NYC Winter Savings, Scenic Wave Season Specials And Rocky Mountaineer Sale

Reservations and tickets went live for NYC Restaurant Week, NYC Broadway Week and NYC Must-See Week, this week; all a part of NYC Winter Outing. NYC & Company, the city's tourism management group, overlapped these programs for this first time this year to offer ultimate value for winter travel to New York City.

Now in its third year, NYC Must-See Week has expanded greatly and offers 2-for-1 admission to 57 unique experiences including iconic NYC attractions, popular and lesser-known sites, historic locations, culturally diverse museums, unexpected tours, sightseeing cruises, varied performances and more. A complete list of participants can be reviewed and tickets-valid from January 21 through February 10-can be purchased by visiting nycgo.com/mustseeweek.

"NYC Must-See Week gives locals and visitors inspiration and motivation to get out and explore the City's leading attractions, cultural organizations, performing arts and more," said Fred Dixon, president and CEO of NYC & Company. "Fifty-seven 2-for-1 deals across the five boroughs provide world-class offerings at an unbelievable value."

NYC Broadway Week tickets also are on sale to the public. The popular biannual program, now in its ninth year, will run January 21 through February 10, 2019, offering visitors and New Yorkers the opportunity to purchase 2-for-1 tickets to 24 acclaimed Broadway shows. Of the productions, 11 are new program participants, including: Tony Award® -Winning Best Musical The Book of Mormon; critically acclaimed drama The Ferryman; modern, LGBTQ+ comedy The Prom; and star-studded production True West, among other highly sought-after shows. Tickets for NYC Broadway Week can be purchased now at nycgo.com/broadwayweek.

On top of that, NYC Restaurant Week reservations are now open at nycgo.com. Now in its 27th year, the highly anticipated program provides the opportunity to:

- Dine 17 days, January 21 through February 8, 2019*

- Enjoy two-course prix-fixe lunches and brunches for $26 and three-course prix-fixe dinners for $42**

- Explore nearly 400 restaurants among 41 distinct neighborhoods, across all five boroughs

- Discover 33 individual cuisines

- View a full list of participants, browse menus and collections, and book reservations now at nycgo.com/restaurantweek

The Scenic Eclipse is one of the most anticipated luxury yachts in many years - and is expected to turn heads when it launches in April 2019. In celebration of the arrival of the world's first Discovery Yacht, Scenic has announced several Wave Season specials available to Canadians who book by March 2, 2019.

· Early bird savings are available on departures from late 2019 through August 2020. Guests can save up to 10% off the full cruise fare and receive the Deposit Protection Plan for free;

· Book any Antarctica or Arctic & Fjords cruise and enjoy two-for-one airfare from all major Canadian gateways;

· Guests choosing to explore their own backyard, namely the Atlantic Canada or the Maritimes & USA sailings, get to explore New York City with a free three-day stay as well as receive free private door-to-door R/T home to airport transfers and up to $500 USD per person on board credits;

· Paying in full for any Americas, Baltic or Europe cruise by March 2, 2019 saves up to CDN $1,000 per couple.

As sales have been brisk for the 228-guest luxury yacht, it is advised that travel agents and consumers book early.

Rocky Mountaineer is ringing in the new year with a new promotion, offering guests $300 off a three-night journey in GoldLeaf Service. This discount offer, 2019 Classic Journey, is available from now until Jan. 31, 2019.

One eligible package for this offer is First Passage to the West Classic, a journey from Vancouver to Banff that takes guests through the legendary Spiral Tunnels, with spectacular views of rugged mountains and dramatic canyons. This three-night package includes overnight stays in Vancouver, Kamloops, and Banff.

Along with the new 2019 Classic Journey offer, Rocky Mountaineer has brought back its Stay & Play promotion. With this offer, travellers can receive an added value of up to $500 CAD per couple to spend on excursions, extra hotel nights and more.

Both promotions are applicable for select travel dates and must be requested at the time of booking. The offers have no cash value, cannot be used together, and other restrictions may apply. For more information on these promotions go to www.rockymountaineer.com, or contact Rocky Mountaineer directly at 1-877-460-3200.

I had a chance to try the Rocky Mountaineer last year and found it to be extraordinary experience.

Sandals has unveiled their newest Over-the-Water Serenity Chapel at Sandals Ochi Beach Resort, elevating the resort's wedding experience to exceptional heights, and expanding the brand's Over-the-Water Chapel portfolio to now include three chapels. This unique and picturesque venue, now available in Ocho Rios, features stunning 360-degree, panoramic water views and a glass floor aisle, so guests can truly walk on water on their special day.

