During summer 2009, there will a number of additional transatlantic flights on offer to European holidaymakers as Czech Airlines have started to increase their numbers of flights to Canada.

There will be four weekly flights to Toronto provided by the airline which is a huge increase from the summer months of 2008.

Holidaymakers and travellers will be able to make use of all services due to an extended summer period provided by the carrier which will start this year from early May and carry on right up to the middle of October.

With a fully operational fleet providing 156 flight service routes between Prague and Toronto during summer 2009, Czech Airlines have seen a staggering increase of 44% on last year.

The popularity of the routes in 2008 has been the deciding factor encouraging the airline to increase their capacity to 19,000 passengers, all of whom are to be flying from the Czech capital to Canada.

The airline announced earlier in February that it was extending its on-flight facilities, including tax free goods and refreshments for any holidaymakers and travellers who plan to buy on board.

Holiday makers will be excited to hear that Air Canada have just announced that all its flights to Europe are now to feature the carriers’ brand new cabin interiors.

The airlines new and improved flight facilities will include flat bed suites within first class including an in-flight seatback entertainment system for holiday makers on their aircraft.

Further developments from Air Canada were announced this week, which include additions to its North American flight network. The airline released details of their forthcoming launches on four of their nonstop routes from Calgary.

Available from the 15th of May the airline will start the new flights for holiday makers travelling from Calgary to San Diego and California which will be quickly followed by new flights from 1st June to London, Ontario, Yukon Whitehorse and there will also be a service available to Portland which is due to be launched on the 15th of June.

Vice president, Daniel Shurz for Air Canada, said:

‘We know our customers appreciate the choice and convenience of non-stop flights and, with the introduction of these new routes, the airline continues to offer the most extensive route network from Calgary of any airline.’

Air Canada is based in Montreal, operating flights to over 170 destinations across five continents.

It has been reported by Travel Alberta that the number of visitors taking a ski holiday have greatly increased as snowboarders and skiers are taking advantage of over half a metre of fresh snowfall that has now covered the Banff National Park in the last couple of days.

Ski resorts in Lake Louise, Mt Norquay and Sunshine Village have all seen fresh heavy snowfall, and much of it covers nearly 8,000 acres of mountain terrain.

Banff Park is also able to offer visitors an opportunity to experience a wide variety of the parks’ wildlife such as elk, moose, deer and large grizzly bears that are all roaming free and protected within the park’s forests.

Within the national park there are also natural hot springs, a spa, and guided tours of the park to help visitors to track the wildlife.

Should people be taking a holiday at Lake Louise in January, they have the chance to go to the Ice Magic Festival which is held on 23rd to 25th January.

The Ice Magic Festival is based around a 34 hour competition of professional teams carving huge ice sculptures. This year’s challenge has the theme of ‘the rhythms of nature’.

The full range of Air Canada’s transatlantic flights which are offered to holiday makers and business travellers is to be extended in 2009, with the launch of a direct service from Montreal to Rome.

Air Canada has increased their flight programme with the new route to meet ’seasonal travel demand’, and the direct flights will launch on 20th June 2009. It will continually run through the 2009 busy summer holiday period.

The Montreal to Rome route will be added to Air Canada’s scheduled direct routes which are already in place from Toronto to Rome. This flight is a re-established service which is due to resume sometime in February 2009.

The airline’s executive vice president and chief officer, Ben Smith commented:

“The reintroduction of our non-stop service between Montreal and Rome strengthens Air Canada’s commitment to offering convenient flights from Montreal to key international destinations. With the addition of three new destinations this year – Geneva, Fort de France, Martinique and now Rome – Air Canada offers non-stop service from Montreal to 50 destinations.”

So by summer 2009 the airline will have increased its capacity for transatlantic flights from Montreal by a further 35% in comparison to last year’s figures.

Air Canada still provides flights to some of the key European gateways including Paris, London and Frankfurt.

KLM has just announced that their 2009 schedule for summer will now include new flight routes flying from Amsterdam and on to Calgary in Canada.

