Transat Adds Split Croatia, Margaritaville Goes to Costa Rica: This Week's JimBits

Transat, named the 2018 World's Best Leisure line, is pleased to announce it will be adding Split, Croatia, to its transatlantic flight program. Starting in the summer of 2019, the airline will offer a weekly direct flight to this city, known for its picturesque beaches on the Adriatic Sea.

"Tourism has seen incredible growth in the Balkan Peninsula, which many now rank among the top European destinations," explains Annick Guérard, Chief Operating Officer at Transat. "We've seen great interest in Croatia since we started flying there in 2016. That's why Air Transat is proud to be meeting this demand even better by upping its offer to three direct flights from Toronto, including two to Zagreb," she adds. "And thanks to our connecting flights from Montreal and Vancouver, more travellers can now discover Croatia's second-largest city."

"Split will amaze Canadian travellers eager for something new," said Gari Cappelli, Minister of Tourism of Croatia. "Not only does it boast a rich heritage, with a UNESC-declared historic centre that dates back to the Roman Empire, but its location makes it the perfect gateway to the islands of the Adriatic Sea and Eastern Europe."

Travellers will be able to start booking flights to Split shortly. Details on Air Transat's flight program for summer 2019 will soon be announced.

Adventure tour operator G Adventures unveils an industry-first as it introduces its new 'Ripple Score' - an evaluation score for its trips which indicates what percentage of a tour's local expenditure remains in the local economy.

As a responsible tour operator, G Adventures aims to use local services and employ local people. The average Ripple Score across its 640 scored trips is 93, meaning that 93 per cent of the money spent in-destination across these tours is spent with locally-owned businesses, benefitting local people.

Sustainable Travel International and the Planeterra Foundation (G Adventures' non-profit partners) assisted in the development of the Ripple Score calculation, as well as the development of the company's thorough supply chain analysis survey from which the Ripple Score is the first outcome.

Jamie Sweeting, G Adventures' vice president of social enterprise and responsible travel, says the Ripple Score is a way for the company to provide transparency for its travellers, and to drive the travel industry forward in terms of accountability.

"Over the past few years, we have undertaken a thorough analysis of our supply chain to find out how many of our suppliers are majority locally-owned, and thus how much money stays in the destination," said Sweeting. "When travellers use local businesses it has a positive economic and social impact on communities, and we seek to encourage more of this."

As a result of the survey, 640 of G Adventures' approximately 700 trips have been given a Ripple Score. These scores will appear alongside each trip on the G Adventures website from September 25, 2018 in time for World Tourism Day on September 27. They will also be published in G Adventures' 2019 brochures, which are available from mid-November 2018.

Meliá Hotels International announces the transformation of the Dominican Republic resort, Meliá Caribe Tropical, into two separate properties: Meliá Punta Cana Beach, an adults-only resort, and Meliá Caribe Beach, a resort for everyone, opening at the end of 2018. Debuting with a selection of new offerings, the two new hotels will open with a myriad of new programming, services and amenities.

"By offering two distinct properties with specialized services, we are more able to cater to guests' needs and enhance their travel experience," said Alvaro Tejeda, Regional VP, The Americas. "Our guests have been requesting more adults-only options, as well as family-friendly amenities, so we are thrilled to be able to fulfill that need and offer a more tailored stay." Meliá Punta Cana Beach Resort & Meliá Caribe Beach Resort will debut December 2018, just in time for the holiday season.

Guests of both Meliá Caribe Beach Resort and Meliá Punta Cana Beach Resort, that are of ages 18 and older, will be able to discover and enjoy an expansive selection of new restaurant concepts. Introducing a new free-flowing experience, guests can dine at participating restaurants at each property, regardless where they are staying for a total of 13 restaurants. Guests of both properties can also enjoy specialty cocktail bars.

WestJet and more than 13,000 WestJetters are rallying together in the effort to support breast cancer awareness initiatives during the month of October through uniform updates, the CIBC Run for the Cure and fundraising campaigns.

For the third consecutive year, WestJetters' uniforms will look a little pinker in October with custom-designed pink neckwear and hats that have been made available to employees with 100 per cent of the purchase price going to the Canadian Cancer Society. Additionally, for 2018 new pink 'personality' pins were created and are available by donation for WestJetters to show their support year-round.

"As a proud supporter of the Canadian Cancer Society and the breast cancer cause, we are delighted that WestJetters have raised more than $441,000 in the last five years for life-saving breast cancer research and programs through our annual fundraising campaigns," said Richard Bartrem, WestJet Vice-President Marketing Communications. "Over half of our workforce is represented by women and it's incredible to see us continue to unite together and show what our caring spirit can do in support of a tremendous cause. We are committed to making breast cancer beatable and will be proudly wearing pink this month to help bring awareness to those who have been affected by the disease."

