One year on: Signature Experiences Collection® case studies Vol. 2: Beck’s Kennels.

Since CTC’s program launched last year, new markets have opened up and business has nearly doubled for this Northwest Territories master of mushing. 2012-09-13 — /travelprnews.com/ — Cry “havoc” and let slip the dogs of tourism: with apologies to Mr. Shakespeare, that’s what Beck’s Kennels in Yellowknife, NWT, has been doing since 1989. More than 150 huskies comprise one of… Read the full press release

GBTA Reveals Best and Worst Travel Taxes in Top 50 U.S. Destinations

Fifth Annual List Finds That Taxes Targeting Travel Services Increase Total Tax Burden by 57% Alexandria, VA, 2012-09-12 — /travelprnews.com/ — Discriminatory travel taxes and fees enacted on travel-related services impose an average increased cost on visitors of 57% over general sales tax, according to new research released by the GBTA Foundation, the education and research… Read the full press release

New offices in India, a powerful global campaign and experimenting with Twitter take the headlines in this bulletin.

2012-09-12 — /travelprnews.com/ — No sooner does the ink dry on one round-up, then another torrent of global tourism news prompts another. That’s the pattern for CTC News as it sifts through the headlines to make sure the Canadian tourism industry keeps its finger on the global pulse. The Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC)’s colleagues, partners, general sales agents and other… Read the full press release

Message to hunters concerning the transport of cartridges

Autumn is the traditional hunting season in Finland. Finavia advises hunters to familiarise themselves with official instructions for weapons and cartridges in case your plan is to fly to the hunting ground. 2012-09-10 — /travelprnews.com/ — The Finnish Transport Safety Agency says that five kilograms per person is the limit for cartridge transport by air when… Read the full press release

Experience the Best of Virginia’s Brilliant Fall Foliage in the Great Outdoors

Outdoor lovers can enjoy fall splendor in Virginia while backpacking, hang-gliding, tree climbing, paddling, hiking and more RICHMOND, Va., 2012-09-10 — /travelprnews.com/ — From the shores of the Chesapeake Bay to the majestic Blue Ridge Mountains, Mother Nature is a major draw each fall in Virginia as 15 million acres of foliage burst into color and illuminate… Read the full press release

UNIQUE ESSENTIAL TRAVEL HAND-LUGGAGE POLICY

Unique hand-luggage only policy created by EssentialTravel.co.uk in response to 233% increase in Brits travelling light to save money. 2012-09-10 — /travelprnews.com/ — Leading travel add-on provider, EssentialTravel.co.uk, will now be offering a 10% discount to passengers opting to travel with hand-luggage only. EssentialTravel.co.uk spokesperson Stuart Bensusan explains:”The average claim cost for hand-luggage is lower than for a hold bag… Read the full press release

Travel Guard® North America Providing Free Assistance Services to U.S. and Canadian Travelers Affected by Tropical Storm Isaac

Flight and Hotel Rebooking, Emergency Medical Assistance and More Available Through Toll-Free Number Stevens Point, WI, 2012-08-28 — /travelprnews.com/ — As Tropical Storm Isaac continues on its path through the Gulf of Mexico, Travel Guard North America® (www.travelguard.com) announced today that it will provide emergency travel and medical assistance services free to all U.S. and Canadian travelers… Read the full press release

VISITING VANCOUVER? THERE’S A NEW APP FOR THAT

2012-08-24 — /travelprnews.com/ — Tourism Vancouver has released a new destination iPad app designed to be an inspirational trip planning tool and travel companion for visitors from around the world. The Visit Vancouver app – available for free download from Apple’s iTunes store – is interactive, fun to use, and developed to take full advantage of… Read the full press release

Hurricane Travel Trends

PULSE POLL: HURRICANE SEASON TRAVEL TRENDS TRAVEL TIP: KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE STORM EXCEEDING EXPECTATIONS: TURNING A TROPICAL VACATION AROUND 2012-08-24 — /travelprnews.com/ — Despite predictions of an above-normal hurricane season in 2012*, 63% of travelers polled still plan to travel to destinations within the hurricane belt during this time. Of those, 36% plan to… Read the full press release

Official Bath ‘App’ will guide you on your way

2012-08-24 — /travelprnews.com/ — In a digitally-connected world, Bath Tourism is embracing mobile technology to launch its very own mobile app to guide visitors around the city.  Funded and developed by Bath Tourism Plus and Bath Business Improvement District (BID), the Official Bath App is available to download from the Google Play and iTunes stores from… Read the full press release

