New Sunwing Appointment, Agent Fams, NYC and Tahiti Tourism

New York City hit the trifecta this past week, with three major attractions opening within hours of each other.

The new TWA Hotel at JFK Airport, which features a rooftop pool overlooking the tarmac, officially swung open its doors last week. The hotel celebrates the careful restoration of Eero Saarinen's landmark 1962 former Trans World Airlines terminal, which now serves as the heart of the 512-room property.

Also on Wednesday, the new Empire Outlets opened on Staten Island; the first outlet shopping mall/centre in New York City.

To top it off, the new Statue of Liberty Museum opened on Thursday on Liberty Island in New York Harbor. The museum, which was opened by Mayor Bill de Blasio, museum campaign chairperson Diane Von Furstenberg and others, contains the statue's original flame.

The Statue of Liberty represents our core values - we embrace diversity, support our neighbours, and believe everyone should have a fair shot to live the American dream," said de Blasio.

Sunwing Vacations is pleased to announce that Lauren Lamonday has been appointed Business Development Manager for South Western Ontario. Lauren brings a wealth of travel knowledge to the role with more than 12 years of experience working in both sales and marketing within the travel industry.

David Wright, Director of Sales for Ontario and Atlantic Canada, commented on the news, "We are delighted to welcome Lauren to our team. We're confident her extensive knowledge of our products and destinations will contribute to our ongoing success."

Lamonday's territory will include Hamilton, Burlington, Niagara Peninsula, Brantford, London, Windsor, Owen Sound, Kitchener-Waterloo, Guelph and surrounding communities. Lauren can be reached at [email protected].

The Pick Your Paradise promotional campaign has launched nationally to entice travellers to learn about and explore the many facets of The Islands of Tahiti.

The Pick Your Paradise campaign is an opportunity to highlight the well-known Society and Tuamotu Islands, but also the lesser known Austral and Marquesas Islands. This far reaching campaign reveals wonders beyond the classic itinerary that only includes Tahiti, Moorea and Bora Bora, inviting visitors to go deeper, go farther and go together to these exotic and untouched places. This campaign is a series of videos deployed globally in nine languages reaching a wide international audience.

In addition to the diversity of islands, it is also an opportunity through this campaign to highlight the plethora of experiences that can be had in The Islands of Tahiti. Thirty-six activities are highlighted in this new campaign, from the most adventurous with parasailing or visiting the beautiful caves of Rurutu, to more cultural experiences such staying at a Tahitian Guesthouse or attending a workshop to learn how to make a traditional tapa cloth or hei.

Pick Your Paradise will invite visitors to take an interactive visual tour of The Islands of Tahiti. Using the multiple dualities that The Islands of Tahiti present, the user is guided in a series of adventures, cultural experiences and family activities.

This visual experience aims to encourage users to turn their virtual tour into a real journey. The user can then choose to combine their activities into a video for sharing on social media and book their custom itinerary through a Certified Tahiti Specialist. Visit the Pick Your Paradise microsite at https://tahititourisme.ca/en-ca/pyp/.

Now in its 18th year, Let's Talk Travel is on the road again. Five non-competing suppliers held combined presentations last week in Kingston, Belleville and Peterborough. The group will visit Barrie May 29 and Burlington May 30.

"These meetings are a great opportunity for travel professionals to learn more about these suppliers and their products: AMA Waterways, Windstar Cruises, Tourcan Vacations, Visit Myrtle Beach and Turks and Caicos Islands," officials said. "Each supplier gets 20 minutes to present."

To register for the remaining presentations do so online at: http://letstalktravel.ca/Registration.html

Leading small-group adventure tour operator G Adventures unveils its lineup of fall 2019 Canadian agent FAMs. Agents have the opportunity to explore Northern Peru, Turkey, Egypt, Belize, Guatemala, and Mexico with the travel company.

The trips are eight to 12 days in length and depart in October and November 2019. All FAMs are priced from $399 to $599 per person, land only and are available to Canadian travel agents only.

"We're looking forward to hosting our agent partners on our FAMs this fall. A big part of understanding the G Adventures experience, brand and culture is experiencing it first-hand. Also, we know it's much easier for agents to sell a product if they have first-hand knowledge," says Aizaz Sheikh, Canadian Marketing Director, G Adventures.

Holland America Line's new Oceans of Extras promotion gives guests up to $600 USD in onboard spending money per stateroom and awards bonus perks for suite bookings on select fall 2019 through spring 2020 cruises.

The offer, which runs through June 30, 2019, provides cruisers who book an eligible itinerary with onboard spending money ranging from $50 to $300 per person, depending on the length of cruise and stateroom category. In addition to the onboard spending money, suite bookings also receive a Signature Beverage Card valued at $100 per stateroom, as well as a Signature Dining Package that includes one complimentary dinner at both Pinnacle Grill and Canaletto.

"Cruising is already an exceptional value, and promotions like Oceans of Extras with added incentives make now the right time to book a Holland America Line cruise," said Orlando Ashford, president of Holland America Line. "Onboard spending money allows our guests to use the credit however they want on a variety of experiences, and booking a suite offers even more rewards. We recommend that our guests take a look at our wide range of staterooms to see what best fits their needs."

Oceans of Extras is available on a variety of itineraries from Sept. 30, 2019, through May 1, 2020. With this promotion, guests can book a cruise to many of Holland America Line's global destinations, including Asia, Australia/New Zealand, the Caribbean, Cuba, Hawaii, Mexico, the Pacific Coast, the Panama Canal, South America and the South Pacific.

Pure Grenada, the Spice of the Caribbean, is providing visitors with limitless opportunities to explore, relax and unwind this summer with the relaunch of its #NextStopGrenada campaign. From now through October 31, travelers can enjoy specials including discounts off hotel rack rates, room upgrades, complimentary massages and more during Grenada's extended summer season.

Grenada Tourism Authority's (GTA) Marketing Manager, Francine Stewart, introduced the new feature of the campaign this year with the launching of the #NextStopGrenada summer savings card. This special savings card allows visitors to take advantage of additional discounts on tours, experiences, restaurants and more. Travelers can collect the discount card upon arrival at the airport or at all participating hotels and present it to participating vendors to enjoy the specials.

Now in its second year, the destination-wide campaign was developed by the GTA and designed to provide travelers with true value for money as well as the chance to experience all that Grenada, Carriacou, and Petite Martinique has to offer.