IBEROSTAR - April 15, 2019
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Week of April 15, 2019
IBEROSTAR
RAISES THE BAR IN CUBA
I
ANN RUPPENSTEIN hotel rooms in the Caribbean destination, but European region, as we’re applying in other
it’s continuing to raise quality standards across Caribbean destinations.”
berostar Hotels & Resorts is upping its the board to be in line with its global operations. Along with increasing the level of service
game in Cuba. Not only has the company, “Our position in Cuba, our approach to the in the popular destination for Canadian
which has a portfolio of more than 120 future is to be leaders in quality, leaders in num- travellers, a big push has been on elevating
four- and five-star hotels in 18 countries ber of hotels and leaders in number of rooms,” the food scene through the launch of a
across three continents, significantly Óscar González, global marketing director at hotel logistics and wholesale distributor in
increased the number of properties and Iberostar Hotels & Resorts, told Canadian Travel Cuba, Logística Hotelera del Caribe S.A.,
Press from the company’s headquarters in with the aim of consistently raising the
Spain. “Iberostar is putting all kinds of efforts culinary quality and the variety of product
on increasing the knowledge of staff in order to in the destination. Through the operation, a
enhance the best practices of service, the best wide range of products are now distributed
practices in gastronomy, and trying to adapt to nine of its hotels on the island, including
our standards of quality, so that we’re applying newly opened properties like the Iberostar
the same level in Cuba as we’re applying in the See IBEROSTAR page 3
PUBLICATIONS MAIL AGREEMENT NO. 40063078.
0415PG01-03.indd 1 4/11/2019 4:55:08 PM
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Schedule subject to change.
0415PG02.indd 8 4/11/2019 11:15:15 AM
IBEROSTAR our expectations,” he said.
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
“Within the next year, you won’t
Grand
G dPPackard
k d and d Ib
Iberostar
t Holguín. have any differences between
“That was one of the main gaps in the past, the high-quality services in
when you visited Cuba as a regular tourist, Jamaica, Mexico, Dominican
you’d find that there is a gap in the service and Republic or Cuba – that’s our
there is a gap in the variety and the range of internal aspiration to view Cuba
food you can find in the destination,” he said. as one of the best destinations
“The plans of Iberostar to achieve the same in the Caribbean.”
level of quality in Cuba has been to operate
the first logistics platform to import all kinds Of MICE and
of goods to have the same level of food and luxury
services and items as in other destinations, so
we’re very proud to put this in practice since With the recent
more or less the last quarter of the last year. opening of Iberostar as the most label of
This logistics warehouse has started to provide Grand Packard, luxury in La Habana,
to our hotels in order to increase the standards which provides and Riviera, which is
of quality, the visibility and the variety of fruits, a luxury upscale one of the hotels with a
vegetables, meat that you can find in the buf- option for leisure or complete history in La
fets, in the restaurants.” business travellers in Habana. We will prob-
Havana, another key ably complete the port-
Elevating gastronomy element was to cater folio of La Habana with
to the MICE market, these three elements.”
Simultaneously, Iberostar is also investing in with five meeting
a training program for local employees, which rooms ranging in size Strengthening
sees long-standing and expert chefs within the to accommodate 20 the connections
hotel chain travelling around the destination to to 150 people, and a
train top local chefs by sharing techniques and combined capacity As for the trade,
engaging in cooking lessons. of 400. González stressed
“Cuba today is a priority in all acts of the “I think this is that travel agents and
company from sales to marketing to operations another big milestone for La Habana because travel agencies are core to the success of the
to revenue, in order to boost the destination this kind of segment in the past they didn’t have company. In fact, Iberostar Hotels & Resorts
and in order to properly project the image of any place to stay or they don’t have any places is implementing a new strategy to work more
Iberostar throughout the image of Cuba as to celebrate a big meeting or an important closely with advisors and “create a true part-
a destination,” he said. meeting. Now, you have one meeting point in La nership” through a new team of BDMs who will
Calling it a milestone for Iberostar, Habana to enjoy with one of the best city views work directly with the trade in Canada.
González said recent guest feedback about of La Habana harbour, and to enjoy the Cuban “The main responsibility of these guys is to
the newly revamped gastronomy offerings have gastronomy,” he said. “There’s no differences visit door-to-door the majority of the travel agen-
been positive. in terms of quality standards of services, WiFi cies in Canada, presenting themselves and pre-
“It’s been difficult because the internal pro- services, MICE services, gastronomy services, senting all kinds of possibilities that Iberostar is
cess to put in place a spa or other ser- putting in place for the travel agencies in terms
these new experi- vices that provide of information, communications to solve prob-
ences and this new experiences at the lems with the customer. For us, in markets like
logistics platform same level as other Canada, it’s crucial to identify Iberostar as one
is not easy, but luxury five-star hotels partner in the distribution channel,” he said. “Our
now the products around the world.” idea is to reinforce the awareness and reinforce
are ongoing, we’re Continuing to this compromise and this philosophy of
introducing these strengthen its Iberostar with the travel agents. In the last years,
products on a presence in the there was a lack of visibility of Iberostar, but
regular basis in destination, the now our compromise is to recover, we’re putting
our restaurants, Iberostar Holguín is more people on the Canada team, we’re putting
and then the first another new five-star at least three to four more people on the team in
feedback from complex and its first order to have this direct communication and this
the customers are foray into the eastern visibility face-to-face with them because they
really very good. city. The company is are key for our business, and Iberostar must be
We’re very proud also set to refurbish key for their business.”