Arizona Office of Tourism, Industry Partners Launch Interactive Recreation & Cultural Sites Map on Arizona Experience Website

Visitor Resource Touts Arizona’s Abundant Outdoor and Cultural Destinations 2012-08-23 — /travelprnews.com/ — Experiencing Arizona’s diverse recreation destinations and unique cultural sites just got a little easier! The Arizona Office of Tourism (AOT), in collaboration with the Arizona Council for Enhancing Recreation & Tourism (ACERT), is proud to present the online version of the Recreation & Cultural… Read the full press release

Virginia’s Fall Travel Web Site Points to a Season of Special Events

Fall In Virginia website for 2012. Information and resources for Fall visitation

Easy trip planning resources and fall deals and packages are online RICHMOND, Va. 2012-08-23 — /travelprnews.com/ — Virginia is known as a destination for brilliant fall getaways as more than fifteen million acres of foliage burst into spectacular color. Local farms transform into family playgrounds with harvest festivals, corn mazes and hay rides through pumpkin patches. Wine… Read the full press release

Fly With Confidence This Summer

2012-08-23 — /travelprnews.com/ — British Airways is launching a brand new instructional video for nervous flyers on its in-flight entertainment system from September 1. The film, presented by British Airways pilot and course leader Captain Steve Allright, takes information from the British Airways Flying with Confidence course – the airline’s one-day fear of flying programme. In… Read the full press release

Fall 2012: What’s New in Palm Springs

2012-08-17 — /travelprnews.com/ — What’s New in Palm Springs: Fall 2012 Compiled by the Palm Springs Bureau of Tourism, this quarterly update includes events, specials and renovations. Plus, what to expect for the winter season featuring new venues, attractions, activities, and signature events.  This update is as of August 13, 2012. Palm Springs Tourism media contact:… Read the full press release

Macau Government Tourist Office Launches the Free Audio Guiding Service

2012-08-13 — /travelprnews.com/ — Macau Government Tourist Office launches the free Audio Guiding Service starting from 27th July to cater for visitors with different needs and to increase visitors’ knowledge about Macau tourist attractions and World Heritage sites. Director of Macau Government Tourist Office, João Manuel Costa Antunes accompanied the media to use the new Audio… Read the full press release

One year on: Signature Experiences Collection® case studies Vol. 2: Experience PEI.

With more than 30 products on offer, this small Prince Edward Island business offers travellers a glimpse into the real Canada 2012-08-09 — /travelprnews.com/ — If you’re still learning your tourism ABCs, then E is for experience. It’s at the heart of the Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC) Signature Experiences Collection® (SEC) program. Now into its second year and with… Read the full press release

State’s Official Travel Planning Website Ranks 4th

Oklahoma Fares Well Compared to the Nation’s Tourism Websites 2012-08-08 — /travelprnews.com/ — The Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department announced the state’s official travel planning website, TravelOK.com, ranked fourth among the 50 state tourism websites in June according to Quantcast.com, a media measurement service that tracks the top one million websites in the U.S. TravelOK.com has consistently… Read the full press release

Introducing Canada’s ‘A team’ for meeting planners.

New brochure for meetings, conventions and incentive travel customers shows CTC’s country-wide expertise 2012-08-07 — /travelprnews.com/ — You can judge this book by its cover: the Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC) has just taken the wraps off a new brochure for its meetings, conventions and incentive travel (MC&IT) team. The brochure ties in with the new MC&IT brand platform as well as… Read the full press release

Published This Month: All-New Edition of Australia & NZ’s Number-One City Guide to NYC

2012-08-07 — /travelprnews.com/ — “Start spreading the news…”  This month, global travel authority Lonely Planet has published an all-new edition of its New York City Guide – Australia and New Zealand’s number-one best-selling city guide to NYC. This is the eighth edition of Lonely Planet New York City, and its highlights include: 843 acres of Central Park (plus map) 247 hand-picked restaurants 176 ways… Read the full press release

New smart phone app to give you all passenger rights

2012-08-06 — /travelprnews.com/ — Passengers stranded at airports or awaiting missing luggage may now use a smartphone application to check their rights immediately and on the spot. European Commission has launched an application for smartphones which covers air and rail transport and works on four mobile platforms: Apple iPhone and iPad, Google Android, RIM Blackberry and… Read the full press release

Forbes: Houston the Coolest City to Live in the U.S.

