Canada unveiled a new tourism strategy, and a boost for travellers arriving in Ottawa and Halifax; also last week, Canadian carriers announced some new destinations, Emirates conducted its first flight to Montreal, and a member of the Canadian travel trade was appointed to the Order of Canada.
Leading travel analytics firm ForwardKeys has revealed the hundred most appealing city destinations this summer and the answer might surprise you. Rankings are based on how extensively travel to them has been searched online by global consumers.
Emirates made a landmark touchdown in Montréal this week, marking the start of scheduled daily non-stop aboard Boeing 777 services to its second gateway in Canada. Emirates now serves Canada with 14 flights per week.
A beacon for those who love travel and the world’s exotic (and sometimes not-so-exotic) places for 135 years, the familiar yellow-bordered cover of the monthly National Geographic will no longer be for sale on newsstands starting next year, part of cutbacks affecting the venerable magazine.
Fans who agree Disneyland is indeed the happiest place on Earth will soon be able to take home more than a souvenir. A passionate collector has brought Disney magic to a sprawling 2,800-sq.–m. building in Burbank, California, where fans can hear birds chirping in the Enchanted Tiki Room section or giggle at the animated ghosts from the Haunted Mansion ride as they preview more than 1,500 items up for auction later this month.
A niche fleet in Norway is gaining world attention by scoring better than any other cruise line in a global ranking of environmental sustainability. The German environmental organization NABU ranked Havila Voyages in a tie at the top of its cruise ranking for 2023, based on the company’s efforts towards sustainability and reduced carbon emissions.
From hot dogs to pie and pork products, this weird week was mainly about food, glorious food, with additional dispatches about a persistent pencil pusher, Dutch body art, and a gun nut who just should have stayed in bed.
With temperatures feeling like 40-plus degrees across large parts of Ontario and Quebec this week, and the world at large posting its highest daily temperature ever, it was definitely getting dirty and gritty in the cities. So, envy to those on holiday, or working (sure!) on the dock at the cottage – or better still, legitimately sipping a cocktail there, toes dangling in the cool water. Sigh.
Will travellers to Antarctica soon be packing bathing suits? It may seem far-fetched, but on Tuesday the planet’s temperature spiked to its hottest day in at least 44 years – and likely much longer – and Wednesday was set to be the third straight day Earth unofficially marked a record-breaking high.
A powerful summer storm lashed the Netherlands and parts of Germany on Wednesday, killing at least two people, blowing trees onto houses, and forcing one of Europe’s busiest airports to cancel or delay hundreds of flights.
PAL Airlines and Air Canada completed the inaugural PAL Airlines operation of an Air Canada Express flight between St. John’s and Halifax. The inaugural section on July 1 was the first flight operated under a newly completed commercial agreement achieved between the two carriers to fortify regional service in eastern Canada.
The Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) plans to launch a pilot for dedicated Verified Traveller screening lines at Ottawa International Airport and Halifax Stanfield International Airport.
United Airlines says when flights are delayed or cancelled it will use its app to send customers options for rebooking and, in some cases, vouchers for meals and hotel rooms. The airline began testing the service on its app late last year and says it found that it reduced the number of people waiting in airports lines to speak to airline agents.
This year’s ACTA Fall Summits will feature Bruce Poon Tip, CEO of G Adventures (who was named an Officer of the Order of Canada this year) and Pam Hoffee, President, Avalon Waterways, as keynote speakers at the association’s events in Western and Eastern Canada respectively.
Visitors and locals alike were invited to open their pie holes, literally, this week as the Florida Keys celebrated its bicentennial Monday with a world-recording breaking Key lime pie more than 4 metres in diameter.
Bruce Poon Tip says he is truly “humbled” by being appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in recognition of his services to both Canada and humanity – endeavours the G Adventures founder calls his “calling.”
Nearly 2,000 Air Canada flights – roughly half of all flights – were delayed or cancelled over the Canada Day long weekend. The figures from aviation tracker FlightAware included Rouge and regional partner Jazz Aviation for the period from Saturday through Monday.
WestJet has announced the addition of the B in ABC islands of the Dutch Caribbean ¬– Bonaire – to its roster of Caribbean destinations with non-stop seasonal weekly departures from Toronto starting Dec. 12.
Calling the post-pandemic surge in travel a once-in-a-generation opportunity for Canada’s visitor economy to push past reviving all the way to thriving and successfully competing on the global stage, Ottawa has unveiled a new tourism plan it says will help cement Canada as a top global destination while propelling the tourism industry to, “reach new heights for generations to come.”
The current Festival International de Jazz de Montréal is showcasing some serious star power. Over the course of 10 days, world-renowned artists including Diana Krall, Buddy Guy, Robert Plant & Alison Krause, Melody Gardot, Herbie Hancock and George Benson will rub shoulders with jazz’s rising stars, sometimes even sharing the same stage. Many established artists are performing at the Festival for the first time and jazz is more prominent than ever on both indoor and outdoor Festival stages.
Longer vacations, less overpacking, more small ship cruising, and an uptick in bleisure travel are the post-pandemic behaviours the world’s most experienced travellers are revealing, according to a recent survey by Global Rescue.
Tourism spending in Canada grew 2.6% in the first quarter, due to an increase of 3.5% in domestic tourism spending by Canadian residents, according to Statistics Canada. Tourism gross domestic product (GDP) (+2.3%) and jobs attributable to tourism (+2.7%) also rose in the first quarter.
After almost a week, unrest in France sparked by the police shooting of a 17-year-old appeared to slow, but fires and vandalism continued to target public buildings, cars, and municipal trash cans on Monday.
As United Airlines cancelled thousands of July 4th weekend flights, leaving passengers stranded in airports around the country for days, airline CEO Scott Kirby, with an inexplicable lack of judgement and no thought as to the optics or consequences, reportedly chartered a private jet from Teterboro, New Jersey, to Denver. He did this on Wednesday, the same day United cancelled 750 flights — one-quarter of the day’s schedule – not including flights on United Express. Kirby apologized Friday, saying “It was insensitive to our customers waiting to get home.” No kidding.
U.S. customs pre-clearance is coming to Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (YTZ), but travellers bound for destinations south of the border will have to wait until 2025 to take advantage of the expedited serviced at the downtown (island) airport.
After more than six year’s of planning, Canada’s newest museum opened the doors to its permanent location in Vancouver’s Chinatown on July 1 – a date that museum executives say serves as a poignant reminder of a part of Canada’s history that has often been overlooked.
Thousands of hotel workers in Southern California walked off the job on Sunday, demanding higher pay and better benefits in what the union is calling the largest strike in its history.
While there was more air travel disruptions in US last week, and smoke got in our eyes here at home, emerging Canadian travel stats continued to be positive, while car rental rates news was less so. Also in the news: A welcome new flight to Ottawa, launch news for Porter, and a surprise departure from Lynx.
Lynx Air has announced the resignation of its President and CEO, Merren McArthur, who is leaving for personal reasons. McArthur is the founding CEO of Lynx Air, having joined the airline in June 2021, leading the airline to its first flight launch in April 2022. She will continue in the role until the end of September, allowing time for the selection and appointment of a new CEO.
For the first time, an international cruise ship will sail the waters of the Saint Lawrence in the heart of winter when PONANT’s Commandant Charcot, with some 200 winter activity enthusiasts aboard, will make four 12-night sailings between late January and early March 2025.