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CAA extends price controls at Heathrow and Gatwick
4 April 2011, 11:00 pm

The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has confirmed it plans to extend the current price controls at Heathrow and Gatwick Airports by one year. This decision follows consultation with industry stakeholders and will provide(http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/TraveldailynewsLatestNews?d=yIl2AUoC8zA) (http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/TraveldailynewsLatestNews?d=I9og5sOYxJI) (http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/TraveldailynewsLatestNews?d=qj6IDK7rITs)(http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TraveldailynewsLatestNews/~4/dllQeR8y-4Y)

Source: Travel Daily News Feed

Choice Hotels promotesd sustainable tourism in Bermuda
4 April 2011, 11:00 pm

        Choice Hotels International, Inc. is strengthening its commitment to responsible tourism development by supporting Caribbean efforts to keep sustainability at the forefront of the region's most important industry.Speaking ahead of next week's 12th annual Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) Sustainable Tourism Conference (STC-12), Choice Hotels director Jose Salvador Icaza said sustainability for the lodging company is more than a buzzword.

"We must embed sustainability into all areas of tourism - from hotels reducing energy costs, operators respecting the natural environment and integrating local communities to managers optimizing revenues using robust, state-of-the-art technology," contended Icaza, the Caribbean Franchise and Emerging Markets Director of Choice Hotels International.

Meeting under the theme "Keeping the Right Balance: Rising Above the Numbers,"the conference, a collaborative effort between the CTO and the Bermuda Department of Tourism, will be held at the Fairmont Southampton from April 3-6, 2011.

Icaza heads to the CTO conference on the heels of successful business development visits to Puerto Rico and Dominica this month, and said he looks forward to sharing the company's new value proposition for the Caribbean and Atlantic region with local and regional hoteliers.

Icaza sees Bermuda "as among our focused target markets this year," especially with the Choice Hotels new Ascend Collection membership program.

"Ascend Collection is not a traditional franchise concept. Designed for Historic, Boutique or Unique hotels, our partners retain their independence, authenticity and superior service while connecting to our powerful global reservations system - a true example of sustainability," he remarked.

Delegates to the conference will examine how Caribbean tourism destinations strategically plan to build upon their successes, capitalize on future trends and become more globally competitive and sustainable.        

Source: Travel Daily News Feed

Navtech gathers users in Florida for intensive sharing experience
4 April 2011, 11:00 pm

        Navtech, a leader in flight operations software and services, is gathering more than 100 customer representatives, including British Airways, Delta Air Lines, and Cathay Pacific Airways in Coral Gables - Florida’s “City Beautiful” - for an intensive three-day learning and sharing forum.  Partnerships for New Horizons, the Navtech 2011 User Group Forum, takes place May 10 through 12 at the Hyatt Regency Coral Gables and will feature a diverse line-up of speakers who will share industry insights and updates on key Navtech products.“We’re bringing together industry leaders to share their extensive experience and provide a dynamic environment for our customers, all while enjoying the warm sunshine and hospitality of Florida,” said Navtech CEO Mike Hulley.  “We’re creating a comfortable atmosphere for learning and pairing it with content that can be put to use immediately.”

The three day agenda includes general sessions and panels focused on such topics as aviation trends, the EFB landscape, and IT challenges. Among the speakers are Ken Pyatt, Aviation Deputy Director, Miami-Dade Aviation Authority, Tim Coombs, Managing Director, Aviation Economics, Ltd., Ron Anderson-Lehman, former CIO Continental Airlines, and Michael Bell of Spencer Stuart.  A panel of airline executives will lead an insightful discussion on their experiences with EFB initiatives.

The agenda also takes advantages of the spectacular Coral Cables setting with an evening luxury yacht cruise along the Miami waterways.        

