A ROUND UP OF CANADA NEWS FOR 2016 INCLUDING NEW ROUTES, HOTELS, MUSEUMS AND ACTIVITIES

BRITISH VISITORS MUST HAVE NEW ELECTRONIC TRAVEL AUTHORIZATION (eTA) FOR TRAVEL FROM MARCH 15,2016 ONWARDS

March 15th, 2016 is the date from which the new Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) becomes mandatory for all British Travellers.  The authorization is electronically linked to your passport, valid for five years or until your passport expires, whichever comes first. Applying is a simple process that takes just a few minutes. You will need a passport, credit card and an email address. It costs $7 CAD (approx. £3.50) to get an eTA. Visitors should apply well in advance through www.Canada.ca/eTA

AIR CAPACITY TO CANADA INCREASES FOR 2016 - AIR CANADA STARTS TWO NEW CANADA ROUTES

Air Canada will start new seasonal non-stop flights from Glasgow Airport to its Toronto hub, Toronto Pearson, beginning in summer 2016. The route will be operated by Air Canada rouge, its leisure carrier, and provide Scottish customers with convenient options when travelling to Canada for leisure or business. The new service between the two cities will operate three times per week from 14 June to 25 September 2016. The flights are conveniently timed to connect with Air Canada's extensive network across the Americas. Fares start from £400.60 roundtrip, including taxes and are now available for purchase at www.aircanada.com or by calling 0871 220 1111 and also through travel agents.

Air Canada rouge is designed to offer exceptional customer service, a relaxed in-flight environment and a host of Air Canada benefits. The Glasgow-Toronto route will be operated by 280-seat wide-body Boeing 767-300ER aircraft offering a choice of premium and economy cabins. Premium rouge customers can benefit from an enhanced meal service with carefully selected wines and beverages on fine dish- and glassware as well as a hot towel and snack service. Customers seated in rouge and rouge Plus will be served a complimentary hot meal with a selection of non-alcoholic beverages. Air Canada rouge flights offer customers streamed wireless inflight entertainment to their own personal electronic devices, stylish and modern cabin interiors with innovative new seats, and the ability to earn and redeem Aeroplan miles.

Air Canada Rouge will also  commence a Gatwick to Toronto route on May 19th and operate up to seven times weekly with a Boeing 767 -300ER aircraft with 24 Premium rouge seats and 256 rouge seats. Flights are timed to optimize connectivity through Air Canada's Toronto hub, departing Gatwick at 12.00 noon daily.

For further information on flight times and availability, visit www.aircanada.com

6 NEW WESTJET ROUTES

WestJet, Canada's low-fare airline , recently announced new non-stop service from England to six Canadian cities. From spring next year, customers can enjoy flying in style on board WestJet's fleet of Boeing 767-300 ER aircraft to Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg , Toronto, and to St. John's on WestJet's Boeing Next-Generation 737-700 series, with one-way flights starting from as little as £163 including taxes, fees and surcharges. 

Founded in 1996, WestJet is Canada's highest-rated airline for customer service, known for its low fares and a remarkable guest experience. It is now bringing its unique experience to (South East) England, encouraging travellers to discover a side of Canada they had never thought of before.

WestJet wants to show travellers that flying across the Atlantic to see friends and family has never been easier and more affordable. Thanks to low fares and friendly and caring service, guests are in for a memorable experience.

WestJet will also be offering introductory pricing that adds only an additional £10 one-way to connect to select Canadian airports beyond the six cities serving London Gatwick. Guests are encouraged to look for these intro prices from these communities on westjet.com or contact their travel agent.

All London flights to Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton and Winnipeg will operate on one of WestJet's four 767-300ERW extended range aircrafts, with passengers flying to St John's on a Boeing Next-Generation 737. Accommodating 262 guests, the 767s feature a 24-seat Plus cabin with wider seats and more legroom. Hot meals are available and the entire aircraft is equipped with WestJet's new inflight entertainment and wireless connectivity system including 110-volt and/or USB power at every seat.

