PAXnews - PAX unpacks Virgin Voyages’ Valiant Lady; Sunwing pulls routes from Northern Ontario, Atlantic Canada; G Adventures restructures

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Monday, January 16, 2023

On Location: Virgin Voyages’ new Valiant Lady leaves a vivid, lasting impression

PAX's Diane Tierney explores Virgin Voyages’ second ship, Valiant Lady, which recently hosted the brand's inaugural North American First Mates and Golden Ink Awards for travel advisors. "Virgin Voyages offers one of the most inclusive experiences out there,” said Sean Russo, the line's sales manager for Canada. See exclusive pics taken on board!

Sunwing pulls routes from Northern Ontario, Atlantic Canada

Turbulence continues to rock Sunwing as the tour operator makes more last-minute changes to its winter schedule, suspending select routes in Atlantic Canada and Northern Ontario. The update mirrors a similar decision Sunwing made in December when it suspended all flights in Saskatchewan up until (and including) Feb. 3, 2023.

G Adventures to restructure as G Travel Community

G Adventures has formed a holding company, G Travel Community (GTC), to bring its brands together under one entity and make space for new acquisitions. GTC brands are united in a mission to “bring people together through travel to affect positive change," the company said Monday (Jan. 16). The move comes two years after G secured an investment from private equity firm Certares.

Playa announces new BDMs for Ontario, Quebec & Atlantic Canada

Playa Hotels & Resorts is welcoming new members to its Canadian team. Effective Monday (Jan. 16), Christopher Jeffrey-Racine will be business development manager for Quebec and Atlantic Canada and Andi Bacho will step into the role of business development manager for Ontario.

Monday Minute: Brian Hopkins of Expedia Cruises

"Focus on the details and don’t let things fall through the cracks," says Brian Hopkins of Expedia Cruises, sharing his number one piece of advice to other travel advisors. Hopkins has been a travel professional since 1994 and he first got the travel bug when he was 15 while on a backpacking trip across Canada. He takes centre stage in today's Monday Minute.

Unique Vacations Canada honoured at Sandals sales summit

The sales team from Unique Vacations Canada were recently honoured at the Sandals Sales Summit held at Sandals Emerald Bay in Great Exuma from Jan. 4-8, 2023. The awards acknowledged the team's strong commitment to excellence and spirit during the pandemic.

Yarr, Matey! Pirate River Quest opens at LEGOLAND Florida Resort

Anchors aweigh! The all-new Pirate River Quest is now open at LEGOLAND Florida Resort. The boat ride through the natural canals of historic Cypress Gardens whisks families into a world of adventure in search of Captain Redbeard’s lost treasure, stolen by a troop of mischievous monkeys.

Add "transformational travel" to your operations with this free course

WeTravel and the Transformational Travel Council have launched an "Introduction to Transformational Travel" educational course for any travel professional looking to gain the resources needed to add transformational travel experiences to their operations. The free, one-hour course explores three phases of creating transformational travel experiences.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

On Location: Unlocking Silver Endeavour in Antarctica – where penguins have right of way

Celebrated social columnist, pop culture buff and novelist Shinan Govani shares his take on experiencing Antarctica while on board Silver Endeavour, Silversea's glam expedition ship that debuted last year. From "house-size glaciers" to penguins to onboard caviar, the luxurious experience "cleared my pores, made my heart sing, and rocketed my serotonin," Govani writes. Read his exclusive feature for PAX.

A “catastrophic failure”: Airlines grilled over holiday travel chaos; commissions addressed

Officials from Air Canada, WestJet and Sunwing appeared at a House committee hearing Thursday (Jan. 12) to testify about the disruptions that left Canadian travellers scrambling over the holidays. MPs grilled Sunwing, in particular, for leaving customers stranded. The tour operator says it has received 7,000 complaints. Commission protections for travel advisors was also addressed.

AmaWaterways to grow Canadian team; Sandra Gardiner promoted to director of sales

AmaWaterways is expanding its sales team in Canada as the company reports a boom in sales, PAX has learned. Sandra Gardiner, who previously oversaw Atlantic Canada, in addition to being director of national accounts, is now director of sales for Canada. She will oversee BDMs Neil Dudley and Shauna Carter, as well as a third representative, who will be hired soon.