http://www.jetsgo.net/en/toronto_pop.htm TORONTO, Apr. 29, 2003 /CNW/ – Over the next three weekends, (May 1-6, 8-13, 15-20) Jetsgo, in conjunction with Choice Hotels Canada and National Car Rental, is offering free trips to 3,000 Toronto-bound travelers from Montreal, Ottawa and New York. Jetsgo is making 1,000 round-trip airfares available each weekend, while Choice is offering one night of free hotel accommodation, in the Greater Toronto Area, with a minimum two-night stay, and National is providing one day of free car rental for every day purchased. “All the media attention on SARS and the World Health Organization’s Toronto travel advisory has had a direct negative economic impact on the city,” said Michel Leblanc, president of Jetsgo. “It’s important that the tourism industry pulls together to rebuild traffic to Toronto as quickly as possible. These “Let’s Go to Toronto” weekends will deliver 3,000 tourists to the city over the next three weeks. We’ll review the initiative with our partners at that time.” Each weekend, Jetsgo will offer a total of 1,000 free return trips – 500 from Montreal, 300 from Ottawa and 200 from New York. Travel is available: Thursday, May 1, to Tuesday, May 6; Thursday, May 8, to Tuesday, May 13, and from Thursday, May 15, to Tuesday, May 20. The seats are available on designated flights and can be accessed the previous day at www.jetsgo.net - “Let’s Go to Toronto”, starting April 30. At the airport, passengers must present a printed copy of their itinerary in order to be issued a specially identified Jetsgo boarding pass. This must be kept during their stay in Toronto to use as currency in accessing the offers from other partners. Choice Hotels Canada is offering the first night of accommodation free at any of its participating Comfort and Quality Inns, Hotels and Suites in the Greater Toronto Area. A minimum two-night stay is required. Additional nights are available at 50% off regular rates. To make reservations, call 1-800-4-CHOICE or visit www.choicehotels.ca and book under the L-JETS rate code. Guests must check in with a marked Jetsgo boarding pass National Car Rental is providing one day of free car rental for every day purchased at their Pearson Airport facility. Bookings must be made in advance and confirmed at time of pick up or check in with a marked boarding pass. To make reservations, visit www.nationalcar.ca and use product rate code JETSGO. For more information, call 1-800-CAR-RENT. The Toronto Blue Jays are giving a pair of the best available seats to customers with the special Jetsgo boarding passes. Blue Jays games eligible for the offer are on May 1 to 4 and 13. Fans can present their boarding pass at the box office at Gate 9, windows 29 and 30, on the south side of SkyDome beginning two hours before game time. Also, CN Tower is offering a free ride to the tower’s observation level with the purchase of one other ticket for guests with the special Jetsgo boarding pass. “We are pleased to support this much needed initiative,” said Mark Pearce, interim president, Choice Hotels Canada. “Toronto is a great city and we need to do everything possible to make people feel welcome here. This “Let’s go to Toronto” weekend is a great way to start.” National Car Rental’s Managing Director, Vince Bunyan agrees. “The wider Toronto community has also felt the impact from SARS. We want to encourage people to come to Toronto, see friends and visit tourist attractions throughout the area.” To support the Toronto Tourism Industry Community Coalition in their work to rebuild the tourism business, Jetsgo has offered 50 free passes anywhere the airline flies and National is making free car rentals available, for use by officials travelling to promote Toronto. These passes could also be used for the Coalition’s promotional activities. “Jetsgo, Choice and National are pleased to assist tourism in Toronto with this effort,” said Leblanc. “If there are other potential partners who want to get involved we’d be happy to hear from them.” Full details on each partner’s contribution, including reservation procedures, can be accessed through www.jetsgo.net – “Let’s Go to Toronto”.