For further information on flight times and availability, visit: www.westjet.com/londongatwick

ICELANDAIR INCREASES CANADA FLIGHTS WITH MONTREAL IN 2016

Icelandair will begin scheduled services from Reykjavik (KEF) to Montreal in May 2016, with connections from all six UK airports to which Icelandair operates. These include London Heathrow and Gatwick, Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow and newly-announced Aberdeen.  Montreal will be Icelandair's 5th  gateway in Canada. Flights will be operated four times per week until November 2016, on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Icelandair destinations in Canada have been steadily increasing in the recent past, with Edmonton and Vancouver starting last year in addition to flights already operating to Toronto and Halifax.

For further information on flight times and availability, visit : www.icelandair.co.uk

AIR TRANSAT STARTS NEW GLASGOW TO MONTREAL ROUTE  FROM MAY 30TH, 2016

Air Transat is introducing a new Glasgow to Montreal route for summer 2016, with flights from £385 return per person (including taxes and other charges) . The new weekly service will be operated on an Airbus A310 aircraft departing Glasgow on Mondays from May 30th, 2016, returning every Sunday through to October. 

For further information on flight times and availability , visit: www.airtransat.com

WOW AIR TO INTRODUCE TWO NEW CANADA ROUTES  FROM MAY 20TH,  2016

WOW air, Iceland's only ultra low-cost airline, announced today that it will begin service to Europe via Iceland from Toronto and Montréal beginning in May 2016 from just CAD $99 one way including taxes¹. Flights to Europe will depart Toronto's Pearson (YYZ) and Montréal's Pierre Elliott Trudeau (YUL) via Reykjavik, offering travellers the cheapest connection between Europe and Canada.

After spending about an hour in Reykjavik, it's just CAD $149 one way, including taxes, to the following European destinations: London, Paris, Berlin, Copenhagen, Amsterdam and Dublin, to name a few. Service from Montréal will begin on May 12, 2016 and Toronto services will begin May 20, 2016. Both services will operate year-round, with departures on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.

The airline's entry into the Canadian market is expected to create an estimated 100 jobs in the travel sector and represents an investment of CAD $60 million for the two routes to both Toronto and Montréal airports.

Originally launched in November 2011, WOW air now connects travellers from twenty destinations across the U.S. and Europe with the Icelandic capital. Total passenger numbers for June to August 2015 were up a massive 45 per cent on the previous year with 295,000 passengers transported on business and holidays. Passenger loads across all services averaged 95 per cent in July.

WOW air's expansion into the Canadian market follows the successful launch of transatlantic services from Boston and Washington, DC in early 2015. Both services now operate with consistent carrier loads of more than 90 per cent.

The flights between Reykjavik and Canada will be operated using WOW air's fleet of new Airbus A321 Extended Range aircraft. The airline's Airbus A320 family aircraft will carry passengers between Reykjavik and other European destinations. Tickets went on sale on October 1st , 2015 .

For further information on flight times and availability, visit www.wowair.ca.

OPENING NEW MODERN ART GALLERY, SEPTEMBER 2016 TO HOUSE 406 PICASSO LINOCUTS

Due to open to  the public in 2016, Remai Modern is a visionary new art museum development. The building, designed by the renowned Canadian architectural firm KPMB is situated of the beautiful South Saskatchewan River at River landing in the heart of Saskatoon. Remai Modern is home to the world's most comprehensive collection of Picasso linocuts (406 in total) and will offer transformative art experiences and innovative programming.