to be in line with the Iberostar Habana Although the Caribbean is the hottest location
Riviera, an iconic for Iberostar within the Canadian market, the
hotel in the capital company hopes to open the scope to other
city, which used to be destinations and see more crossover within its
home to lavish events and properties in Europe.
fashion parties. “Canadians are travelling a lot to the
“We are going to refur- European destinations, not only beach destin-
bish 100% of the rooms, ations, mainly to the most important European
so this will be another capitals, and we have hotels in Madrid, we have
milestone when we have hotels in Barcelona, Budapest, we are opening
these three properties at the in Rome in June/July, so really we would like to
same level, Iberostar Parque offer this image of 360 degrees with Iberostar.
Central, which is in some We apply the same quality of standards, putting
situations the best hotel the customer in the centre of our business, and
in La Habana because it’s being leaders in terms of quality satisfaction in
in the city centre, Packard the beach or in the city or in a heritage building.”
APRIL 15, 2019 • CANADIAN TRAVEL PRESS • 3
0415PG01-03.indd 3 4/11/2019 4:55:24 PM
OF Bike paths, public art and a new boardwalk
TRAVEL
make getting around Mazatlán enjoyable.
Historical colonial buildings and colourful
homes are a prime attraction for visitors to
the Mazatlán Centro.
PODCAST WITH
Photos courtesy/ RON PR ADINUK
RON PRADINUK From the Las Flores
we had access to a
long wide beach on the
doorstep to the ocean.
Marvellous Mazatlán
A destination your clients will remember
Mexico is the most popular sunspot destination for and cultural community in a city which is both friendly place – with everything they need to
Canadians every winter. It’s easy to get to the major- interesting and vibrant. make their decision a good one.
ity of the favourite tourist regions with non-stop Mazatlán has a stated objective of being the As Pradinuk tells listeners: “Transportation is
flights available from most major Canadian cites. first major "green" city in Mexico and has a good inexpensive, as are meals, and the plazas in the
In this issue of Canadian Travel Press, Voices start by offering residents and visitors alike paths centre of old Mazatlán are exceptional.”
of Travel host, Ron Pradinuk takes listeners to and bicycle rentals for 50 cents Canadian a day – So take a listen and discover Mazatlán – you
Mazatlán – which after a downturn a few years with drop-off points throughout its long board- can check it out at https://www.travelpress.com/
ago, has seen a major resurgence as a cruise line walk and Golden Hotel Zone. marvellous-mazatlan/.
port – and is a place where Canadians are learn- Pradinuk talks with Julio Birrueta, director for
ing there’s lots more to Mexico than just great Go Mazatlán, and Maria Digna, who is in charge Baxter Media’s Voices of Travel podcast series
beaches and resorts. of sales at the Las Flores Beach Resort. is committed to informing, educating and enter-
Staying in a kitchenette unit at the Las Flores In this show, you will learn why so many are taining its listeners with stories of some of the
Beach Resort, Pradinuk choose to forgo the making Mazatlán their winter long-stay destin- remarkable people, places and trends shaping the
all-inclusive option. In doing so, he discovered ation, returning year after year for the weather, travel and tourism industry in Canada and around
a plethora of excellent restaurants, a unique art and the reasonable pricing that makes it a budget the world.
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Vol. 51, No. 29
4 • CANADIAN TRAVEL PRESS • APRIL 15, 2019
0415PG04.indd 4 4/11/2019 3:52:29 PM
Cruise industry keeps sailing along
CLIA has released its latest global cruise passenger statistics
which reinforce the fact that cruising continues to play
a significant role in international tourism.
growth with a year-over-year 17% increase in passengers in 2017 and
another 13% increase in 2018 accounting for more than one million cruis-
ers travelling to this destination.
Around the world cruising grew by almost 7% from 2017 to 2018 – for
a total of 28.5 million – and research also shows North American travel- Moderate Growth in Asia – When compared to the rapid increases of
lers continue to embrace cruising with an annual passenger increase of the past, 2018 saw moderate cruise passenger growth throughout Asia
9% (14.2 million passengers) in 2018. and China with a 5% increase in cruise passengers from the region total-
While the cruise sector represents 2% of the overall global travel ling a still impressive 4.2 million.
industry, this segment is on pace with international tourism worldwide.
According to the latest UNWTO World Tourism Barometer, international North American highlights include:
tourist arrivals grew 6% in 2018, totaling 1.4 billion, while cruise travel Cruise Travel on the Rise – North American passenger numbers
grew at almost 7% during the same timing. reached 14.2 million in 2018, showing an increase of 9% from 2017.