On Sunday, 40 teams of more than 360 WestJetters and their families participated in the Canadian Cancer Society CIBC Run for the Cure. As a proud supporter and the official airline of the CIBC Run for the Cure for the sixth consecutive year, WestJetters along with their families and friends came together to walk and run at more than 18 locations across Canada.

Germany is a nation re-formed by German Reunification only 28 years ago. They're celebrating that historic day with the biggest street festival in the country this year, in Berlin, October 1-3. Visitors can join the tours, events and the unification concert at the Brandenburg Gate.

When people think of Berlin, the first thing that usually comes to mind is its most famous landmark - the Brandenburg Gate. For decades a symbol of division, the monument has always been the beating heart of a major city bursting with ideas, inspiration, art, culture and creativity. Highlights in the western parts of Berlin include the Kurfürstendamm, as elegant a shopping street as you'll find anywhere, the Kaufhaus des Westens department store (better known as KaDeWe), on-trend boutiques and exclusive galleries, as well as beautiful residential streets and, of course, Berlin's famous nightlife.

While you're in the city, be sure to raise a toast to reunification - or to your companions, or just for the sheer pleasure of it - with a glass of Berliner Weisse. This historic "sour beer" recipe has been revived by today's craft brewers, and has once again become one of the most popular quaffs in the country.

For wine lovers, the Weinheim Wine Mile is a road to paradise. The October 13 event features vineyards from the Bergstrasse region in Hessen and Baden, celebrating their craft in a festival in Weinheim. Visitors sample the wines of the region, enjoy local cuisine, and even meet the winemakers.

Today's visitors can step 300 years back in time at the baroque Ludwigsburg Palace, the largest of its kind in Germany. The palace, built near Stuttgart in 1704, comprises 452 rooms - and the expansive grounds also feature a hunting lodge, the palace church, and impressive landscape gardens.

Sandals Montego Bay continues its total transformation with the recent opening of a brand-new Jerk Shack and Latitudes Overwater Bar. Both additions come months after Sandals Montego Bay announced new luxury renovations and expansions, including completely redesigned rooms and a refurbished lobby area and bar to a conference center boasting cutting edge technology.

Known for its irresistible Jamaican cuisine, the Jerk Shack takes local to a whole new level with menu items such as jerk chicken, pork or sausage, roasted fish in foil, festival, roast breadfruit, roast sweet potato and jerk sauce as a delicious finishing touch.

Sandals Montego Bay's newest bar, Latitudes Overwater Bar, features 360° ocean views from its prime location just off the coast of Jamaica's best, private white sand beach. Guests can lounge on a hammock suspended above turquoise waters by day and enjoy sunset cocktails gathered around the intimate fire pits by night.

Looking ahead, Sandals Montego Bay will also feature BMW Luxury Transfers for all guests in Club Sandals and Butler Suite categories starting October 15th, Sandals' signature Over-the-Water Serenity Wedding Chapel and two more 5-Star Global Gourmet dining options: Soy, serving unmatched Asian cuisine and Butch's Steak & Seafood, an incredible culinary experience.

For more information, agents can contact their local Sandals Business Development Manager or call Inside Sales at 1-800-545-8283

Exclusive Resorts, the world's elite private vacation Club, and National Geographic have announced a global partnership-the first of its kind for both brands-whereby National Geographic will be the preferred provider of Exclusive Resorts' Experience Collection. Centered around unique destinations and adventure tourism, the Collection includes handpicked experiences allowing travelers to expand their horizons in a meaningful way. The partnership is another way in which Exclusive Resorts ensures an unrivaled vacation tradition for its Members.

According to the CEO of Exclusive Resorts, Cathy Ross, National Geographic was the natural choice for their Members. "Our Members expect a high level of luxury and service when they travel with us, but they also wish to be challenged, to learn, and to grow. National Geographic has been synonymous with exploration since 1888, and are not only respected, but trusted."

"Our passion is to deliver enriching and immersive travel experiences that bring National Geographic to life," said Nancy Schumacher, Head of Travel and Tour Operations for National Geographic. "We are thrilled to now extend those experiences in a unique and curated way to Exclusive Resorts Members who, like our travelers, are curious and want to explore the world."