“Remai Modern is becoming a thought leader and direction setting modern art gallery that will be deeply rooted in the community and has international aspirations, “ said Gregory Burke, the executive director/CEO. “This project is the most significant offering to come on stream in 2016 and will give Saskatoon much to celebrate and be  proud of”, he added.  For more information about this museum please go to www.remaimodern.org

MAJESTY OF ISLAM AT NEW AGA KHAN MUSEUM

It might take a little extra effort to visit the Aga Khan Museum, but visitors should know that the trip northeast of downtown Toronto will be worth the effort. Designed by prize-winning architect Fumihiko Maki, Toronto's newest cultural attraction is a lovely, light-filled space that melds modern style and Islam's age-old visual motifs. Within its galleries is a permanent display of art and artifacts representing more than 1,000 years of Muslim civilization, as well as special exhibitions that describe a history of exchange between cultures around the world. Visitors can also get a literal taste of Islamic culture at Diwan, the museum's intimate dining room, which serves dishes reflecting the cuisines of Turkey, Iran, North Africa and elsewhere. The 17-acre site of the Aga Khan Museum is at 77 Wynford Dr. www.agakhanmuseum.org

DINOSAUR MUSEUM OPENING

The Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum opened in September 2015 with highly  interactive displays offering an experiential journey from paleo to petroleum heritage. Exhibits include, five newly named dinosaurs from Alberta that have never been seen before as reconstructions. Located at Grand Prairie in Wembley, Alberta, the museum is within minutes of one of the densest dinosaur bone bed sites in the world.

The main gallery is focused on two topics : new discoveries from Alberta and the diversity of life in the nearby Wapiti Formation eco systems. Using the recent discoveries and current understanding of the botany, geology, climate  and geography of the Grand Prairie region during the Cretaceous era, visitors are guided through the process of reconstructing the ancient environment of the dinosaurs and shown the decades of work that go into understanding the make up of extinct ecosystems. Most displays are interactive, utilizing the latest technology and display techniques to encourage participatory learning.  The Museum is based on a 10 acre complex, designed by Toronto – based Teeple Architects, Arndt Tkalcic Bengert (ATB) and Structural Engineers Fast & Epp, it has been featured in several architectural/design publications including AZURE, NUVO and MUSE magazines.  This award winning $40 million museum is named after Dr. Philip J. Currie, world renowned scientist and Canada Research Chair in Palaeontology at the University of Alberta. The museum tells a 360 million year journey paleo to petroleum making it only the second museum in North America dedicated to dinosaur discoveries and research.

The museum is close to the Pipestone Creek bone-bed, which was discovered in  1874 when a school teacher Al Lakusta, found the bones of a previously unknown  species, Pachyrhinosaurus Lakusti – a type of horned dinosaur. Following this initial discovery , other finds in the area included hadrosaurs (duck billed Dinosaurs), tyrannosaurs (predatory dinosaurs), nodosaurs (armoured dinosaurs), plesiosaurs (marine reptiles) and pterosaurs (flying reptiles). Pipestone creek was a mass grave where hundreds of dinosaurs of all ages died. Because numerous bones of related species have been unearthed it has enabled paleontologists to learn more about the migratory and herding habits of these prehistoric creatures.

For more information go to www.dinomuseum.ca

CANADA CALLING ALL TREKKIES IN 2016

The Canada Aviation & Space Museum will host a world premiere exhibition from May through September 2016 of particular interest to Star Trek fans: The Starfleet Academy Experience will provide visitors with an immersive experience, explaining the science behind the science fiction: tricorders, warp drive theory, phasers and teleporters. Ottawa is the first stop on a multi-city North American tour.

http://casmuseum.techno-science.ca/en/whats-on/exhibition-star-trek-starfleet-academy.php

NEW ZIP LINE OPENING AT NIAGARA SPRING 2016

At two spectacular locations along the Niagara Ontario Parkway, development of new high-adrenaline recreation experiences is in motion. British Columbia-based aerial adventure company, WildPlay Element Parks, along with partner, Ontario-based adventure recreation company Niagara Adventure Excursions, are pleased to be working with The Niagara Parks Commission (NPC) to build and operate a new zip-line attraction and an aerial adventure course at NPC's Grand View Marketplace Place and Thompson Point locations, starting in 2016.