KLM were keen to get their new flight destination in place because they claim that this is the biggest market in Canada which is not served by a KLM flight.

Calgary is an extremely popular tourist destination, particuarly for family holidays and it is located within the Alberta province. One of the reasons for its popularity each year is due to the amazing access it provides to the world famous Rocky Mountains in Canada.

The city of Calgary also lies at the very heart of some key energy industries including oil, which makes Calgary an extremely major location for forthcoming business travel.

CEO at KLM, Peter Hartman, (also president) said:

“Under the present economic situation, it’s even more important to choose destinations that meet a strong demand. By introducing Calgary to our network, we further enhance our product offer to our customers, who can now reach this important region in Canada on a direct flight from Amsterdam.”

Peter Hartman also continued to say that the new Canadian flight route fits in with KLM’s key brand strategy for 2009 in promising to offer ‘the highest possible level of service’ for its North American network customer base.

The launch of the additional Calgary flights is due on 3rd May 2009 and is to join the other 254 of KLM’s weekly transatlantic flights with its primary joint venture partner, North west Airlines.

Earlier this week, on the 22nd June, a major new tourist attraction called Niagara’s Fury was unveiled at Niagara Falls in Canada, close to Ontario.

Several high-profile figures attended, including the local minister of tourism and the Niagara Park’s Commission (NPC) chairman.

The attraction has an eight minute animation which explains how the Falls were created during the Ice Age period, followed by a six minute 360 degree theatrical show to let visitors feel they are experiencing the formation or ‘birth’ of the Falls.  The creators said the new attraction is designed to allow visitors to experience the ‘violent and beautiful’ creation in ways they had never before dreamed could be possible.

New technology, including 4D facilities, were used to create the experience.  This technology has previously only ever been used in satellites and medicine.

The NPC chairman, Jim Williams, said:

“We’re confident Niagara’s Fury will provide that exciting, educational and interactive experience our visitors have been looking for when they visit Niagara today.”

The new attraction, Niagara’s Fury, will be a cornerstone for several renovations and new attractions at Table Rock, the shopping and entertainment district in Niagara.

Whistler is renowned as a fabulous ski and snowboarding resort in Canada, just two hours from Vancouver.  However, there’s more to Whistler than meets the eye.  When you’re searching for luxury holidays, don’t dismiss Whistler straight away because you don’t like skiing.  Here are just a few of the amazing attractions:

Helipcopter Rides - take a helicoptor ride over the mountains, see Whistler Mountain and Blackcomb mountain from a different point of view.  Helicopter is the only way to travel

ATV Riding - ride your own Automatic Terrain Vehicle across the mountains, stopping to appreciate the breathtaking views or blast through mudpits.  Don’t forget to take your camera

River rafting - white water fun and laughs with river rafting through scenic routes

Bear watching - my personal favourite.  Take a tour through the forests to active bear dens, see the mother and cubs at play and get an ecology education at the same time.  This isn’t something you can see just anywhere and is an experience you’ll never forget

Mind/Body/Spirit - no holiday resort would be complete without the mind, body, spirit experience.  Rebalance your body, revitalise and relax with a spa massage.  Take a day out for yourself

Jet Boating - if white water rafting is a bit too energetic for your liking, why not cruise the waters and enjoy the scenery from the comfort of a jet boat?

Horse riding - take a guided horse trail through the forests or along the beaches.  Horse riding at the foot of a mountain is the stuff of dreams for many people

Mountain dining - I don’t know about you but all this talk of physical activity and adventure has made me hungry.  Have a mouthwatering gourmet feast 6000ft up Whistler Mountain, with delights such as BBQ chicken, corn on the cob and a relaxing glass of wine

So next time you’re hunting for that luxury holiday with a difference, or fancy a spot of bear watching, Whistler is the ideal holiday destination.

Vancouver and Victoria Island make an interesting combination, especially for a family holiday.

Stanley Park
Stanley Park is a 988-acre rainforest. It has a petting zoo, a miniature railway, and an aquarium. Brockton Point has totem poles.