Exclusive Resorts Members have access to The Club's 380+ residences worldwide, where they enjoy customized, worry-free vacations in stunning locales. In 2015, The Club introduced its Experience Collection of custom itineraries ranging from three- to 14-day trips appealing to a wide variety of interests. Now, with National Geographic as a partner, Exclusive Resorts will firmly establish itself in the experiential travel market-and its Members will benefit from a rich new portfolio of National Geographic Expeditions providing them the opportunity to explore the world in a meaningful way.

Last week The Club introduced 20 National Geographic Expeditions to its Experience Collection, with more Expeditions being added in 2019. Itineraries include a private tour through Morocco, a photography experience in Bhutan, and a journey through the Canadian Rockies aboard the iconic Rocky Mountaineer railway. All Expeditions are led by knowledgeable local guides or National Geographic experts, including scientists, researchers, photographers, and explorers.

Chelsea Hotel, Toronto has partnered with Motion Pay Technology Inc., allowing Chinese tourists an opportunity to directly access their Alipay and WeChat Pay accounts. The hotel is one of the first in downtown Toronto to offer this convenient payment option. Motion Pay is a Canadian Fintech that connects Canadian businesses to Chinese consumers.

With the service provided by Motion Pay, guests of the hotel can pay their bills directly with Chinese RMB through Alipay and WeChat Pay. There won't be a requirement to exchange manually for Canadian dollars therefore, Chinese guests can enjoy the most convenient and familiar payment methods, just the same as they use every day in China. This will definitely facilitate the payment process and enhance guest satisfaction.

Alipay was introduced in 2004 and today, there are over 520 million active Chinese users. WeChat Pay and Alipay have more than 1.3 billion active users. Reaching a record of 682,000 arrivals to Canada in 2017, up 12% over 2016, China was Canada's largest source of tourist arrivals from the Asia-Pacific region and Destination Canada's second largest overseas market.

Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville hotel brand is adding another new property in the Caribbean Basin.

The new Margaritaville Beach Resort is set to debut in Costa Rica with a soft opening on Nov. 1, the company confirmed this week.

The property is now booking for travel beginning in 2019.

The new resort is set in Costa Rica's popular Guanacaste province, the product of a rebranding of the Flamingo Beach Resort and Spa.

The 120-room property is located on the white-sand Flamingo Beach on the northern Pacific coast of Costa Rica, with a large pool with a swim-up bar, an oceanfront restaurant and lounge, a family center, watersports and a spa.

Contiki has launched what will arguably be the most epic adventure of 2019: you can visit ALL '7 Wonders of the World' on an 82-day round the world trip with Contiki beginning with the Taj Mahal in India on March 24th, 2019 and ending at the Colosseum in Rome on June 13th. Dubbed, the '7 Wonders' adventure, the new trip will visit all seven of the 'New7Wonders' of the world including the Great Wall of China, Chichen Itza in Mexico, Machu Picchu in Peru, Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, Petra in Jordan and the Colosseum in Rome.

The 7 Wonders' adventure will see Canadians visiting nine countries in depth, exploring their local icons, traditions, cuisines and cultures. It will also include a whopping 92 included meals and an Instagram feed's worth of #NoRegrets travel experiences such as a visit to a panda sanctuary in Chengdu, China, a canopy hike through the Amazon jungle, a tango lesson in Buenos Aires, Argentina, 4x4ing across Wadi Rum in Jordan and a boat trip to the island of Capri in Italy. The 82-day adventure is made up of six of Contiki's trip itineraries put together. With the launch of its new Europe 2019 collection of trips that now includes a new adventure in Israel and Jordan (Jordan being the home to the ancient site of Petra), young Canadians can now visit all seven of the wonders of the world with Contiki.

The first Disney cruise ship to sail the St. Lawrence, Disney Magic, arrived in Québec City yesterday and was welcomed over 5,000 residents and officials. Captain Mickey waved to the fans enthusiastically as the ship pulled into port. Evening fireworks celebrated the event as passengers and residents were treated to a magical display fitting for a Disney celebration.

The 2,713-passenger Disney Magic is in port from September 26-28, as part of the ship's new itinerary, sailing between New York and Québec City. The cruise offers passengers two full days in the capital, giving visitors multiple days to experience the city and its many family-friendly offerings. As part of the new sailings, the Disney Magic will also stop at other Canadian ports new to Disney Cruise Line - Saguenay and Baie-Comeau.

"We are thrilled to welcome Disney Cruise Line to our city," said Mario Girard, President and CEO of the Québec Port Authority. "Seeing Captain Mickey is a highlight for many of our local families. The city planned a number of celebratory festivities to provide passengers and crew a magical welcome throughout the city."