Source: Travel Daily News Feed

Holiday Inn opens its largest hotel in Canada
4 April 2011, 11:00 pm

        IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) will roll out the green carpet for the grand opening of the Holiday Inn Toronto Downtown Centre on April 6. The new hotel is Canada’s largest Holiday Inn property with 513 rooms over 23 floors and features 9,000 square feet of modern, multi-functional event space. The grand opening marks the completion of the hotel’s $20 million renovation project. The hotel will be among the first and the largest in North America in 2011 to open following the successful completion of the $1 billion Holiday Inn global brand relaunch, the biggest ever project of its kind in the history of the hospitality industry. The Holiday Inn Toronto Downtown Centre demonstrates the positive changes of the relaunch program on a large scale which includes a renewed focus on quality, improved arrival & welcome features, enhanced bedding and showers, a “Stay Real” service culture and a new, up to date look including a redesigned logo and signage.“The opening of the Holiday Inn Toronto Downtown Centre is a significant milestone, as it’s not only the largest Holiday Inn in Canada, but also the largest opening in North America following the successful completion of the $1 billion Holiday Inn global brand relaunch” said Gopal Rao, regional vice president, sales and marketing, IHG Canada. “Toronto is a world class city and the ideal place to host Canada’s largest Holiday Inn. This magnificent hotel will cater to tens of thousands of visitors in its first year alone. All of whom will be able to experience on a grand stage Holiday Inn hotels’ global brand relaunch as well as what Toronto has to offer first hand.”

Heart of the City

Located at 30 Carlton Street in the Downtown Yonge neighbourhood, the hotel is steps away from Toronto’s historic landmark Maple Leaf Gardens and within walking distance of the Eaton Centre, Ryerson University and hundreds of restaurants and businesses.

To celebrate the hotel’s grand opening, Holiday Inn reached out to local businesses and partners with the support of the Downtown Yonge Business Improvement Association (DYBIA) to participate in their Paint The Town Green initiative.  As part of the Paint The Town Green initative, local business gave an early welcome to the Holiday Inn Toronto Downtown Centre by rolling out the welcome mats and painting their doors in Holiday Inn hotels’ signature green in the weeks leading up to the grand opening. In a show of thanks and commitment to the community, Holiday Inn will make a donation to the BIA for every door painted. Holiday Inn will present a $10,000 donation to the DYBIA at the official Grand Opening Green Carpet event on April 6.

“To have the largest Holiday Inn in Canada opening in our neighbourhood will be an amazing boon to our local businesses and community,” said James L. Robinson, executive director, Downtown Yonge Business Improvement Association. “With the Paint the Town Green initiative, Holiday Inn has demonstrated a tremendous commitment to the Downtown Yonge neighbourhood and the business community welcomes them to our diverse and progressive corner of Toronto.”

A New Look and Feel

The Holiday Inn Toronto Downtown Centre provides an intimate hotel experience that is unique to a large scale hotel property. The existing building was gutted and completely redesigned creating a modern design and decor by architect Ava Janikowski of Chase International Consultants in Design. Toronto-based visual artist Neil Young’s artwork was selected for the hotel lobby for his vibrantly colourful abstract visuals that accentuate the hotel’s modern design.

The hotel boasts a variety of dining options including the new urbane dining experience at The Carlton. Renowned executive chef Chris Moreland (formerly of White Oaks Conference Resort & Spa) brings his culinary vision of ‘glocal’ to life with exotic dishes created with locally sourced ingredients. While Thirty Bar & Lounge is the perfect modern and relaxed environment for both business and holiday travelers to enjoy cocktails and tapas. Guests will also enjoy the fitness centre and large indoor pool complete with stunning outdoor patio.        

Source: Travel Daily News Feed

OpenSkies Eepands partnership with tgvair
4 April 2011, 11:00 pm

        OpenSkies and SNCF-French National Railway announce the expansion of their partnership “tgvair,” which conveniently and seamlessly connects roundtrip travelers from New York and Washington, D.C. to 14 major French cities via Paris-Orly Airport.The tgvair partnership enables OpenSkies passengers to purchase roundtrip plane and train tickets simultaneously and benefit from an exceptional travel experience – from their city of departure in the U.S. to their final destination in France. Previously connecting OpenSkies passengers to Lyon and Nantes, tgvair now truly opens up France to U.S. travelers by adding 12 new stops.

