Ottawa’s Shaw Centre will receive up to $2 million this year to support its continued operation and maintenance. The funding injection is part of $8 million in newly announced tourism support from the Ontario government. “This funding will enable the Shaw Centre to continue to adapt and respond to the new realities facing tourism businesses — ensuring that, when it is safe to do so, they are prepared for a renewed travel interest in Canada’s capital,” said Lisa MacLeod, Minister…
Park Hyatt Toronto will reopen this September, after undergoing major renovations that closed the hotel for almost four years. “Through the evolution and restoration of Park Hyatt Toronto, exceptional personalized service remains the heart of this remarkable transformation,” says the hotel’s general manager, Bonnie Strome. “We are proud to welcome guests back to the reimagined Park Hyatt Toronto with services from the hotel’s illustrious past, while proudly introducing new experiences for its much anticipated future.” The reimagined hotel will debut…
Canadian tourism businesses and organizations can now apply for support to welcome back visitors. The federal government made the announcement July 12, as part of the launch of its new $500-million Tourism Relief Fund. “Our government has been there for the tourism sector since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis and (this adds) another tool to the suite of COVID supports that will help it recover and prepare for future growth and create jobs,” said Mélanie Joly, Minister of Economic…
Two Canadian event management companies have merged. ProPlan Conferences and Events has joined forces with CanPlan Event and Conference Services Inc. In doing so, ProPlan founder Bettyanne Sherrer will become a member of the CanPlan executive team, which includes co-founders Ann Clemenson and Patricia Pearson, and Maria Montesinos who joined the corporation in 2017. “Bettyanne, who has received many industry awards, including being inducted into the Hall of Fame twice, is the talent behind major international events, the successful launch…
Greater Vancouver’s first new luxury boutique hotel in years, Versante, will open to the public July 29, coinciding with the gradual lifting of public health measures and the anticipated restart of the travel industry. It is also the only hotel of its kind in Richmond — locally owned and operated. “In a region crowded with branded hotels, we’re proud to be Richmond’s independent boutique hotel,” says Versante’s general manager, David Curell. Located minutes from Vancouver International Airport, Versante touts itself…
Prior to the pandemic, travel and tourism (including its direct, indirect, and induced impacts) accounted for one in four of all new jobs created across the world, 10.6% of all jobs (334 million), and 10.4% of global GDP (US$9.2 trillion), said a new report released by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC). International visitor spending amounted to US$1.7 trillion in 2019 (6.8% of total exports, 27.4% of global services exports). WTTC’s latest annual research also shows that: the travel…
PortsToronto, owner and operator of Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, announced that commercial airline service to/from the downtown airport will resume September 8, 2021. Porter Airlines will start up again on that day. Porter Airlines will phase in its scheduled service to/from Toronto, offering flights to/from Montreal, Ottawa, and Thunder Bay on September 8, with eight more destinations offered the week of September 13. Air Canada is expected to restart its Montreal service in September as well. “PortsToronto is pleased to confirm that Billy Bishop Airport will resume commercial airline operations on September 8,…
The latest results from the Henley Passport Index — the original ranking of all the world’s passports according to the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa — show that cross-border travel continues to be significantly obstructed. Although some progress was made between January and March 2021, international mobility has been restored to only 12 per cent of pre-pandemic levels. Japan retains its hold on the number one spot on the Henley Passport Index, said the press release, which is…
Hopin, a leading all-in-one event management platform that enables immersive and interactive experiences from anywhere, is expanding its event marketing suite with the acquisition of Attendify. Johnny Boufarhat, CEO and founder of Hopin, said in a press release, “As we continue to help our customers navigate a reshaped events industry, our focus remains on investing in Hopin’s all-in-one platform, including augmenting it with intuitive marketing tools. With the addition of Attendify, our event marketing suite gets even better and we…
New data from the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) indicates that the global vaccination rollout and increased adoption of digital solutions for safe travel should lead to a rise in international mobility in the coming weeks and months. According to the newest edition of the Travel Restrictions Report from the United Nations specialized agency for tourism, as of June 1, 2021, 29 per cent of all destinations worldwide have their borders completely closed to international tourism. More than half of these…
