JimBits: Italy on Sale, The World's Best Hotel and Reach Global Marketing News

From north to south and heel to toe, Canadians love seeing the ancient cities and savouring the unforgettable food of Italy. But sometimes think they've experienced all that Italy has to offer when they've been to Rome, Florence and Venice. So as part of its 90th birthday celebration, the Globus family of brands has reinvented its Italy vacations by showcasing "Undiscovered Italy" for travellers hoping to taste la dolce vita with four new "off-the-beaten-piazza" tours and nine tours featuring lesser-known destinations.

And Canadians have responded. According to Kim Clarke, director of sales for Canada for the Globus family of brands, sales to Italy are up significantly year over year.

As part of the early open for sale for 2019, clients will save 10 per cent on Globus 2019 Europe tours, including these "Undiscovered Italy" vacations when they book by Nov. 27 this year. Clients will save $100 per couple on Cosmos Europe vacations when they book by Oct. 23 this year.

For more information, agents can visit www.agentlingo.ca.

Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, the world's leading luxury hospitality company, has received the award for the best hotel in the world from Travel + Leisure magazine's World's Best Awards for Four Seasons Resort Bali at Sayan, along with broad recognition across its global portfolio of hotels and resorts.

Travel + Leisure's World's Best Awards honour the top travel destinations and companies around the globe as rated by Travel + Leisure's discerning audience. This year, Four Seasons Resort Bali at Sayan has been ranked as the #1 Top Hotel in the World. Since opening in 1998, Four Seasons Resort Bali at Sayan has been highly regarded in industry awards, reader polls and traveller reviews, and continues to elevate its services and offerings to anticipate the evolving needs of luxury travellers. This is the second time that Four Seasons Resort Bali at Sayan has been recognised as the best hotel in the world by Travel + Leisure, having won the award for the first time in 2005.

In related news, the Rosewood Hotel Georgia in Vancouver was voted as Canada's top city hotel by Travel + Leisure. It's a beautiful property in downtown Vancouver that's also home to the renowned Hawksworth Restaurant.

The Maryland Office of Tourism has named Reach Global Marketing LTD as their agency of record in Canada

Reach will be responsible for managing public relations, sales, and marketing activities in Canada with a special focus on Ontario.

"We are delighted to have the support from our local community to finally expand our opportunities in Canada. " said Liz Fitzsimmons, Managing Director, Maryland Office of Tourism. "The Canadian market is of great importance to Maryland and is the fifth largest international market, showing tremendous growth over the last few years."

"Having spent many family vacations in Maryland, the state has a special connection to me." said Charmaine Singh, President, Reach. "Our team is excited to promote Maryland as a destination with a wide variety of choices for the culinary, sports, history and beach enthusiast."

With direct flights from Air Canada and a ten to twelve-hour drive from Montreal and Toronto, Maryland is an easy and affordable getaway for Canadians.

For more information on Maryland, explore https://www.visitmaryland.org/

On the heels of solid growth in 2017, overseas visits to Canada are projected to increase by 6.7 per cent to reach more than 9 million visitors this year, according to The Conference Board of Canada's latest Travel Markets Outlook reports.

"Overseas visits to Canada are expected to increase from all continents, with the highest growth coming from Mexico and China," said Greg Hermus, Associate Director for The Conference Board of Canada's Canadian Tourism Research Institute.

Travel from China is expected to get a boost from the Canada-China Year of Tourism, while Canada continues to see growth in Mexican tourists following the lifting of visa requirements for travellers from Mexico in December 2016.

Overnight visits from the U.S. will be held back slightly by high gas prices, but are still projected to increase by a solid 3.4 per cent. In all, tourism activity in Canada is poised to expand by 2.6 per cent in 2018.

Air Canada has announced it will open a redesigned Maple Leaf Lounge located in St. John's International Airport new terminal East expansion area (YYT) this fall.

The new Maple Leaf Lounge will have 77 per cent more square footage, 46 additional seats, and windows offering a panoramic view of iconic Signal Hill and a beautiful view of the ocean.

"We look forward to the opening of our redesigned Maple Leaf Lounge in the newly expanded Departures Lounge at St John's later this year which will offer our eligible customers an elevated airport experience, with a quiet place to relax or work before their flight," said Benjamin Smith, Air Canada's President, Airlines and Chief Operating Officer. "Throughout the lounge, we're proudly showcasing Canadian furnishings, local art and crafts that will reflect the charm of Newfoundland and Labrador's landscape and people."

The YYT Maple Leaf Lounge will be located in the newly expanded departures lounge. The new lounge expands to 332 square metres (3,573 square feet) from 187 square metres (2,009 square feet) and seats for 84 customers. An Air Canada reception agent will assist with travel needs.

Other new amenities include a Samsung TV zone and a self-serve bistro and bar with an elevated food & beverage offering. Additional details will be announced when the lounge opens this fall.