I’ve been covering events for more than a decade, creating quick-turnaround stories that highlight the most important takeaways, complete with expert quotes.
Cruise360, the largest cruise industry conference, kicked off in Vancouver this week, welcoming more than 1,200 travel professionals and representatives from 25 cruise lines to a six-day event featuring product and destination workshops, daily training sessions and plenty of ship inspections.
"This week will offer a truly panoramic view of our ever-changing industry,†said Cindy D'Aoust, president and CEO of the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), at the event's opening session…
WestJet landed in Vancouver for its Travel Trade Expo last week (May 12), bringing 70 outside suppliers and 450 travel agents together for an evening of learning and celebration at the Vancouver Convention Centre.
The expo, now in its second year and attracting twice as many agents as the inaugural edition, replaces multiple events showcasing individual destinations so agents can get all the information they need about the airline and the destinations it serves at one action-packed showcase…
Turismo Chile hosted 100 travel agents last week at a training session and cocktail reception at the Loft at Earls in Vancouver. It was the only Canadian stop for the nine-member delegation with representatives from properties and travel operators from Patagonia to the Atacama Desert…
Visit California touched down in Vancouver this week with a massive media delegation of 21 partners representing destinations from across the state.
"Western Canada is a really important market for us,†Jennifer Sweeney, Visit California's director of public relations, told PAX, noting that the areas share "proximity and affinity†– for example, with a focus on culinary experiences and outdoor activities…
"A wealth of beauty. A huge, hectic place of human experience, colours, cultural elements, art, music, food, celebrations and festivals. An assault on the senses.â€
That's how Cris David, president of Insight Vacations Canada, described India to PAX in an interview ahead of the company's 2016-17 Luxury Gold India program launch in Vancouver last week (April 28)…
Representatives from the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism met with travel media in Vancouver yesterday to showcase the many new developments in the archipelago nation.
Grand Bahama and Nassau are "the most popular and populous islands,†said Paul A. Strachan, director, Canada for the Bahamas Tourist Office, but the ministry is working to create more awareness of the Out Islands. That means a new niche marketing strategy, with various islands specializing in deep-sea diving, bird watching or fly fishing, for example…
Vancouverites surfed Australia's Gold Coast and watched the sun set over Sydney Harbour this weekend, all without getting on a plane. These were two of the 17 immersive experiences at Virtual Australia by Air New Zealand, a first-of-its-kind pop-up virtual reality exhibit presented as part of a three-year partnership between the airline and Tourism Australia…
Read the rest at PAXnewsWest.com
Vancouver wine lovers and industry insiders gathered this weekend for the annual Vancouver International Wine Festival, this year showcasing the wines of Italy.
On Saturday night (Feb. 27), festival sponsor Delta Air Lines hosted travel industry VIPs at the intimate Delta Air Lines Tasting Lounge for a guided tasting with Delta's Master Sommelier, Andrea Robinson…
"Canadians have always been great friends of France,†said Armelle Tardy-Joubert, director for Canada, Atout France, at the annual Destination France trade show in Vancouver last week. "This year, we would like to tell you how much we have appreciated your solidarity.â€
Tardy-Joubert was referring to the messages of support France has received from the Canadian public and travel professionals in the months since the terrorist attacks that shook Paris on November 13…
"Europe is open for business.†That was a key message from Liesa Bissett, Trafalgar's product manager, at a dinner for a small group of agents and media in Vancouver this week. "It's been a tough couple of months,†she said, "but we really believe that people should be looking at Europe at the moment…”