Commenting on the results, Kelly Craighead, president and CEO, CLIA,
said: “It is not surprising that cruise travel is on par with overall inter- Eyes on the Mediterranean – Globally, Mediterranean cruises grew
national tourism growth. Cruising makes international travel accessible substantially in popularity last year, totalling more than 4 million cruise
for travellers worldwide, and it is apparent in the 2018 CLIA global pas- passengers worldwide. Of those, more than 700,000 passengers came
senger findings. From a renewed interest in cruises to the Mediterranean from North America up 29% from the previous year.
to a significant increase in adventure cruising, travellers are embracing
cruise travel more than ever before.” Craving the Caribbean – Cruise travellers from North America domin-
ate cruise travel to the easily accessible Caribbean. Continued growth in
Global highlights of the results include: cruising to the Caribbean, Bahamas, and Bermuda, is up 7% to 9.8 million
Mediterranean Moves – Cruises in the Mediterranean are moving up passengers in 2018.
in popularity with an impressive 8% increase from 2017 to 2018 totalling
more than 4 million cruise passengers. Alaskan Adventures Preferred – Aligning with global insights, North
American cruisers made up the significant portion of cruise passengers
Shorter Cruises – Passengers are preferring shorter cruise durations. traveling to Alaska in 2018 with 906,019 cruise passengers increasing
Seven-day cruise itineraries are up 9%, while three-day and under cruises to 14% from 2017.
are also up 10% in 2018.
Additional Destinations – Other growing North American destin-
Caribbean Rebounds – Cruisers love the Caribbean and the latest ations include the Hawaii and North Atlantic Coast region, Mexico,
insight reveal travel to the islands is still in full swing. An impressive 11.3 California, and Pacific which increased 4% in 2018, totaling 1.3 million
million cruise passengers travelled to the Caribbean in 2018 an annual cruise passengers.
increase of 6%.
For more on CLIA’s global cruise passenger statistics, sail on
Destination Alaska – As adventure travel continues to thrive, so do over to https://cruising.org/-/media/Images/CLIA%202018%20
adventurous cruise destinations. Alaska has experienced double-digit Passenger%20Numbers.
APRIL 15, 2019 • CANADIAN TRAVEL PRESS • 5
0415PG05.indd 5 4/11/2019 4:01:18 PM
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0415PG06.indd 8 4/11/2019 1:02:19 PM
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Seen here, from l to r, are Torstein Hagen, chairman of Viking and Gangfeng Fu, president of China Merchants Group.
Viking, China Merchants sign MoU
V
iking and China Merchants Shekou (representing outbound tourism market, and we are pleased to be partnering with China
the China Merchants Group) have signed a memo- Merchants Group in this joint venture to drive the development of the
randum of understanding to form a joint venture cruise industry. We see Viking’s way of cruising less as a trip and more as
focused on building a cruise line with worldwide a lifestyle.”
cruise offerings for the Chinese cruise market. Hagen continued: “For more than 20 years, we have led the industry
This will be a wide-ranging partnership covering in developing a fleet of ships and a range of cruise itineraries that we
everything from product development to sales and believe provide guests with the most comfortable and enriching way to
marketing. Further, China Merchants Group’s ship- explore the world. Our partnership with China Merchants Group will allow
building subsidiaries will partner with the joint venture to design and build us to bring this Viking travel lifestyle to more Chinese travellers more
new ocean cruise ships dedicated to the Chinese market. quickly, satisfying the Chinese market’s unmet demand for a greater
Torstein Hagen, chairman of Viking, commented: “China is a dynamic choice of sophisticated travel.”
TRAVEL CORPORATION continues
fight against plastic
The TreadRight Foundation, with its close ties to its partners and annual Changing ways
funding sources, The Travel Corporation’s (TTC) family of brands, con- “Our passionate, caring global team is unified in its total commitment
tinues its active push back against single-use plastics this year. to our mission to make travel matter. This means changing a number of
To highlight its respect and recognition for Earth Month, TTC recently ways we’ve operated in the past. This announcement marks an important
announced that from the beginning of its 2019 operating sea- next step in fulfilling our pledge to eliminate all non-essential
son, its brands (Trafalgar, Insight Vacations, Luxury Gold, single-use plastics across all our operations by 2022,” says
CostSaver, Brendan Vacations, Contiki, AAT Kings, and Brett Tollman, chief executive, TTC and founder of The
Inspiring Journeys) will no longer make available sin- TreadRight Foundation. “We are working with our part-
gle-use plastic bottles on its coaches. These brands ners on the ground to make sure guests still have
join sister companies Uniworld, Red Carnation access to clean drinking water and will be identify-
Hotels and U River Cruises, which have already ing convenient points along the way they can safely
removed plastic water bottles from their operations and responsibly source drinking water. We will
previously. also be continuing our active efforts to find innov-
With single-use plastic water bottles no longer ative ways to remove the few remaining single-use
being made available on its coaches, TTC and plastics throughout our organization’s hotel properties,
TreadRight maintain their combined momentum on such as shampoo and body lotion plastic bottles.”
