With the recent “value for money” audit of the Office of the Auditor General of Ontario calling into question the efficiency, effectiveness, and even existence of the Travel Industry Council of Ontario (TICO), the province’s tour operators say any changes to travel industry regulation in Ontario must be “realistic” and not simply be repealed, like in Australia.
Canada has received a C grade on flight safety and oversight – down from an A+ and far below most of its peers – according to a draft report from a United Nations agency. The confidential audit from the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) says the country has fallen precipitously to a score of 64 out of 100. Canada’s score topped 95% in the UN body’s previous report in 2005.
Visit Orlando, in association with a full delegation of theme park, hotel, transportation and attraction partners, called in Calgary, Toronto and Halifax last week for the tour association’s annual “Orlando Canadian Sunshine Tour,” attracting close to 500 enthusiastic travel advisors across the three events that resulted in record-breaking attendance for the mission.
Air Canada has unwrapped its annual holiday video, a 1:30-minute animated spot designed “to capture the joy of reuniting with loved ones at the most wonderful time of the year.” “Once upon a Tree” is the story of two button-cute nutcracker bears who, after a year of being tucked away together, find themselves on separate sides of the tree.
Fifty of Jamaica’s top-selling travel agents, including 15 Canadian members of the Jamaica Travel Specialist (JTS) program, were honoured by the island’s tourist board last week during the annual One Love Affair gala and incentive trip in Montego Bay.
Ottawa and Quebec have announced their intention to protect the waters near a picturesque territory in the Gulf of St. Lawrence that was recently named a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The governments said they’re taking the first steps toward creating a protected marine park off Anticosti Island.
Ontario’s auditor general questioned the operations, and need for, TICO in Ontario, Other highlights of the week: a study blamed high airfares in Canada to federal fees, a familiar face joined Canada Jetlines, and Air Canada introduced bag tracking on its app, and Riviera Nayarit welcomed a new Riu resort.
The high cost of domestic air travel is largely due to the various fees the federal government charges airlines and airports, according to a Montreal Economic Institute (MEI) study released yesterday. Among the different fees that drive up ticket prices, the study focuses on three main ones: airport rents, security fees, and the fuel tax.
We’re in the travel business, so we know the earth is, um, round, right? Not so fast. About five percent of Canadians think the earth is as flat as a pancake, according to recent survey by Leger. Oh, and we’ve also been secretly contacted by intelligent beings (intergalactic travellers?) from other planets, and Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin did not land on the moon in 1969.
When the winter gets tough in central Europe the tough get… festive, as age-old Christmas markets spring up across the region to help cast a warm glow over the snow. Among the most famous are markets in Germany, where most of the historic Weihnachtsmarkt/ Christkindlmarkts are now in full swing (most starting in mid to late November and continuing until just before Christmas and in some cases a few days after).
Breaking a bottle of Champagne against the hull, getting blessings from a godmother (or godfather) and making a gala sail-away. It seems there’s a new ship getting christened every few days lately. Here’s a look at some splashy namings in the news.
Despite claims of cruelty from opponents, Mexico’s Supreme Court has overturned a ban on bullfighting in Mexico City, opening the way for events to resume. The activity was banned in 2022 when it was ruled that bullfights violated city resident’s rights to a healthy environment free from violence.
Florida is getting set to stage a true only-in-Florida spectacle, popping the question in an unusual place, moose tracks and tarantula tales, plus the heist of a solid gold toilet from a British tourist attraction all rate in this month’s recounting of stories you may have missed that are truly “strange but true.”
Myles Goodwyn, the legendary Canadian musician and songwriter who shot to stardom as the lead singer of April Wine, died this week at age 75. The band, which still tours, has sold 10 million recordings worldwide and was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 2010. The band was also added to Canada’s Walk of Fame this fall.
The cost of maintaining the Travel Industry Council of Ontario (TICO) may outweigh the provincial regulator’s benefits to consumers, says Ontario’s auditor general in it’s just-released “value for money” audit. The wide-ranging report extensively, though not exclusively, examined the province’s tourism sector (including government), providing third-party observations and suggested “actions.”
