GO Travel South - Direct Flights, Amazing Prices

GO Travel Introduces an Evolved Brand and Fantastic Value for Hassle-Free Sun Vacations Direct From Ottawa and Halifax

OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Oct. 8, 2009) - The company that pioneered direct, online travel booking a decade ago, has a new name, new look and new deals. What hasn't changed is the fact we offer value sun vacations with direct flights.

GO Travel South (GTS) is now taking bookings for a number of exciting sun destinations including All- Inclusive Luxury cruises.

GTS offers direct, non-stop flights from Ottawa departing on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays beginning November 7. Destinations include Cancun, Mexico, as well as three hot spots in the Dominican Republic: Puerto Plata, Punta Cana and Santo Domingo. Halifax departures to Puerto Plata, Punta Cana and Cancun begin January 9.

GTS NEW/ EXPANDED VACATION OPTIONS

NEW! All-Inclusive Luxury Cruises from Santo Domingo

All-inclusive cruising is an increasingly popular option for value-conscious travellers. No more worrying about cash: Even port taxes are part of the package!

This season, GTS is offering a cruise package through Pullmantur, a Spanish travel company that operates cruise ships in the Caribbean. Ports of call include St. Lucia, Martinique, Guadeloupe, St. Martin and Tortola. You can expect near PERFECT weather in every port! The GTS Pullmantur option offers Saturday-to-Saturday cruises and the opportunity to add a full week at an all-inclusive resort destination in the Dominican Republic either before or after the cruise.

MORE! Five-star Hotels

Winter-wearing travellers are telling us they like to be pampered, and we have listened. In response to increasing demand for higher quality hotels, GTS has added several four-and-a-half and five-star hotels to its list and again will be offering packages to AM Resorts, offering unlimited luxury properties in the Dominican Republic and Mexico. With these and other resorts, we continue to offer some of the most attractive packages in the travel industry.

MORE! Wild Card Vacation Opportunities

This year, we've expanded our Wild Card program. It's available all season long and is not limited to last-minute bookings. We have also added more four- and five-star hotels to the list. Wild Card is for people who like adventure: You won't know where you'll be staying until you land. At the airport, a GTS representative will meet travellers and escort them to their surprise destination. The idea is simple: You choose the date, and GTS chooses the hotel. You get the same quality vacation at an even better price.

NEW! Complimentary Golf

Any holiday booked at the Secrets Silversands, Secrets Maroma, Secrets Capri Riviera Cancun or the Dreams Riviera Cancun includes unlimited complimentary green fees at the El Camaleon Mayakoba, a PGA championship golf course designed by Greg Norman. The El Camaleon is host to the PGA Mayakoba Golf Classic. It is the only course is on the Mayan Riviera featuring two holes just steps from the Caribbean Sea.

NEW! Flight Partner

Our air carrier this winter is Flair Airlines Ltd. Canada's newest name in charter airline operations. Based in Kelowna, B.C. Flair Air is licensed by Transport Canada to provide passenger and cargo charter services in Canada and internationally. Flair's owner, Jim Rogers spent over 35 years working in partnership with Barry Lapointe to build Kelowna Flightcraft, which is one of Canada's largest multi disciplined aviation organizations. With leather seats, and greater legroom, Flair Air's Boeing 737-400 aircraft can transport up to 158 passengers in comfort. The plane will be based in Ottawa for the season for exclusive use by GTS. For further information on Flair Airlines Ltd. visit www.flairair.ca .

In November, GTS will offer early season packages from Ottawa using seats on WestJet flights.

NEW NAME, NEW LOOK, SAME VALUE

GO Travel introduced the direct-to-consumer, online booking model to Canada in 2000. Today, competitors, in following GO Travel's methodology, also offer a direct booking experience. However, these companies are still reliant on travel agents and expensive brochures to sell 80 per cent of their holidays, and as a result the commissions and marketing costs get passed along to consumers.

GTS offers savvy sun-seekers an opportunity to cut out the middleman and book their vacation directly with the people who plan and operate the holiday. Because travellers never pay a penny in travel agents' commissions, they can save up to one-fifth of the cost of the trip!

Furthermore, more and more people are comfortable with booking their vacations online. Last year, over 80 per cent of all GO Travel holiday bookings were made via their website. As a result of this change in consumer behaviour, there's been a shift in the travel industry away from storefront operations to websites and call centres. All of GTS' operations are now done online or over the phone. GTS' head office and call centre are now located in Halifax with an administrative office in Ottawa.

The GTS Advantage

We do things differently. That's the GTS advantage.

- We offer lower prices because you book without a middleman.

- We offer holiday insurance/protection that has been developed exclusively for GO Travel South, making peace of mind easier and more affordable.

- We promise that you will always be able to talk to someone who's been to the resort or hotel. Our travel advisors are sent on educational trips to each destination so that they can help you selecting the right property and answer any questions you might have.

- Our website is available 24 hours a day. You can browse through various destinations, holidays and hotels or even book online!

The GTS Guarantee

We are so confident that our prices are the best, we offer travellers the following guarantee: If you find the same holiday at a price lower than ours, we will match that price and give every adult travelling $100 cash. We also provide an unconditional guarantee that once booked, your holiday will not be subject to any surcharges or fees.

About GO Travel South

GO Travel South continues the tradition of offering a direct-booking experience that provides great value for winter travellers. Our all-inclusive sun vacations, with departures from Ottawa and Halifax to Mexico and the Dominican Republic, are among the most competitive in the industry.

All sun vacation packages include return airfare aboard Flair Airlines, seven nights in three-, four- or five-star hotels or cruise ships with all-inclusive meal plans (food and drinks), accommodation and airport transfers and taxes. All GO Travel South vacations include the daily on-site presence of a GTS representative.

GTS sun vacation bookings can be made online at www.gotravelsouth.com by phone, toll-free, at 1-877-573-0009.