its unnecessary single-use plastics elimination initiative In addition to announcing that single-use plastic water
announced in June last year. (TTC committed publicly to eliminating all bottles will no longer be available for purchase on all coaches, TTC
non-essential single-use plastics across all operations by 2022, across brands Trafalgar, Insight Vacations, Luxury Gold, CostSaver, AAT Kings,
all of its brands.) This latest initiative is expected to reduce plastic waste and Inspiring Journeys will be eliminating several hundred thousand
by several hundred thousand plastic bottles per year. pieces of single-use plastics from their operations by moving away from
8 • CANADIAN TRAVEL PRESS • APRIL 15, 2019
0415PG08-09.indd 8 4/11/2019 3:57:38 PM
Flight
Gangfeng Fu, president of China
Merchants Group, said: “China
Merchants Group treasures this
cooperation with Viking. This is a full
scale, multi-dimensional cooperation
that covers all three main business
sectors of China Merchants group.
Centre
Group takes
Viking has gained tremendous
experience in cruise operations and
branding strategies during its 20
stake in
years of rapid growth. We sincerely
hope that the alliance of the two
powerful brands will create synergies
and innovative business models that
will lead the cooperation into a mar-
ket-leading cruise brand.”
Viking operates a current fleet of
Upside
Photo courtesy/ VIKING
78 vessels, offering scenic cruis-
ing on rivers and oceans around Flight Centre Group is continuing to
the world. China has been a part of strengthen its rapidly growing global
Viking’s destination portfolio since corporate travel business, announcing
2003, and since setting up local oper- a strategic investment in The Upside
ations in China in 2016, the company Travel Company – the corporate travel
has seen strong momentum in its company launched in 2017 by Priceline
European river cruise product tailored for founder Jay Walker.
Chinese-speaking guests. FLT’s investment is for a 25% interest
Go to www.vikingcruises.com in Upside which will see it become the
for more. business’ largest individual shareholder
providing access to Upside’s travel tech-
nology platform and software develop-
ment resources.
the use of non-biodegradable name tags As part of the agreement, the parties
for all guests on their trips. Further, these also entered into a commercial deal that
brands are also replacing single-use plas- covers cooperation on various distribution
tic luggage tags with reusable, durable initiatives that combine FLT’s deep under-
luggage tags. standing of the corporate travel space with
Upside’s powerful technical assets.
Innovative solutions With this deal, FLT improves its tech-
Contiki is also trialling a new innovation, nology capabilities, specifically in the
introducing a long-lasting silicon one-litre small-and-midsize corporate market. FLT
water bottle with a 300-use charcoal filter plans to leverage Upside’s technology
on a number of its trips this year around platform to continue the digital enable-
the world. This provides the traveller with ment of its Corporate Traveller business,
a very usable, foldable and attractive pairing the proficiency of its people with
water bottle, which ensures clean, safe cutting-edge artificial intelligence and
drinking water at all times. Learnings machine-learning models.
from this year’s trial will then be shared The investment also adds Washington,
with other TTC brands, as the long-term DC, to the expanding global list of
goal is to ensure all travellers have a refill- FLT “Lab” locations following the
able water bottle they carry with them recent investment in Bangkok-based
at all times, ensuring they change their 30SecondsToFly, and the acquisition of
habits and dependency on plastic water the award-winning mobile app Sam :] in
bottles. Barcelona last month.
Red Carnation Hotels, a long-standing Dean Smith, president of FLT's
supporter of the removal of single-use Americas operations, commented: “We
plastics across all of their 17 (soon-to-be- have been impressed by the capability
20) luxury hotels, has banned single, use and flexibility of Upside’s technology and
plastic water bottles in addition to more team to improve the business traveller
than 20 everyday plastic convenience experience. Its use of machine-learning
items from all properties for some time models to dynamically price business
now. As has Uniworld onboard its ships travel packages in real-time to save
for several years now. clients money, while increasing traveller
The TreadRight Foundation will also be options is just one example of Upside’s
helping travellers explore more sustain- best-in-class technology.”
ably and make their travel matter with a Upside CEO, Jay Walker said: “FLT is
series of videos providing tips on elimin- the perfect partner for Upside, as we get
ating plastics and conserving water when aggressive in serving small corporate
travelling, as well as the Do’s and Don’ts clients. Not only does FLT’s global scale,
for travellers interacting with animals. content, and experience immediately
The video series will be released in the make our product more complete, but
week leading up to Earth Day on Sunday, FLT’s people and expertise also make us
April 22. smarter, which is key as we accelerate
(www.treadright.org) into the future.”