The US federal government says it will give more than $6 billion to a pair of high-speed electric rail routes in California – from Los Angeles to both Las Vegas and San Francisco – injecting new life into long-stalled projects hailed by supporters as the future of public transportation but bemoaned by critics for their high price tags and lengthy construction times.
Long time tour operator executive Maureen Maheu has joined Canada Jetlines as Director of Product USA/Cruises. Maheu who has considerable experience in product south of the border, will work with Canada Jetlines to expend their US product offerings.
ACTA members got the poop on Portugal on a recent FAM; Travel Edge Network introduced a new training program, Direct Travel rewarded top producers with an Ama river cruise; Flight Centre has a video YouTube video series; and F1S in Britain-bound.
rontier Airlines has settled a lawsuit filed by female pilots who accused the airline of discriminating against pregnant or breastfeeding employees. In the agreement announced Tuesday, Frontier will let pilots pump breast milk in the cockpit during “noncritical phases” of flights.
The quiet of Stanley Park’s forests has been splintered as chainsaws roar in a multi-year project to remove about one quarter of the trees that make up what’s considered a Vancouver jewel. On the road to Prospect Point a parking lot that in warmer months would be part of a picnic area, is now a work site where heavy machinery brings in large, cut sections of trees and crushes smaller branches.
Disney Cruise Line is polishing up its newest gem, the Disney treasure, which will set sail from Port Canaveral, Florida, a year from now, beginning December 2024. The ship will embark on a roster for cruises in both the Eastern and Western Caribbean.
Air Canada has introduced a new air-to-rail booking option that allows customers to seamlessly connect at European airports to their onward journeys. With the launch of the European intermodal initiative, travellers can now, while purchasing an Air Canada flight, at the same time book their rail travel as well.
Hawaii is ready for Canadians, and other visitors, to return – particularly to Maui, which suffered from devastating wildfires earlier this fall and is still on the road to recovery. But while the Hawaii Tourism Authority acknowledges that while many visitors “respectfully” stayed away from Hawaii in the aftermath of the calamity, the islands are now really ready for their return.
A lawyer for JetBlue Airways says that the biggest US airlines are using their size to cement their dominance in a post-pandemic world, making it critical that a federal judge allow JetBlue to buy Spirit Airlines. The lawyer, Ryan Shores, said JetBlue needs Spirit to be a “viable challenger” to the four airlines that control most of the domestic air-travel market.
Goway has introduced a new line of small group journeys, Odysseys by Goway. The curated collection of tours, guided by Goway, features longer stays and small group sizes while delivering unique experiences across 10 different countries.
Greece’s health ministry is seeking police help against hoaxers who tried to scare foreign tourists out of some Athens short-term rental apartments by inventing a bedbug crisis. A ministry statement Tuesday said the posters stuck up outside apartment buildings in the city centre, festooned with fake ministry and Athens municipality logos, were “absolutely false.”
Alaska Airlines has agreed to buy Hawaiian Airlines in a US$1.9 billion deal that officials of the airlines say would create a stronger company to compete with the nation’s Big Four: American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines. It would also create a “clear leader” in the lucrative, $8 billion Hawaiian market, said Alaska CEO Ben Minicucci.
The family of a North Carolina teenager is suing American Airlines, saying that a flight attendant taped an iPhone to an airplane toilet to record her using the restroom during a September flight. Lawyers for the 14-year-old and her parents say that American “knew or should have known the flight attendant was a danger.”
With nearly a billion tourists having already travelled internationally in the first three-quarters of the year, the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) says international tourism has almost completely recovered from the unprecedented crisis of COVID-19.
A picturesque panorama of surf, sand, and sunshine, where Caribbean culture and captivating history come together, Nassau Paradise Island is the perfect place to reinvigorate the spirit and reconnect with family, friends, and loved ones. And the Bahamas island is connected to Canada with convenient, non-stop flights, meaning less time travelling and more time enjoying the white-sand beaches, warm coastal waters, and welcoming resort communities.