To celebrate the launch of the tgvair expansion, customers will receive a free roundtrip train connection service when purchasing any roundtrip flight via flyopenskies.com by April 30, 2011, for travel from March 31-June 15, 2011. This offer is valid for any OpenSkies booking in any fare class in both Biz Seat and Biz Bed cabins.

Upon arriving at Paris-Orly Airport - following a comfortable, amenity-filled flying experience via OpenSkies - passengers now have access to complimentary shuttle service to and from the Massy Train Station, where they will enjoy first-class, high-speed rail service to and from the following key destinations throughout France: Angers, Bordeaux, Le Mans, Lille, Lyon, Marseille, Metz/Nancy, Nantes, Poitiers, Reims, Rennes, Strasbourg, Tours and Valence.

“Tgvair reinforces the unique positioning of OpenSkies and further expands our network beyond Paris to incredible destinations throughout all of France,” said Dale Moss, CEO of OpenSkies. “We’re excited about deepening our partnership and encourage our customers to take advantage of this new offer’s flexibility.”

For the passengers of OpenSkies, the expanded tgvair partnership offers a variety of benefits, such as:

• Added convenience: Passengers will no longer need to buy their plane and train tickets separately. OpenSkies will act as the one point of contact in case modifications to the clients’ trips are required.
• Travel with peace of mind: This “flight + train” offer assures that passengers have an optimum travel experience inclusive of transfers between the Paris-Orly Airport and Massy TGV train station thanks to a dedicated shuttle service.
• More savings: By purchasing plane and train tickets simultaneously through OpenSkies, travelers benefit from the competitive tariffs allowing them to enjoy more savings.
• More security and guarantees: If there is a flight or TGV train delay, OpenSkies and SNCF will collaborate to reserve a seat for the passenger in the next available flight/train and will also offer one night’s hotel stay if necessary.

How it works:

Making tgvair reservations is simple and convenient - no special code is necessary. When reserving travel via OpenSkies, either via phone at 1-866-581-3596 or online at flyopenskies.com, customers are given an option of selecting Paris or any of the additional 14 French cities as their final destination. The reservation will include both legs of travel in one itinerary, and can be reserved all at once, rather than having to add on the train ticket later in a separate itinerary or transaction.

Upon arrival at Paris-Orly Airport, a shuttle bus operated by Air Caraibes will transfer passengers to Massy TGV station. At Paris-Orly Airport, the shuttle is located outside the terminal at gate G. At Massy TGV station, the shuttle is located outside the station close to the Taxi location.

To get their train ticket(s) at Massy TGV station, passengers simply present their OpenSkies flight tickets or emailed trip confirmation along with their government-issued photo identification at the rail station's dedicated Tgvair counter.        

Source: Travel Daily News Feed

Hilton Garden Inn flies into Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport
4 April 2011, 11:00 pm

        Having recently announced four new hotel deals in Turkey, Hilton Worldwide confirmed another signing: the Hilton Garden Inn Istanbul Airport, located just four kilometres from Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport (IST). Expected to open in late 2013, the hotel will join Hilton Worldwide’s development pipeline, bolstering the portfolio with its strategic location at one of the country’s busiest airports.Located next to the Ataturk Boulevard, just a few minutes drive from the main terminal buildings, Hilton Garden Inn Istanbul Airport will provide guests with a mid-market solution on the doorstep of the airport, and within easy reach of the historic centre of Istanbul. Ataturk Airport is a major domestic and international hub with flight connections across Europe, the Americas, Middle East, Africa and Asia. The new build hotel will be part of a mixed use office and residential development, offering 227 bedrooms alongside significant meetings and events space.

“Turkey continues to be one of our most exciting markets for hotel development in Europe,” said Patrick Fitzgibbon, senior vice president, development, Europe and Africa, Hilton Worldwide. “The appetite for our portfolio of brands in major cities, regional centres and resort locations continues with strong momentum in Turkey and we are delighted to have signed a Hilton Garden Inn within close proximity of Ataturk Airport.”