The new 450 square feet Over-the-Water Chapel holds 40 guests and features delicate décor decided upon by the bridal couple, as part of Sandals' Aisle to Isle wedding program.To learn more, agents can contact their local Business Development Manager or call Inside Sales at 1-800-545-8283.

Right in time for the deep freeze that has already set in across Canada, Contiki today announces the launch of its brand new, re-designed South Pacific 2019 program featuring 16 new and improved adventures and smaller group sizes - all in line with the wants and needs of its youth audience.


At the top of many young traveller's bucket lists, both Australia and New Zealand offer constant sunshine (as summer has officially set in both countries), an abundance of beaches and a lifetime's worth of adventures. Contiki's new suite of adventures will feature at least eight new inclusions and Free Time Add-Ons such as kayaking on Milford Sound, an afternoon on the 'grassy knoll' at Bondi Beach, ferry across Sydney Harbour to Watson's Bay, stand up paddle boarding, yoga and surfing in Byron Bay.

"Australia and New Zealand have consistently been at the top of many young Canadians' bucket lists," said Sheralyn Berry, President of Contiki Canada. "Our new South Pacific 2019 program will offer clients once-in-a-lifetime adventures only Contiki can deliver. From watching the sun rise over Uluru, sipping a long black over smashed avo toast overlooking Byron Bay to experiencing the true meaning of kia ora in New Zealand, clients will have the best time of their lives with us 'Down Under'."

KAYAK, the world's leading travel search engine, has released its 2019 Travel Trend Forecast unveiling where you live may have an impact on where you travel.

KAYAK's data reveals that Canadians have soared past their U.S. neighbours, as North America's more adventurous travellers. With seven of the top 10 most popular destinations beyond the borders of Canada, including New Delhi, London and Paris, Canadians have their sights set far and wide in comparison to Americans, where nine out of the top 10 most popular destinations fall within the United States.

Trending destinations like Male, Maldives and Cartagena, Colombia have caught the attention of Canadian jetsetters with searches up 215% and 193%, respectively. Europe appears to attract Canadian & American travellers alike, with a notable difference being that Canadians are drawn to more niche cities such as Sofia, Dubrovnik and Porto, whereas the tried-and-true tourist destinations such as Rome, Munich and Paris are still gaining momentum amongst Americans.

- Vancouverites have a hunger for cultural experiences, making bustling Asian cities like Tokyo, Beijing and Hong Kong popular choices.

- Torontonians are the party people of Canada, travelling to buzzworthy cities with boisterous nightlife including Los Angeles, New York, Las Vegas, Paris and Miami.

- Montreal residents are the sun-seekers through-and-through, always looking to escape the cold temperatures and warm up in destinations like Cancun, Casablanca and Orlando.

- Calgarians are the homebodies and middle-grounders, literally and figuratively. When it comes to travel destinations, Calgarians choose close-to-home North American cities like Toronto, Phoenix, San Francisco and Montreal.

- Edmonton residents are the friendly Canadian neighbours, looking to their Western friends in British Columbia for a good time. Popular destinations include Abbotsford, Kelowna and Vancouver.

Swoop this week celebrated its first of four inaugural flights to Mexico.

Flight WO660 departed John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport earlier this week for Puerto Vallarta International Airport (PVR).

This marks the first airline service to Puerto Vallarta from Hamilton.

Travellers can also enjoy flights from Hamilton to Cancun beginning Jan. 14, 2019 and Abbotsford to Puerto Vallarta and Mazatlán beginning Jan.12, 2019 and January 20, 2019, respectively.

Tourism Montréal is forecasting that tourism spending in the city will grow 5.6% in 2019, representing $4.75 billion in revenue and 53,000 jobs for the industry as a whole. Meanwhile, tourist numbers are expected to rise 2.4%. Tourism is now one of the primary wealth-generating industries for the province of Québec.

Montréal's positioning as a dynamic international flight hub presents excellent business opportunities for all stakeholders. Thanks to the addition of new direct air connections, Montréal and the entire province are poised to benefit from the potential growth in tourism numbers. Last October, Aéroports de Montréal announced the city's 150th direct flight connection, which promises to increase demand and make it easier for travellers to access the city.

In 2019, Tourisme Montréal plans to step up prospecting initiatives while increasing the city's visibility to boost the conventions market. In addition, it will continue promoting Montréal as a destination through the "Never Grow Up" and "MTL Works for You" communications platforms while refining market intelligence for targeting key segments.

The organization will also contribute actively to the development of Montréal as an urban destination by encouraging and supporting innovative projects. New initiatives will be created to enhance the tourist experience in the city. Finally, Montréal will host numerous conferences this year, including the World Summit AI Americas 2019 and the ISMRM 27th Annual Meeting & Exhibition.