APRIL 15, 2019 • CANADIAN TRAVEL PRESS • 9
0415PG08-09.indd 9 4/11/2019 3:57:49 PM
Invisible
Burden
New
report
looks
at the
hidden
costs of
tourism
A report published recently by the Travel
Foundation, Cornell University’s Centre
for Sustainable Global Enterprise and
EplerWood International describes how
destinations must uncover and account for
tourism’s hidden costs, referred to as the “invisible
burden,” to protect and manage vital destination
assets worldwide.
Failing to do so puts ecosystems, cultural wonders,
Destination authorities urgently need
access to new resources, systems and
expertise to ensure that, as tourism
grows, the true costs of every new visitor
place of an incomplete set of economic
impact measures.
New skills and cross-sector collabora-
tion, underpinned by data and technol-
and community life at increasing risk, and places the are fully covered. ogy, to achieve effective spatial plan-
tourism industry on a weak foundation that could crack Amid increasing concern about ning, manage demand for public utilities
under its own weight. Overtourism and calls from within the and services, and evaluate the availabil-
The range of costs not currently accounted for travel industry for improved destination ity of vital, local resources.
include those needed to: management, the report, Destinations at New valuation and financing mechan-
Upgrade infrastructure beyond resident needs, to Risk: The Invisible Burden of Tourism, was isms to redress debilitating underinvest-
meet tourism demand. commissioned by the Travel Foundation ment in infrastructure and local asset
Manage and protect public spaces, monuments, the to better understand the challenges and management and enable the transition
environment and natural habitats; mitigate exposure constraints that national and municipal to low-carbon destination economies.
to climate change risks. authorities face. Principal report author, Megan Epler
Address the needs of locals affected by rising real It provides a thorough review of the Wood, said: “The earth’s greatest treas-
estate prices, driven by the demand from tourism. risks that destinations face and the solu- ures are cracking under the weight of the
Either residents are left to pay these costs, or tions urgently needed, including: soaring tourism economy. New data-driven
they are simply not paid, increasingly leading to New local accounting systems that systems to identify the cost of managing
environmental crises, spoiled tourism assets, and capture the full range of costs stem- tourism’s most valued assets are required
growing dissatisfaction among local residents. ming from the growth of tourism, in to stem a growing crisis in global tourism
10 • CANADIAN TRAVEL PRESS • APRIL 15, 2019
0415PG10-11.indd 10 4/11/2019 4:37:45 PM“
management. With the right
leadership, finance and
analysis in place, a whole The iinvisible burden goes a long way to explain why we are now
new generation of tourism
professionals can move for-
witne
it
itn
witnessing destinations failing to cope with tourism growth, despite
ward and erase the invisible the economic benefits it brings.
burden, while benefiting
millions around the globe.”
Salli Felton, CEO of the provides a wealth of examples well as Europe, Africa, and data-driven systems, such as and facilitate new forms of
Travel Foundation, pointed of the invisible burden. Cases Latin America. GIS mapping tools and the investment.
out that: “The invisible are drawn from Thailand, The report also gives Smart Cities concept, which Go to www.invisible
burden goes a long way to Mexico, and the Maldives, as insights into types of can address growth issues burden.org for more.
explain why we are now wit-
nessing destinations failing
to cope with tourism growth,
despite the economic bene-
fits it brings. It’s not enough
to call on governments and
municipalities to manage
tourism better, if they don’t
have access to the right
skills and resources to do so.
Destination managers need
support to develop new skills
and new ways of working
that will enable them to move
beyond tourism marketing.”
Dr. Mark Milstein, co-au-
thor of the report, observed
that: “This is a challenge of
investing for the long-term
health of a critical global eco-
nomic sector. Future success
will require collaboration
among business, government,
and civil society, so that
destinations are managed as
the valuable, yet vulnerable,
assets that they are.”
The authors conclude
that some destinations are
more vulnerable to the invis-
ible burden and should be
prioritized. For instance:
Where there is a high
risk of climate change
impacts (which would
disproportionately affect
a visitor economy) – for
instance, island states.
Where the rise of the
global middle class is driv-
ing tourism growth at
unsustainable levels – for
instance, in Southern and
Southeast Asia.
Where there is a high
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APRIL 15, 2019 • CANADIAN TRAVEL PRESS • 11
0415PG10-11.indd 11 4/11/2019 4:37:46 PMDiscover the yesteryear
charm of St. Lucie
Nature is the big attraction for vacationers headed to St. Lucie, prior to the rapid urban sprawl. Canoe or kayak these marshes and
Florida. discover the diversity of habitats that wildlife enthusiasts and photog-
Hiking, kayaking and horseback riding are just a few of the attrac- raphers go crazy for.
