COME FROM AWAY's 'Real Kevin T' Will Host Pay It Forward 9/11 Tour Of Newfoundland With Fans of the Musical

American fans of the Tony-Award winning musical Come From Away have the opportunity to join Kevin Tuerff's 18th annual Pay it Forward 9/11 tradition through a guided tour of Newfoundland. The tour will occur September 6-12, in conjunction with the anniversary of the 9/11. Maxxim Vacations and Air Canada announced the tour today at the 2020 New York Times Travel Show (Jan 24-25 at Booth 642 in Canada section).

Kevin Tuerff, the real "Kevin T" portrayed in the musical, will share his experiences with the group from his first visit to the province as a Come From Away 19 years ago. Tuerff said, "In 2001, I was blown away by the compassionate people from a small Canadian town I'd never heard of. I've been sharing this story about the better side of humanity ever since. With the success of Come From Away, I'm excited to join Newfoundland-based Maxxim Vacations and Air Canada to bring Americans there to personally meet, and thank these kind people, and to show off the natural beauty of this Canadian province."

The tour will depart New York City for St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, with tours of the province's largest city, including beautiful vistas of the North Atlantic Ocean. The group will travel by motor coach to Central Newfoundland to see sites mentioned in the musical, including Dover Fault, Town of Gambo, Town of Appleton, Gander International Airport, Gander Academy, Gander Town Hall, Royal Canadian Legion Club, and more. The tour group will meet some of the real Newfoundlanders portrayed in the musical. Participants will also join become honorary Newfoundlanders at a "Screech-in" ceremony.

"As a leader in the Canadian travel industry, and native Newfoundlanders, we're excited to welcome even more 'Come From Aways' to our home province," said Jill Curran, owner of

Maxxim Vacations. "Thanks to the musical, we've seen a big increase in our tours. This new tour grew from our partnership with Kevin Tuerff, when he experienced our "Come See for Yourself" self-driving tour of Newfoundland in 2017."

On the 19th anniversary of 9/11, American tour participants will join Tuerff in performing community service and random acts of kindness to Newfoundlanders, offering gratitude for the region's compassionate action for nearly 7,000 stranded airline passengers from 90 countries, who were stranded there for five days following the 9/11 attacks on America. September 11 is a national day of service in both Canada and the United States. The group will also participate in a 9/11 local remembrance service.

Pricing and itineraries are still being finalized. For information about the tour, contact Maxxim Vacations at 1-800-567-6666 or email request@maxximvacations.com.

Maxxim Vacations is a St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador-based travel services company with 25 years of experience planning Atlantic Canada vacations for travelers.

Air Canada is the flag carrier and the largest airline of Canada by fleet size and passengers carried. They service Gander, St. John's. Deer Lake, Goose Bay and Wabush in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Pay it Forward 9/11 is a grassroots effort started by Kevin Tuerff in 2002 in Austin, Texas. Each year, people honor the lives of the 2,977 killed during the 9/11 attacks on America by performing random acts of kindness to strangers. Thanks to Junkyard Dog Productions, producers of Come From Away, the initiative has grown with each new production, from the US to include Canada, United Kingdom and Australia. The musical's cast, band and crew all participate in the annual tradition. Learn more at http://payitforward911.org. House of Anansi Press published Tuerff's memoir, "Channel of Peace, Stranded in Gander on 9/11."