhelmingly positive,” said Torstein Hagen, Chairman of Viking. “We have been delighted to greet our first guests back onboard in England this week and we are looking forward to welcoming travellers back onboard some of our European river vessels in July.”
Viking previously launched its ‘Welcome Back’ voyages exclusively for vaccinated guests in England, Iceland, Bermuda and the Mediterranean. Last week, the cruise line also named its newest ocean ship, Viking Venus, in England, which is currently sailing its maiden voyage along the coast of England with the Chairman onboard.
Viking is working on developing additional ‘Welcome Back’ itineraries in other destinations, with the goal of announcing further 2021 sailings as soon as possible.
For a complete overview of Viking’s Health & Safety program go to www. viking.com/health-safety.
Credit: Jay Dash Photography
Ogden, Utah
Urban experiences in Utah are a perfect mix with the state's natural beauty
Even in Utah’s cities and towns, you’re never far from nature.
In fact Utah’s top urban draws - from the capital, Salt Lake City; to quirky, fun-loving Ogden; to Provo within Utah Valley; to the red rocks of St. George - all offer postcard-worthy skylines complete with spectacular mountain ranges and rock formations for backdrops.
A day of hiking with gorgeous views can be topped with great dining and a luxurious hotel stay downtown. Or shop ’til you drop in the city, then watch the sun set from a perfect mountain vantage point.
Utah’s urban experiences include …
SALT LAKE CITY: For many firsttime visitors Salt Lake City is best known for its star turn as host of the 2002 Winter Olympics (where both the Canadian men’s and women’s hockey teams took home Olympic gold!). Head 20 minutes into the mountains for Utah Olympic Park to experince Extreme Tubing, the Alpine Slide or even the Summer Bobsled. Back downtown, there are restaurants and microbreweries galore, with an emphasis on locally-sourced ingredients. Favourite SLC neighbourhoods include the 9th and 9th District with its espresso bars and bakeries, the University of Utah campus district (home to Red Butte Garden and the state’s Natural History Museum), the historic Sugar House neighbourhood, The Avenues and Capitol Hill. Best Salt Lake area hiking spots: Ensign Peak and Neff’s Canyon.
OGDEN: ‘Ogdenites’ love their city, and it shows. Ogden’s youthful, artistic vibe has made it a draw for creatives, who infuse the city with a unique spark. There’s history here too, most evident in the lovingly preserved Art Deco architecture. Back in the late 1800s, in the days of the First Transcontinental Railroad, Ogden was a boom town with speakeasies aplenty. Now live music and brew pubs are the big draw, along with mountain biking, skiing and hiking trails right on the city’s doorstep (try Birdsong Trail, Bonneville Shoreline Trail or for the truly fit, Ben Lomond Peak).
PROVO: Provo is a museum lover’s dream, with several major venues including the BYU Museum of Paleontology, with its extensive collection of dinosaur fossils, and the BYU Museum of Art. Meanwhile downtown Provo is known for its Farmers Market, murals and global artisan restaurant scene. For outdoor pursuits, Provo Canyon is home to Bridal Veil Falls and the Provo River Parkway, plus a long list of adventure outfits offering everything from zip lining to horseback riding and more.
ST. GEORGE: St. George has plenty of charms in its own right, from superb dining to top destination spas like Red Mountain Resort and Spa. Family-friendly attractions include the St. George Dinosaur Discovery Site and the St. George Children’s Museum. St. George also happens to be the gateway to Zion National Park, one of Utah’s ‘Mighty 5’. The city’s beautiful red rock plateaus are just the start of the spectacular scenery waiting for visitors at Zion, just over a 30-minute drive away.
For more information check out VisitUtah.com.