tions in St. Lucie, where the biggest crowd that visitors will encounter
will be a large flock of wading birds. Horseback Riding
And, if the traveller is looking for some of Florida’s best nature The Florida cracker is not extinct here. St. Lucie’s rich heritage of
observation opportunities, then look no further than the 10,000 plus cattle ranchers and equine activities have continued on through
acres of public nature preserves that exist in St. Lucie – Fort Pierce, today’s recreational horseback riding opportunities that are available
Port St. Lucie and Hutchinson Island. to all. Book a guided trail ride with experienced horses and guides and
It’s a south Florida destination that still retains its small town discover the beauty of St. Lucie’s undisturbed nature from the back
charm, a slow-paced island lifestyle and natural Florida landscapes of a horse. For those looking to really make a memorable experience,
that are reminiscent from generations ago. Frederick Douglass Memorial Beach in Fort Pierce on Hutchinson
To the east on Hutchinson Island, visitors will find uncrowded and Island is the only beach in south Florida that allows horses. Guided
beautiful sandy beaches that awaken with the morning sun to the tours are available. Go to www.beachtoursonhorseback.com.
ranchland restorations and cypress hammocks in the western part of
Fort Pierce that glow gold just before twilight. Birdwatching
Here’s a sample of some of the activities that area offers: St. Lucie has several nature preserves that are listed on the Great
Florida Birding & Wildlife Trail including Bear Point Sanctuary,
Hiking Fort Pierce Inlet State
Visitors can enjoy guided Park, Indrio Savannahs
nature tours, or if preferred, Preserve, Pinelands
immerse themselves in the Preserve and Savannas
beauty of nature on a self- Preserve State Park.
guided hikes. For Guided The species vary
Nature Programs, visitors amongst these natural
should contact St. Lucie areas where you will find
County’s Environmental wading birds such as
Resources Department at herons, egrets and the
772-462-2536 to register Roseate Spoonbill, to wild
for FREE hikes. The turkeys, Sandhill Cranes
Savannas Preserve State and Spotted Sandpipers.
Park in Port St. Lucie also When exploring, be pre-
offers guided hikes, call pared with binoculars,
772-398-2779 or 772-340- water, insect repellant and
7530 for more information. sunscreen. For more infor-
mation on the Great Florida
Paddling Birding Trail, visit www.
The Indian Biver Lagoon, floridabirdingtrail.com.
the nation's most biologic- St. Lucie – home to the
ally diverse estuary is a haven for Florida wildlife and nature observa- historic city of Fort Pierce, the city of Port St. Lucie and the beaches
tion. Drift through mangrove tunnels, spot manatees, sea turtles or of Hutchinson Island – is located on the Atlantic Ocean along the
dolphin, view ospreys feeding their young along with pelicans, herons, east coast of Florida, 120 miles southeast of Orlando and 115 miles
egrets, Roseate Spoonbills, and more species of birds. Rent or reserve north of Miami with direct access from Florida’s Turnpike, Interstate
a guided tour to kayak or stand up paddle board. Or sit back, relax and 95 and State Road 70.
enjoy a chartered wildlife boat cruise. The area offers an array of visitor activities including beaches,
The St. Lucie River is a brackish body of water that winds through golf, outdoor and nature adventures, an arts and cultural scene,
the heart of Port St. Lucie – visitors would never know that this fishing, and dozens of unique attractions.
quiet, majestic scenic river canopied by century old oaks, Spanish A variety of affordable accommodations such as hotels, motels,
moss and palms is flowing through the middle of Florida's eighth bed & breakfasts, vacation condos/homes, and an all-inclusive resort
largest city. Spot alligators sunning themselves on tree stumps and are available.
turtles diving below the surface. The birds that inhabit here are stun- Nearby commercial airports include Palm Beach International
ning. Guided paddling tours, equipment rentals or chartered wildlife (PBI), Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood (FLL) and Miami International
boat tours are available. Airport (MIA).
At the Savannas Preserve State Park, visitors will find a represent- For more, go to www.visitstlucie.com.
ative sample of a basin marsh that extended throughout south Florida
12 • CANADIAN TRAVEL PRESS • APRIL 15, 2019
0415PG12.indd 12 4/11/2019 3:56:26 PMHalf of CANADIANS check
INSURANCE emails on vacation
S
o much for getting away work emails while on vacation, vacation posts. While 50% of Canadian
from it all. compared with 42% of GenXers Millennials admitted to deceptive posts,
A new study found that and 32% of Baby Boomers. only 36% of American Millennials claimed
half of Canadians say they check When asked if they chronicled they did so, while 26% of Canadian
their office emails while travel- their trip on social media, 44% GenXers said they post better-than-reality
ling on vacation. Of those, 24% of Canadians answered “yes,” led photos, only 15% of American GenXers
say they do so at least once, if by Millennials at 67%, followed claimed they did the same.
not several times, each day. by GenXers at 48% and Boomers Said Keon: “This is the third year
The results were gathered in at just 22%. for our Winter Vacation Confidence
a survey of Canadian travellers Dan Keon, vice-president, mar- Index, but the first time we have polled
by Allianz Global Assistance ket management, Allianz Global Canadians about their use of social
Canada, a leading provider of Assistance Canada said that: media while travelling. Beyond captur-
travel insurance and assistance “Posting vacation photos is not ing and sharing amazing travel memo-
services, which asked Canadians entirely unexpected, but it was sur- ries, our smartphones are a valuable aid
about their travel habits. prising to learn from the study that in a travel emergency.”