The human-powered eco-adventures will add exciting new ways for people to experience Niagara Falls, as well as educational ways for people to explore nature within Niagara Parks.

In the spring of 2016, an aerial adventure course will be opened along the Niagara Parkway on the north side of the Whirlpool at Thompson Point. This attraction, which is the first activity of its kind for the Niagara Region, is designed to give people a fresh and fun Niagara experience, featuring breathtaking new vistas of the Niagara Whirlpool, Gorge and the Niagara Parkway. On the aerial adventure courses, guests ages five and older will discover nature-based fun as they navigate individual suspended obstacle challenges, which include zip lines, log ladders, rope swings, scrambling walls, hanging nets, spinning logs, wobbly bridges, tightropes, monkey bars, and more surprising games. The level of intensity, difficulty and height increases throughout the Kids, Classic, and Extreme courses.

In addition to the aerial adventure, will be a world-class Niagara Falls zip-line experience. Four high-speed, side-by-side lines will descend a distance of 670 metres (2,200 feet) from NPC's Grand View Marketplace into the Niagara Gorge below. With picture-perfect views of both the American and Canadian Horseshoe Falls, the new zip lines will allow visitors to experience and appreciate Niagara, the Gorge and Niagara Parks in a unique way, while not impacting the view for visitors from Queen Victoria Park.

An industry leader and award-winning company, WildPlay has been in the business of aerial outdoor adventure since 2006, and has successfully developed five major aerial adventure parks and zip-lines across western Canada. Led by Chief Experience Officer, Tom Benson, WildPlay encourages life-long activity and nature exploration through unique experiences that provide thrilling, edgy, adventure recreation in a risk-managed environment

WEST COAST ONE MILE DIET

For such a tiny town on the edge of the Pacific Ocean, Tofino is blessed with an abundance of top notch restaurants and has become  a culinary mecca for city chefs seeking a low key lifestyle. Locals and tourists alike enjoy Tofino for its bounty of fresh local ingredients at hand which are sourced by chefs through foraging, fishing and growing. Whether it's fish fresh off the boat or mushrooms or berries picked just steps from the restaurant , diners love visiting the region of a truly one mile diet.

Named Canada's Best new Restaurant in 2014 by Air Canada's   enRoute  Magazine, Wolf in the Fog has been winning taste buds with its locally fished and foraged dishes. Neighbourhood eatery Kuma serves up Japanese inspired comfort food made expertly by Head Chef, Simon Burch. Even on a rainy day, Tacofino's food truck is the place for luscious , drool-worthy fish tacos. At the outdoor Wildside Grill, commercial fisherman Jeff Mikus and chef Jesse Blake team up to deliver the freshest seafood around. Family friendly SoBo restaurant, features a combination of bold, imaginative and world–inspired dishes, prepared with simple, fresh, locally produced and often wild ingredients in a relaxed setting.

MOON LIGHT RAFTING

Exclusively in Canada! Horizon X is excited to be the only company on the Ottawa River to offer FULL MOON RAFTING trips. Come rafting with Horizon X through up to class II rapids and experience the thrill of White Water while rafting under the serenity of the moonlit sky. They guide you down the river as you experience the nature and wildlife that can only be seen under the stars.

This is just one more way that HorizonX gives you the most unique rafting experience on the Ottawa River. HorizonX is always experimenting to find the most innovative way to rediscover rafting. Fuelled by a passion to make their  outdoor adventures even more exciting and fresh, they are proud to introduce a new dimension to the Ottawa River experience.

