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Awards of merit 2007

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LAST DAY FOR SIGNATURE’S FIVE-DAY SALE

Hurry for guaranteed lowest prices for travel Feb. 1-Apr. 30, 2008

Palladium Vallarta Resort & Spa, Puerto Vallarta

Today is the last day of Signature Vacations’ five-day sale offering guaranteed last-minute rates to all customers booking vacations for travel between February 1 and April 30, 2008. Among the deals: $998 from Regina to the Villas Vallarta, Puerto Vallarta; $798 from Winnipeg to the Holiday Inn Sunspree, Mazatlan; $898 from Calgary to the El Cid Castilla Beach in Mazatlan; $888 from Edmonton to the Holiday Village Golden Beach in Puerto Plata; $998 from Vancouver to the Palladium Vallarta in Puerto Vallarta; and $998 for February 28 departure from Saskatoon to the Viva Wyndham Tangerine in Puerto Plata. [Full text and pictures]

SUNQUEST SLASHES PRICES

Two-week sale on most product; 7-night all-inclusives from $697

RIU Santa Fe, Los Cabos

Sunquest Vacations launched a two-week campaign offering the ‘Best Prices of the Season’ on most of its product last Saturday. Prices for a seven-night, all-inclusive holiday starting from $697 plus tax per person, double occupancy. Sale prices are valid for select dates from January to April from seven Western Canadian gateways – Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Edmonton, Calgary, Kelowna, Vancouver and Victoria – to destinations in Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Jamaica and Costa Rica. Read on for a selection of the sale offers. [Full text and pictures]

NEW CHINA & ASIA BROCHURE FROM ROYAL SCENIC

New tour program features packages for every budget & taste

Royal Scenic Holidays' 2008-2009 China & Asia brochure, featuring innovative tours in 15 countries, is hot off the presses. Harold Ho, director of marketing, says the tour operator’s new program “reflects itinerary content enhancement and adjusted pricing to better suit the individual taste and budget of every traveller based on new program categories.” The brochure features a "Prestige Collection" for travellers seeking pure luxury, as well as a "Value Collection" of fully-escorted tours featuring superior-class hotels. Existing land-only programs, including the popular AsiaRibbean beach vacation packages and the Royal Cityscapes stopover packages, have been fine-tuned for 2008-2009. [Full text and pictures]

SUNWING EXPANDS FLEET

Three new Boeing 737s for winter 2008

Stephen Hunter, COO of the Sunwing Travel Group, yesterday announced the expansion of the Sunwing Airlines fleet for winter 2008. Beginning this winter season, the airline will operate nine B-737s, an increase over the six aircraft operated last year. Sunwing will be using the planes on its expanded routes – particularly from its new gateways across western Canada. The operator is offering flights from eight gateways across the west and, since the establishment in May of an office and sales team in Vancouver under the direction of Gerry Roussin, is enjoying strong support from agents from British Columbia to Manitoba.

RAINBOW HIGH VACATIONS LAUNCHES NEW SITE FOR GBLT MARKET

Conxity.com one-stop shop for “both gay + everyday” travel

Toronto-based Rainbow High Vacations, today announced the launch of Conxity.com, a website designed to give lesbian and gay travellers the convenience of booking all their business and leisure travel on the same site. The site offers a safe and secure booking engine combining more than 40 gay/gay-friendly travel suppliers around the world with flight, hotels and cars. By logging onto conxity.com travellers can connect to an international gay community to find travel partners, trade travel tips or share travel experiences and photos, peer-reviewed listings and trip ratings, and a global event calendar. [Full text and pictures]

CSTAR LAUNCHES FREE ONLINE INVOICING & INVENTORY TOOL

TripDocs designed to improve client communications

CSTAR today announced the launch of TRIPDocs, a free, web-based program designed to assist travel professionals improve communications with their clients by making it easier to disclose up-to-date legal and regulatory requirements in their day-to-day itinerary/invoice production without the need for third-party software. The program’s options menu allows agents to “choose and check” pre-written text applicable to a client's particularly itinerary, including information about departure details, boarding passes, and web check-in; passports and visas; health requirements; baggage; insurance; legal and liability notices; pricing and payment information; and more. Agencies can also store their own text for repeat use within the whole agency, and individual agents can store their own personal text sections. [Full text and pictures]

DELTA HOTELS’ AEROPLAN MILES PROMOTION

Triple Miles for new Delta Privilege members, current members have chance to win 25,000 Miles now through April

Delta Vancouver Airport

Delta Hotels is ringing in the New Year with a Triple Aeroplan® Miles promotion and sweepstakes, now running until April 30, 2008. Travellers who enroll in Delta Privilege, the brand’s program for frequent guests, will earn 1,500 Aeroplan Miles for each of their stays – instead of the regular 500 – to a maximum of three stays and 4,500 Aeroplan Miles. Current members (those who joined the program before January 1, 2008) are also rewarded with a chance to win one of ten prizes of 25,000 Aeroplan Miles through the promotion’s stay-and-referral program. In addition to earning 500 Aeroplan Miles on each stay at a Delta hotel or resort, current members will receive a contest entry. And if they refer a friend who subsequently joins Delta Privilege, they will earn another ballot. [Full text and pictures]