The Ipsos survey also nearly three in 10 Canadians (27%) admit to posting photos “Our assistance centre in Kitchener, Ontario, receives
revealed that men are the that make their vacation look better than it actually is.” approximately two million calls every year from
most likely to check their work And Keon continued: “Once again, Millennials led the Canadian travellers in need of medical or travel assis-
emails, with 54% responding way with 50% of them admitting they post “better-than- tance. Having your smartphone available while travelling
affirmatively versus 44% of reality” photos compared to 26% of GenXers and only makes it that much easier to reach us if an emergency
women. However, the great- 7% of Boomers.” unexpectedly arises. Travellers with smartphones can
est differences were associ- A similar survey was conducted in the summer of 2018 also benefit from our free TripWise app, which provides
ated with age. Some 72% of by Allianz Global Assistance USA, and a comparison seems users with a number of helpful features. Go to www.
Millennials say they check their to indicate that Canadians may be more deceptive with their allianz-assistance.ca for more.
APRIL 15, 2019 • CANADIAN TRAVEL PRESS • 13
0415PG13.indd 13 4/11/2019 3:59:50 PMCARIBBEAN
Posadas plans to open
300 hotels by 2020
Posadas has big plans, and they’re not just in Mexico, as Mexico’s largest new Tulkal destination that will feature multiple resorts, including a 515-
hotelier is moving forward with its aggressive growth plan to inaugurate room Fiesta Americana All-Inclusive and a 340-room Live Aqua Beach
300 properties by 2020. Resort, as well as a 33,000 plus square foot convention centre. Tulkal
Along with opening new properties in destinations like Playa Mujeres and will boast a total of 1,300 oceanfront rooms spread across all properties.
Tulkal in Mexico’s Riviera Maya area, the company also plans on entering Additional newly signed projects include a property in Playa Mujeres and
more new markets, after it made quite a splash in both Cuba and the another 700-room resort on the Pacific coast in Puerto Vallarta.
Dominican Republic in 2018. Calderon said: “While we are proud of our growth after decades of lead-
As well, it will also be launching two new hotel brands – committed to ing Mexico’s hotel industry, we are even more proud of being pioneers in
offering a diversified portfolio that caters to all types of travellers – soon. perfecting and spreading the traditional Mexican hospitality our company is
In 2018, Posadas entered the Dominican Republic with the ground- best known for. We can assure our loyal guests that despite the ambitious
breaking of Grand Fiesta Americana Punta Cana Los Corales All-inclusive plan, we will guarantee that the essence of our offering will not be impacted,
in Punta Cana that is set to open in 2021, and in Cuba with two resorts, especially as we enter new markets.”
the 633-room Fiesta Americana Punta Varadero All-Inclusive and Fiesta Another growth strategy for Posadas is the introduction of new brands,
Americana Holguín Costa Verde All-Inclusive with 749 guest rooms. which will focus on celebration and romance. The company’s roster currently
The company plans on opening next in Santo Domingo, and is also look- has seven brands in more than 60 destinations that cater to all category of
ing at new markets such as Jamaica, Aruba and others in the Caribbean. travellers and include the Live Aqua, Grand Fiesta Americana and Fiesta
“Posadas currently has 180 hotels in operation, with another 53 under Americana, as well as The Explorean, Fiesta Inn, Gama and one more. Coming
construction set to open over the next 30 months,” explained Enrique up next will be two other brands that focus on celebration and romance.
Calderon, COO of Posadas. “Our goal is to have 300 properties in our port- “We are experts in generating new experiences, while always delivering
folio by 2020, which equals to about one hotel every two weeks this year.” the best service to our customers,” Calderon stated.
The new developments are in multiple destinations. Among them is the Check in at www.Posadas.com for more.
Jamaica picks Bennett for Canadian post
Jamaica has named its new regional sively in several markets, includ- for devising revenue generating launched the opening of the Meliá
director of tourism for Canada. ing Canada, the US, Europe, Latin strategies to increase sales, she is Braco Village hotel in Trelawny.
Donovan White, director of tour- America, and her native Jamaica. well suited to aid the JTB in achiev- Earlier in her career, she served
ism for Jamaica, announced last “It is with great pleasure that we ing growth in this important region.” as Caribic Vacations Limited’s
week that Angella Bennett will take welcome Angella to the Jamaica Bennett recently served as director of tour operator manage-
on the post of regional director of Tourist Board team,” White said. director of sales at RIU Hotels & ment where she oversaw product
tourism for Canada at the Jamaica “Canada remains a vital market for Resorts, Jamaica, overseeing sales development, quality control
Tourist Board (JTB). Jamaica, and we intend to aggres- and revenue management activities and accounting management
Based in Toronto, Bennett brings sively push to increase our visitor for 2,500 rooms across five resorts. for a myriad of tour operators
more than 20 years of hospitality arrivals from that country. Given During her tenure, she successfully including Airtours International,
sales and marketing experience to her broad experience across the opened five of the six RIU Hotels TUI Germany, DerTours, Miers
the position, having worked exten- hospitality sector and her penchant in Jamaica and most recently Weltreizen, and Jetair.