Kid’s Market
The mall on Granville Island is dedicated to children and is most probably the only such market in North America. It features a Lilliputian entranceway to bookstores, craft and toy stores, play areas and a water park.

Capilano Suspension Bridge & Park
Vancouver’s Capilano Suspension Bridge is high above Capilano River.

Langley National Historic Site
The site is exactly at the spot where the Hudson’s Bay Company built their first settlement in 1827. The landmark comes to life with costumed craftspeople, demonstrating, woodworking skills, coppering and blacksmithing.

Pacific Undersea Gardens
This is an underwater observatory where children can view sea animals and fish of the Pacific coast.

Whale Watching
Half or full-day boat excursions to the southern tip of Vancouver Island make orca (killer whale) watching possible. Other creatures sighted there are bald eagles, harbour seals and Dall porpoises.

Royal British Columbia Museum
The museum has many displays for children including a simulated dive to the bottom of the Pacific. Other displays show the life and culture of the native tribes that lived there ten thousand years ago.

Toronto is safe, clean and cosmopolitan. Toronto is ethnically diverse with more than eighty communities from Asia, Africa and Europe living in the city.

Toronto is home to the Royal Ontario Museum, one of the top ten in the world, the Art Gallery of Ontario and the Ontario Science Centre. All are located downtown.

The Toronto Zoo is Canada’s largest. It houses more than five thousand animals in their natural surrounding.

Paramount Canada’s Wonderland, the largest theme park in the country, has more than fifty rides and a hundred and sixty attractions.

Toronto’s waterfront on Lake Ontario, provides a backdrop to
• The CN Tower is one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World. It is the world’s tallest building and has glass floor observation decks
• Harbourfront which has parks, amphitheatres, hotels and restaurants
• Ontario Place has Soak City, the water play for children
• Toronto Islands are environmentally friendly and great getaways. Centre Island is the most popular
• Rogers Centre(The Skydome) is a sports stadium and has a retractable roof

Eaton Centre, also located downtown was built in 1979. It is a bustling high-end shopping centre. Toronto also has ethnic shopping districts like five Chinatowns, Little Italy, the Greek Community, Little Portugal and Indian shopping at Gerrard.

The South Market has over fifty speciality food vendors. Toronto has restaurants offering an amazing variety of cuisines - Indian, Pakistani, Chinese, Japanese, Latin American, Caribbean, Greek, Portuguese, Hungarian and more.

Toronto has a lot to offer and is a great destination for a family holiday.

Montreal is a fusion of old-world and modern. It is the one of the biggest French-speaking cities in the world. Culturally rich, it is dotted with museums. Known for the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, and the Cirque du Soleil with its amazingly entertaining shows, Montreal’s other attractions, which make it a perfect place for an exotic holiday, are:

The Montreal Casino - Casino de Montréal never sleeps. It is built inside the pavilions of Quebec and France from Expo 67. Other attractions are the shows at the Cabaret du Casino, some fine bars and restaurants offering different cuisines.

Saint-Lawrence – Quays on the banks of the river offer outdoor activities like river rafting, cycling, boating and ice-skating at the Bonsecours Basin skating rink.

Notre-Dame Basilica – It dates back to 1829. It has beautiful stained glass windows depicting Montreal’s history, gold-tipped carvings, a rich altarpiece, statues and paintings. Its le Gros Bourdon is the largest bell on the continent of North America.

Mount Royal Park - The Park offers the most panoramic views of Montreal. It also offers cycling, paddle boating, picnicking in the summer time, sledding, and snowshoeing in winter.

The Olympic stadium- The stadium built in 1976 is architecturally very unusual and interesting. It has the world’s tallest inclined tower with a lookout on top. The stadium hosts major concerts and sport events.

The Underground City - Its thirty-kilometre network links buildings, shops, malls, restaurants, hotels, theatres and a university.

Montreal has a lot to offer to the whole family. It’s a perfect family holiday destination!