Hilton Garden Inn Istanbul Airport will join the portfolio following the signing of a management agreement with Saray Dokum ve Madeni Aksam Sanayi Turizm A.S. The hotel will provide the Hilton Garden Inn brand’s key signature offerings which include the Garden Sleep System™ bed and ergonomic Mirra

Integrated strategy for Belfast tourism launched
4 April 2011, 11:00 pm

        A new integrated strategic framework to co-ordinate tourism development in Belfast has been published. Under the banner of ‘Belfast Tourism: Gateway To The Future’, the new framework aims to help the city, and its tourism industry, to benefit from continued growth in tourism, despite the economic downturn.

Jointly funded by Belfast City Council and the Northern Ireland Tourist board, the framework will be delivered by the council, Belfast Visitor and Convention Bureau and NITB, and is designed to deliver DETI’s ‘Tourism Strategy For Northern Ireland’ at a local level.

Launching the strategy at the Belfast Waterfront this lunchtime, John McGrillen, Director of Development with Belfast City Council, said: “Belfast is a thriving, vibrant, creative city - one which, in recent years, has changed and developed, yet retained many of the marks of a unique history. Belfast's economy has blossomed and its landscape has been reshaped.

“The confident, changing Belfast has become a destination for tourists from around the globe. Visitors are discovering a flourishing cultural scene combined with a unique heritage in a city transformed.

“A city has emerged where history is all around you, whose legacy and tradition lives on in the stories, sharp humour and vibrant creativity of its people. It has become a gateway through which visitors go on to experience the rest of Northern Ireland, and the whole of the island of Ireland.

“Over the next few years, it is vital that we build on the momentum achieved so far.  Next year, 2012, in particular, offers us a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to do this, and to capitalise upon the benefits of an industry that, despite the global downturn, is still the fastest-growing global economic sector.

“In Belfast, we can especially look forward to the opening of Titanic Belfast – a project in which this council has invested significantly – and the benefits this will bring to the city, especially in terms of the number of people it will attract to visit our city.

“But, we need to offer more to our visitors as well as increasing visitor numbers, visitor spend and the length of time visitors stay in Belfast. We want the people of the city to share in the economic, cultural and social benefits that tourism brings.  Attracting visitors to Belfast (and to Northern Ireland) benefits every citizen. Tourism boosts the economy, provides jobs and opportunities, brings new facilities to communities across the city and, perhaps most importantly of all, is a source of communal pride.

“Visitors to the city take with them a perception of Belfast and its people.  It is vital that their experiences of Belfast's life, culture, places and people are positive, fulfilling and authentic. In this way, visitors become advocates for the city across the globe,” concluded Mr McGrillen.

Alan Clarke, Chief Executive of the Northern Ireland Tourist Board, added: “NITB has identified the significant role Belfast has to play within Northern Ireland tourism, both as a capital and a gateway city. Belfast is fundamental to supporting the delivery of the Northern Ireland tourism targets for 2008-2011 to grow out of state visitor numbers by 25 per cent, to 2.5 million, and spend by 40 per cent, to

Lufthansa to introduce first-ever A380 service to Miami
4 April 2011, 11:00 pm

        Lufthansa announced that it will be the first airline to offer scheduled Airbus A380 service to Miami with daily flights between Frankfurt and the “Sunshine State” beginning June 10, 2011. Flight LH463 will leave Miami at 4:10 p.m. and arrive in Frankfurt at 7:15 a.m. the following day; the return flight LH462 will depart Frankfurt at 9:55 a.m. and arrive back into Miami International Airport at 1:50 p.m.

(all local time; flight times will fluctuate slightly depending on the day of the week). These flights are already available for booking on lufthansa.com.

“We are extremely excited to introduce our new, flagship A380 aircraft as the very first in the Miami market,” said Jens Bischof, Vice President, The Americas for Lufthansa. “I applaud Miami International Airport’s management team for their determination to become A380-ready. We share in their excitement and are both committed to Miami’s community of global travelers in both the business and leisure markets. Very soon, Europe’s most highly regarded airline will serve Miami with the industry’s most advanced aircraft to date.”

