It’s almost U.S. Thanksgiving, and that means tremendous Black Friday and Cyber Monday travel deals are here. I’ve got a roundup of a few of tem.
SCENIC CANADA CRUISE DEALS
Scenic Canada is making it easier to give that special holiday gift this year with strong value-added deals on their award-winning river and ocean products during the Black Friday shopping period — effective on new bookings between Nov. 22 and Dec. 2, 2022. More details can be found at scenic.ca/blackfriday.
European River sailings are being offered with free and reduced (CAD $295, $395 and $495) Premium Economy airfare, a CAD $100 or $200 Gift Card, plus Super Earlybird Savings of 10% on cruise fare. Travelers preferring to explore the world from aboard the ultra-luxury Scenic Eclipse, The World’s First Discovery Yacht™, can enjoy 2-for-1 Business Class flights plus CAD $200 per person fare savings, combinable with Earlybird Savings of 10%.
Some of Scenic’s most popular river sailings are on the Black Friday deals list. 14-night treasures like Jewels of Europe, Danube Delta Discovery, and Romantic Rhine & Moselle; seven-night favorites such as Danube Christmas Markets, Windmills, Tulips & Belgium Delights and Highlights of Normandy & the Seine; and the fascinating 10-night Gems of the Danube with Prague are among the more than 20 itineraries included on the list.
Highlights of the ocean cruises include the expansive 17-night Japan & the Aleutian Islands, the 13-night Uncover Greenland & Canada that explores some of the planet’s most remote regions, the west or east coast of North, Central and South America, sailings in the Caribbean and the Mediterranean, and, of course, multiple itineraries and departures in Antarctica.
The view from Shirley Heights on Antigua. JIM BYERS PHOTO
SUNWING VACATIONS
This week only, Sunwing’s giving Canadians an all-access pass to the best deals of the year with incredible savings on all inclusive packages to some of the most sought-after vacation destinations, including Antigua, Aruba, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Jamaica, Mexico, St. Maarten and St. Lucia. The tour operator’s Black Friday Sale is on now until November 27, 2022, and applies to travel between November 21, 2022 and April 30, 2023. With prices this good, Canadians will want to book their getaways now so they can spend less time scrolling for deals and more time planning everything they’ll do once they arrive in destination.
No matter their travel style, there’s a vacation package to suit every Sunwing customer’s travel needs this winter. Families can secure unbeatable value on their getaway to Grand Memories Varadero with savings up to 46%. Set on the world-famous shores of Varadero in Cuba, the resort features an on-site kids club, sprawling swimming pools and host of dining options to keep guests of all ages happy.
For a luxurious getaway for less, customers can head to Ocean Coral Spring located in Montego Bay in Jamaica and enjoy limited-time savings up to 49%. The resort offers spacious and well-appointed accommodations, including suites with ocean views, a pristine white-sand beach, and a variety of local and international dining options. What’s more, upgrading to the Privilege section will give customers access to exclusive resort areas and amenities, priority restaurant reservations and 24-hour room service.
The Kimpton Seafire Resort + Spa on Grand Cayman. JIM BYERS PHOTO
IHG HOTELS (INCLUDING KIMPTON)
IHG’s Biggest Member Event’ includes several can’t miss offers with more to come on Cyber Monday. IHG One Rewards members can take advantage of the following offers*:
· Member Discount: Members may receive up to 10% off discounted Advance Saver and Book Early and Save rates when booking stays at least seven days in advance between November 22, 2022 – December 2, 2022. All stays must be completed by February 28, 2023 at participating IHG Hotels & Resorts properties.
· Mobile App Download Bonus: Members will receive 1,000 bonus points upon downloading the IHG One Rewards mobile app for the first time between November 22, 2022 and December 2, 2022.
· Save With Kimpton: IHG One Rewards members can also save up to 20% off the Best Flexible Rate at participating Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants when booking stays between November 22, 2022 – December 5, 2022. All bookings must be completed by April 30, 2023.
