“Liverpool is the place that changed the face of music forever,” declared tour guide Jay as we rolled out on The Beatles-inspired Magical Mystery Tour to discover where the world’s most famous rock band first found fame. Boarding the technicolour tour bus at the city’s Albert Dock, a drumbeat signified the start of the two-hour tour and instantly put everyone into a Fab Four frame of mind.
Tourism partners in the Caribbean have come together to promote crisis protocols in the event of hurricanes, pandemics, or other natural disasters, with the aim of improving the safety and health of visitors, residents, and stakeholders.
Sure, Washington DC is the capital of the US, and its politics permeate every aspect of most people’s lives – even Canadians – but there’s so much more to the city that gives it its own unique charm that Canadian travellers may not be aware of. Here are 10 unique things that visitors can see and do in the District of Columbia that focus on the city’s vibrant blend of art, culture, food, and urban parks – all beyond the political façade.
In a blow to selfie-inspired tourism, authorities in Mexico have slapped a “closure” order on a 3-metre aquatic statue of the Greek god of the sea Poseidon that was erected in May in the Gulf of Mexico just off the town of Progreso, Yucatan. In the few months it has been up, tourists have gathered to take pictures of themselves with it as a striking background.
Perhaps it’s time to rethink next year’s holidays plans. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited a major tourism site being constructed on the country’s eastern coast and discussed steps to open the zone by 2025, state media reported Thursday, though the country still blocks visits by most foreign tourists.
Great waterfronts help make great cities, for both residents and tourists who might be inclined to visit. But, clogged with condos, chocked by construction and traffic, and cut off by the crumbling Gardiner Expressway, it’s clear to anyone that Toronto doesn’t have one.
Buckingham Palace’s summer opening of its state rooms has now begun, this year featuring the East Wing opens for the first time. The East Wing encompasses the famous façade of the London Palace and features the iconic central balcony, where the Monarch and members of the Royal Family have gathered for public appearances since 1851, most recently for Trooping the Colour in June.
Air Transat will launch two non-stop seasonal routes to Tulum, Mexico, from Montreal and Quebec City starting in December. Tulum joins four other destinations in Mexico served by Air Transat: Acapulco, Cancún, Cozumel and Puerto Vallarta.
The pet rail project of Mexican president Andrés Manuel López Obrador could wind up costing as much as US$30 billion, is only half finished as he heads into the final two months of his term, and has wreaked major damage on the environment. But the most damning judgment on the Maya Train tourist line, is that only about 1,200 people per day use it when the government had originally promised the train would carry between 22,000 and 37,000 daily.
From new theme park attractions and star-studded soccer games to cultural festivals celebrating food and music, Orlando is promising a full agenda of for visitors this summer. Not to mention great deals that range to from 20 percent off airfare to free hotel nights.
Many of New Brunswick’s main tourism attractions suffered a significant downturn last year, so much so that a local mayor is calling on the province to start marketing cool coastal areas as a place to go to beat global warming.
Venice on Sunday wrapped up a pilot program charging day-trippers an entrance fee, more than €2 million ($3 million) richer and determined to not only extend the levy but double it next year. However, opponents in the fragile Italian lagoon city say the €5 ($5.45) levy has failed to deter visitors on peak days, as envisioned.
Later this year, The FRIENDS Experience will debut its West Coast flagship location in Las Vegas at MGM Grand. “The One in Vegas” transports guests into the world of the popular TV show allowing fans to explore the series’ iconic moments, behind-the-scenes content, and photo opportunities within life-sized set recreations.
The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) is forecasting a historic year for Canada’s Travel & Tourism sector in 2024, with the economic contribution set to reach an all-time high of almost $182 billion – a figure that exceeds the previous peak by $8.1 billion and generating one in every 15 dollars of economic activity.
Fifty-two years and 39 Italian governments after it was first envisioned, Milan’s Brera Modern will be inaugurated in the fall, officials have promised. An extension of the famed Pinacoteca di Brera, the new museum will house more than 100 contemporary art works that belong to Brera’s collection that have mostly been relegated to storage.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl, the Grenada Tourism Authority (GTA) reports that southern Caribbean destination’s airport, hotels and attractions are fully operational on the “resilient” main island – as well as the cruise port, where Royal Caribbean’s Rhapsody of the Sea arrived yesterday (Tuesday) with over 2,300 passengers. But Carriacou and Petite Martinique suffered “catastrophic damage” and are desperately in need of aid.