2012-07-27 — /travelprnews.com/ — The writers at Forbes get what makes a city cool. It’s the interesting people and quirky places, innovative arts groups and multiculturalism. And, oh yes, a vibrant economy. So when the writers set out to select the coolest city to live in the U.S., it was clear Houston had this one in the… Read the full press release

Iberia launches “IBHelp”, revolutionising customer service via mobile devices

Original and innovative new in-house technology connects more than 100 iPads and PDAs to check-in kiosks, the new Quick Service Points and other devices that can issue the documents customers may need IBHelp enables Iberia staff to deal with any incident or customer request at any point from check-in to boarding, making connections, retrieving luggage,… Read the full press release

Skytrax issue rebuttal and refusal to subscribe to a self-appointed critic of user-review sites

London, UK, 2012-07-25 — /travelprnews.com/ — A self-appointed critic of review sites that seeks to attract revenue by cajoling websites into paying for their accreditation, has targeted Skytrax by questioning the reliability of our user-created content – going so far as to suggest that Skytrax display fake content. Aside from also having no knowledge or understanding about… Read the full press release

Lonely Planet Offers Free Ebooks and Apps about London in Celebration of the Olympics

2012-07-20 — /travelprnews.com/ — As families across America watch the Olympic Games on television this summer, many will be curious to know more about the host city, London. Thus, in celebration of the Olympics, we’ve made a host of our London ebooks and apps free for a limited time. ·Not For Parents London is a highly graphic… Read the full press release

Industry update: Canada’s tourism industry maintains social-media momentum.

2012-07-19 — /travelprnews.com/ — Facebook’s stock price might have taken a dip after its controversial stock-market flotation, but its popularity continues among the Canadian travel industry. Naturally, it features in the next edition of the Canadian Tourism Commission(CTC)’s bird’s-eye view of the action in cyberspace. This series highlights the hard graft of CTC’s partners and friends from across… Read the full press release

Messy, Inaccurate, Confusing: Study Finds Corporate Travel Managers Waste Over 400,000 Hours Reconciling Travel Data

GBTA Foundation Study Finds Travel Managers Lack Single Solution to Efficiently Manage Multiple Data Streams Costing Companies Millions Effective Use of Travel Data Can Help Companies Control Travel Spend Alexandria, VA, 2012-07-19 — /travelprnews.com/ — Travel data can play a key role in helping travel managers control travel spend, increase compliance, negotiate with suppliers and manage safety… Read the full press release

World Committee on Tourism Ethics backs calls for Safe Coastal Tourism

Rome, Madrid, 2012-07-19 — /travelprnews.com/ — The Eleventh Meeting of the World Committee on Tourism Ethics has closed with calls to make “Safe Coastal Tourism” a priority in coastal destinations worldwide (Rome, Italy, 12-13 July,). The Committee heard from invited guest, Caroline Danneels, founder of the non-profit organization “Safe Coastal Tourism”, on the importance of safety precautions at… Read the full press release

New Guidelines Aim to Improve Air Travel Experience for People with Reduced Mobility

2012-07-18 — /travelprnews.com/ — ABTA and the CAA today launched new guidelines (Pre-Notification Guidance – for Supporting Passengers with Reduced Mobility), for the travel industry to help deliver a smooth airport experience for people with reduced mobility. The guidelines were drafted by the CAA in conjunction with ABTA and developed by an industry group *. They… Read the full press release

Kuoni Launches New iPad App

2012-07-18 — /travelprnews.com/ — Kuoni has announced the launch of a new iPad app which allows users to enjoy fast and easy access to Kuoni’s range of brochures, videos, travel article feed and website with Kuoni’s new app. The free app is available to download now from Apple’s App Store. The app is automatically kept up… Read the full press release

IN JULY’S EDITION OF LATEST FROM LONELY PLANET: Spotlight on London • Free London eBook and app • Lonely Planet Manchester Airport store opens • Lonely Planet digital and print bundles

2012-07-18 — /travelprnews.com/ — Spotlight on London As the world’s attention focuses on London, we’ve packed the London 2012 page of lonelyplanet.com with information on how locals and visitors can make the most out of summer in the capital. Articles on the site include; the best places to eat near the Olympic park, advice for disabled visitors and… Read the full press release