Safe, fun and innovative night rafting fits directly in HorizonX's innovative approach to adventure. In 2015 trip dates were : June 2nd, July 2nd, July 31st (Blue Moon - Second Full Moon in July and August 29th. Trips run up to 5 days before or after a Full Moon based upon availability. Check the website for first postings of 2016 dates.www.horizonx.ca

LEARN TO ICE CANOE IN QUEBEC CITY

Traditionally a means of transportation between Quebec City and Levis, canoeing is now a competitive sport taken very seriously by its participants. Experience the cracking ice beneath your feet and enjoy an ice canoeing adventure on the mighty St. Lawrence River in winter. www.quebecicecanoeing.com

SPRING OPENING FOR TORONTO RESORT HOTEL

A new resort hotel on Toronto's waterfront, dubbed Hotel X is now under construction and on course for a planned opening  in the spring of 2016. The 29 storey structure is located on a parcel of land at Toronto's Exhibition Place – the only hotel there – and is  being developed as both a vacation and business destination. Hotel X features 404 guestrooms and suites, including 46 junior suites and 39 suites, plus two presidential suites. Event space will consist of two ballrooms, 11 meeting rooms, a screening room and a Cinematch movie theatre with seating for almost 300 people. The outdoor event spaces located on the ground level and fourth floor can accommodate up to 2000 people. Luxury services will include a roof top bar, lobby bar and two upscale restaurants. The hotel will be built to LEED silver requirements and is forecast to use 29% less energy than a building without LEED features. www.hotelxtoronto.com

TRUMP TOWER  IN VANCOUVER SCHEDULED TO OPEN AUTUMN 2016

Vancouver is the next destination in the Trump collection of  luxury hotels, and the Trump International  Hotel and Tower Vancouver is set to debut in the Autumn of 2016. The new $360miliion hotel will open at a prized location on Georgia Street in the heart of downtown. The 63 storey structure was designed by the late Vancouver Architect Arthur Erikson and will be the second  tallest tower in Vancouver, with 147 guest rooms. Amongst the amenities are 1,400 square metres'  of meeting space, a fine dining restaurant, a champagne lounge , a spa and Vancouvers' first pool bar  nightclub www.trumpvancouver.com

NEW ECO RESORT IN BRITISH COLUMBIA

British Columbia is renowned for its unique wilderness accommodation and the latest off the grid offering is Cabana Desolation Eco Resort. Opened by Powell River Sea Kayak, the resort is a collection of Four cedar cabins – or cabanas – located on an uninhabited island in the heart of Desolation Sound. Open from May to September , the resort is only accessible by kayak or boat. Sleeping up to 9 guests, the resort is inspired by the eco lodgings of Costa Rica where handcrafted buildings utilize local materials to  provide a simple ambiance for immersing guests comfortably into the rainforest. Outdoor showers, an open air café with on site chef, kayaking  and snorkelling round out the experiences

https://www.bcseakayak.com/tours-packages/cabana-desolation-eco-resort/

 A QUEBEC HERITAGE SITE DEDICATED TO WELLNESS

In the summer of 2015 Le Monastere des Augustines quietly opened its doors in Quebec City. Completely restored and redesigned, Le Monastere des Augustines offers visitors a wide variety of programmes in total health as well as  a direct contact with the Augustinian sisters' heritage.  For nearly four centuries the sisters devoted themselves to the caring for body and soul, laying the foundation of the Quebec healthcare system.  Religion is approached from a historical and cultural perspective. While no form of worship is practised  within the walls of Le Monastere, all visitors are free to practice their spirituality in their own personal and private way.  The site is part of the Hotel Dieu de Quebec Monastery, a historic complex hat is one of the most important classified sites within Historic old Quebec – itself a heritage site. Carefully restored, the historic buildings exist harmoniously with contemporary architecture.  The transformation of the sisters formers cells into experiential accommodation offers visitors an oasis of peace conducive  to attending to their inner life. Every aspect of every visit, the vast array of activities and services  - including the restaurant and the boutique – is designed to allow visitors to fully experience the spirit of the site. www.monastere.ca

For more  media information please contact Nim Singh, Destination Canada on 0207 389 9983 or singh.nim@destinationcanada.com