With 6,000 hotels and resorts around the world, 17 brands – including Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, Six Senses – and a new global loyalty program, members can earn points with ease and redeem them for the things they want most. Non-members can visit IHG One Rewards to learn more or register to become a member.
Santorini, Greece. Dan-Unsplash Photo
STAR CLIPPERS BLACK FRIDAY SALE
Star Clippers is offering a Black Friday sale of 15% off select sailings onboard two of their authentic tall sailing ships, Star Flyer and Star Clipper. Guests booking select 2023 and 2024 sailings onboard Star Flyer and Star Clipper will receive 15% off their booking. Options abound when it comes to destinations and itineraries: these ships sail the warm waters of the Eastern and Western Mediterranean in the summer, and in the winter Star Flyer sails in the Caribbean while Star Clipper sails in Central America between Costa Rica, Panama and Nicaragua.
In the Mediterranean, guests can book a seven-night Southern Cyclades sailing round trip out of Athens or a seven-night Amalfi and Sicily sailing round trip out of Rome, both starting at $1,606 per person based on double occupancy. In the Caribbean, a seven-night Treasure Island sailing round trip out of St. Maarten starts at just $2,006 per person, double, and a seven-night Costa Rica and Panama sailing round trip out of Puntarenas starts at just $1,360 per person, double.
Bookings must be made between November 25 and December 15, 2022 to qualify for the Black Friday offer. Offer is good for guests residing in North, Central and South America only.
G ADVENTURES TEAMS WITH REFOREST FOR TREE PLANTING
Community tourism pioneer and adventure travel specialist, G Adventures, has made a significant financial investment in restorative travel technology start-up, Reforest, to start taking action via tree-planting.
Reforest, which is based in Brisbane, Australia, is a digital platform connecting travellers with local communities that are actively restoring their ecosystems using reforestation. This enables travellers to give back by having their own trees planted in places where community tourism relies heavily on the preservation of the local environment. The platform will then provide travellers with tangible, visible, scientific data measuring the positive impact of the trees planted on their behalf.
Reforest has also been designed to help travel companies looking to tackle environmental challenges through emission removal to understand their carbon footprint, and then connect them with local projects to support their reforestation efforts. The platform is innovative in the way it converts the hard science of climate action into simple yet compelling personalized interactive experiences for companies’ customers, who can then continue to plant trees themselves.
Bruce Poon Tip, founder of G Adventures, says travellers are increasingly looking to ensure their travels have a meaningful impact and tree planting is an effective way to both reverse climate change and support community tourism, a concept Poon Tip pioneered more than 30 years ago.
“The preservation of local environments is critical to supporting community tourism as it helps improve air and water quality for local people, and supports wildlife habitats. Travellers want to see natural beauty, so we need the world’s most beautiful places to be around for as long as possible, and to stay as pristine as possible. The Reforest platform will help us achieve that goal and help combat climate change, as planting trees is one of the easiest ways to help decrease emissions.”
AIR CANADA AEROPLAN TAKES HOME MAJOR AWARDS
Air Canada’s Aeroplan loyalty program had a strong showing at this year’s Canada’s Choice travel rewards, where Canadians are invited to name their favourite loyalty programs and credit cards in Canada. Aeroplan and its credit card partners were eligible for five of the competition’s ten categories and won in each, including for Top Airline Loyalty Program.
“Thanks to our members for voting Aeroplan as their top choice – it means everything to us,” said Scott O’Leary, Vice President, Loyalty and Product at Air Canada. “We’re so proud to share these honours with our team, our partners, and our employees who deliver on the promise of Aeroplan every day.”
In the 2022 Canada’s Choice competition, Aeroplan and its partners won in the following categories
* Top Airline Loyalty Program (Aeroplan)
* Top Overall Travel Rewards Credit Card (TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite card)
* Top No Annual Fee Travel Rewards Credit Card (CIBC Aeroplan Visa)
* Top Airline Credit Card (TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite card)
* Top Ultra Premium Credit Card (TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Privilege Card)