“Lufthansa’s announcement of the A380 coming to MIA is a pinnacle moment we have eagerly anticipated for many years,” said Miami-Dade Aviation Director Jose Abreu. “We are honored to be one of the first U.S. airports Lufthansa has chosen for A380 service and we greatly look forward to welcoming the historic first flight from Frankfurt in June.”

For more than 30 years Lufthansa has had a presence at Miami International Airport and throughout this time period has seen a growth in the popularity of the Miami – Frankfurt route. Furthermore, Lufthansa will reinstate its seasonal Miami – Dusseldorf flight which will fly three times per week beginning in October. Daily flights will commence in November.        

Source: Travel Daily News Feed

ECTAA signs partnership agreement with the Croatian National Tourist Board
4 April 2011, 11:00 pm

        ECTAA formalised the agreement reached with the Croatian National Tourist Board promoting Croatia as its Preferred Destination for 2011-2012. The agreement will bring mutual benefits to both travel agents and tour operators regrouped within the European umbrella organisation, ECTAA, and the Croatian National Tourism Board.

With the agreement, ECTAA pledges to promote Croatia as its preferred destination among the 77.000 travel agents and tour operators across Europe, highlighting the diversity of travel and tourism products that Croatia has on offer, ranging from and attractive long coast line ideal for sailing and snorkelling, beautiful nature parks, interesting culture and history, fine gastronomy as well as many conference and meeting venues. ECTAA will become an essential partner in the travel and tourism promotion programs outside of Croatia by fostering relations between European travel agents and tour operators with the local destination management companies and other partners. The objective is to nurture the image of Croatia as one of the most attractive destinations in Europe.

The agreement is the result of joint efforts of the Croatian Ministry of tourism, the Croatian National Tourist Board and the Association of Croatian Travel Agencies (UHPA), which is a Member of ECTAA. UHPA has been working with ECTAA on various projects many years back and has established good cooperation, which is one of the reasons that other important institutions from Croatian tourist sector have recognized the importance of this reputable European Association and this project.

Said President of ECTAA: “I believe that this agreement makes sense for the two parties and will foster strong relations between the Croatian incoming agents and our Members. We hope to be a positive catalyst for the promotion of Croatia’s tourism”.        

Source: Travel Daily News Feed

TAP reports travel economy strengthening
4 April 2011, 11:00 pm

        North America-based Travel Alliance Partners, LLC (TAP) reports that the travel market is on the rise this year, with the first two months of 2011 exceeding the 2010 revenues from their Guaranteed Departures by TAP program. “The significant uptick in our numbers shows increasingly promising growth for TAP travel products, and for the travel industry as a whole,” says TAP Executive Director Stefanie Gorder, ctp, ds.

TAP’s call center, which supports the Guaranteed Departures program and website GuaranteedDepartures.com, states that the call volume for January and February 2011 has nearly doubled in comparison to 2010, with actual tour sales up 500% in 2011 for the same months. “The busier call center equates to more sales,” Gorder says, “and, already in 2011, we’re showing a 33% increase in tour sales over all of 2010. This is proof that the Guaranteed Departures program concept is working… for consumers, travel professionals and TAP Partners.”

Guaranteed Departures by TAP offers more than 250 tours to destinations around the world – guaranteed to go – including motorcoach tours, cruises, guided RV tours and rallies, as well as tours highlighting various holidays and special events. “We’re seeing a growing consumer confidence, that we attribute in part to our travelers knowing that their trips will never be cancelled due to a lack of guest participation,” says Gorder.

TAP’s Guaranteed Departures are operated by its 38 U.S. and Canada-based tour operators, who also own TAP. All tours are commissionable to travel professionals and include nightly accommodations, tour transportation, full-time services of an experienced tour director, meals, admissions for sightseeing and entertainment, and gratuities for handling one large suitcase per guest during the trip, as indicated on each itinerary. Tour prices are land- or cruise-only, but airfare and comprehensive travel insurance can also be purchased through TAP members when booking a tour.        

Source: Travel Daily News Feed