14 • CANADIAN TRAVEL PRESS • APRIL 15, 2019
0415PG14.indd 14 4/11/2019 4:39:09 PMTHEIR ALL-
INCLUSIVE
SUMMER
ADVENTURE
KIDS STAY FREE +
LIMITLESS ALL-INCLUSIVE
Your little legends are staying for free. And with the Limitless All-Inclusive program,
you can pack in all the excitement your family can handle. Whether it’s rounds of
golf, adventure tours, or a relaxing spa day while the kids are letting loose at the
Kids Club, it’s all included and easier than ever.
#madeformusic
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For more information, visit allinagents.com
or contact your preferred tour operator.
Two kids (12 & under). Music Lab not
available at Hard Rock Hotel Vallarta.
0415PG15.indd 8 4/11/2019 1:05:39 PMMinor brings a
SUMMER
T R E N D S
touch of Thailand
to Portugal
The Sky Bar at
Tivoli’s flagship
hotel in Lisbon
serves drinks in a
lofty setting.
T
Photos courtesy/ MINOR HOTELS
IAN
STALKER
he hospitality industry in the Callas and pop singer
most westerly country in continental Europe is Beyonce are among
now being shaped in part by the Far East. notables who have
Thailand’s Minor Hotels added Portugal’s stayed in the hotel.
Tivoli Hotels & Resorts to its brand inventory
and also brought a weighty brand name in Thai Acquiring more
resort circles to the Iberian country, introdu- Another Tivoli property
cing elements of Thailand hospitality and is found in Sintra, a
culture to southern Europe. town close to Lisbon
Minor converted a Tivoli Algarve property to that served as a retreat
the Anantara Vilamoura, making Portugal the for Portuguese royalty,
first and to date only European country to have which is reflected in
a resort by Thailand’s Anantara chain, known The only Anantara property in Portugal and indeed all of its having royal struc-
for its upscale retreats. Europe has tuk tuks to shuttle guests to the beach. tures, and which also
“We are very proud [of Portugal being Anan- enchanted famed
tara’s first European destination],” Cristina Borges top five in the Algarve. British poet Lord Byron. The 30-room property
of Minor Hotels’ Algarve office told Canadian The Algarve is seen as a year-round destina- “could be your grandmother’s house if she was
Travel Press of a property in which guests can tion, with its mild winters meaning that visitors a queen,” Granja says.
find the likes of Portuguese and Thai restaurant can play the likes of golf any month. Tourism Tivoli has over 10 properties in Portugal,
dishes, Thai massages in the spa and even a officials add that the region – known primarily about half in the Algarve. The brand also has
couple of tuk tuks – smallish, open-air, three- for its beaches – is also culturally interesting, five-star properties near the coastal Brazilian
wheeled vehicles that normally serve as taxis on among other things having architecture that city of Salvador and Sao Paulo, Brazil, as well.
Bangkok streets – to carry people between the tells of the long Moorish presence there. The Salvador-area resort is in a sparsely popu-
resort and the ocean-fronting beach and beach Andrea Granja, spokeswoman for Tivoli, lated area, and the builder was conscious of
club. Regular shuttles are also available. said Minor has invested a lot of money in its the environment, with the structure not rising
Portuguese operations, with, for instance, the over a mature palm tree and having a program
Big investment Tivoli Avenida Liberdade Lisboa seeing major to help safeguard endangered sea turtles. The
The Anantara Vilamoura is about five renovations that were completed last year and Sao Paulo hotel, in turn, has a 750-square-
minutes from the beach and surrounded included the redoing of guest rooms and the metre presidential suite, reportedly the largest
by an Arnold Palmer-designed golf course. lobby, and the addition of a restaurant. The five- presidential suite in all South America.
The course has an individual offering golf star hotel is Tivoli’s flagship, found on a trendy Tivoli also has properties in Qatar – two in
instruction, but who is called a guru “because Lisbon street and dating back 85 years. “It’s its capital of Doha – with visitors able to experi-
he knows a lot.” There are also experience and where the Tivoli brand was begun,” Granja says ence both modern and traditional.
wine gurus on hand for guests. of the hotel, which includes the rooftop Sky Among other brands Minor has acquired is
Minor promotes the hotel as one of the Bar among its amenities. Opera singer Maria Spain’s NH Hotels.
16 • CANADIAN TRAVEL PRESS • APRIL 15, 2019
0415PG16.indd 16 4/11/2019 4:46:22 PMADVERTISING FEATURE
Living la Dolce Vita
buds ready for the treats that
await once they arrive in Italy.
Salute!
Flying nonstop from Toronto to Rome is the perfect start to your clients’ Italian Practice the art of casual
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Living La Dolce Vita: Travel like an Italian
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0415PG17.indd 8 4/11/2019 1:08:59 PMYou can also read