It had been three years and eight months since I was last in Nassau. I can say that with definitiveness thanks to the cheery “welcome back” message I received on my WiFi log-in at the Grand Hyatt recently that indicated as much – although I would have recalled the precise timing of the visit since it was my last travel trip just before the pandemic struck. A lot has changed in the Bahamian capital in that time.
A growing demand for connections to Greenland – including tourism – has helped get weekly direct flights between Iqaluit and Nuuk off the ground this summer. But concerns remain about the sustainability of the flight to the Greenland’s largest city from Canada, which was cancelled in 2015 due to low ridership.
As Amsterdam limits cruise ships (see story below) and Barcelonians squirt water at tourists while shouting “go home,” Copenhagen is introducing a novel approach to tackling sustainable tourism: paying tourists to do it. “CopenPay” rewards visitors’ climate-friendly actions – like cycling, participating in clean-up efforts, or volunteering at an urban farm – into currency to be used for cultural experiences in the city.
Visit Orlando has launched a suite of enhanced websites to promote the Orlando region to all audiences – domestic and international leisure visitors, meeting planners, meeting attendees, travel professionals and more. The include VisitOrlando.com, OrlandoMeeting.com, VisitOrlando.org, MagicalDining.com and French-Canadian sites.
In a measure to combat over-tourism, Amsterdam will reduce number of sea cruises calling in the Dutch city by almost half in 2026, while aiming for its cruise terminal to leave the city altogether by 2035. The number of sea cruises that moor at the Passengers Terminal Amsterdam (PTA) will drop from 190 to a maximum of 100 per year and the PTA will also immediately return to one berth and cruise ships required to use shore power by 2027.
New figures show that Scotland experienced a record-breaking influx of international visitors in 2023, welcoming 3.9 million tourists, marking a 15% increase from 2019. The 2023 International Passenger Survey by the Office of National Statistics showed a significant 23% increase from 2022, which saw 3.2 million visitors, and the previous record was set in 2018 with 3.7 million visitors.
The Central Florida Expressway Authority (CFX) announces expanded distribution of its Visitor Toll Pass at Orlando International Airport (MCO) with additional pick up and drop off locations in Terminals A, B and C. An alternative to costly rental car toll programs, Visitor Toll Pass is a free temporary toll pass for rental car customers travelling roundtrip through the airport.
One way to help tell how a Tyrannosaurus rex digested food is to look at its poop. Bone fragments in a piece of fossilized excrement at a new museum in northern Arizona – aptly called the Poozeum – are among the tinier bits of evidence that indicate T. rex wasn’t much of a chewer, but rather swallowed whole chunks of prey.
Bhutan is booming – at least by its own standards – having doubled in the first quarter the year, compared to a year before. Moreover, March was the third busiest month for tourism to the Himalayan nation since the country’s post-pandemic re-opening, though the highwater mark still only saw just over 16,600 arrivals in May, 2023.
This summer, all eyes will be on Paris as the city prepares to host the Olympic Games (July 26-Aug. 11). But France is the world’s top tourist destination for a reason: there’s no end of opportunities for things to discover in the City of Light and beyond. From summer wellness retreats and ritzy beach clubs to private sailings through the vast, marshy wetland of the Camargue, here’s what not to miss when planning a trip, and where to stay (including recommendations from Transat) while doing do.
Jamaica might be best known for its beautiful beaches and lively culture, but savvy travellers know there’s no shortage of active options and off-the-beaten-path adventures that also await, from river rafting to caving, and, of course, hiking galore. Tour operators located in the major tourist destination cities on the island can guide through Jamaica’s wet and dry terrain, or trekkers can set out on their own (or with guides).
At an event celebrating “Caribbean Queens: Saluting Women Shaping the Future of Caribbean Tourism” Breakfast & Awards event held during Caribbean Week in New York last week, Tourism marketing professional Beverly Nicholson-Doty from the United States Virgin Islands received the “Secretary-General’s Distinguished Service Award.”
Britain’s Steam Dreams Rail Co., which provides unique English countryside tours from London Victoria on a classic steam train, has launched its summer season and will continue with a limited series of weekly departures departing twice daily every Tuesday through Aug. 20.
Famous for its beaches and vibrant parties in the Southern Hemisphere’s summer, Rio de Janeiro now has an attraction for winter: humpback whales. The tourism agency of Niteroi, Rio’s sister city across the Guanabara Bay, has launched a whale-watching program that enables tourists to closely observe the mammoth mammals.