Venice has been flabbergasting visitors for centuries. Entering the city via the Grand Canal is an unforgettable experience whether it’s your first time or the tenth. Walt Disney could not have improved upon this architectural fantasy of Romanesque and Renaissance palaces, domed churches and arched bridges, all bathed in that rich radiant light that is Venice’s alone. Truman Capote once quipped that, “Venice is like eating an entire box of chocolate liqueurs at one go.”
You certainly don’t need us to remind you of what’s going on outside most of your windows. However, given the havoc being caused by the weather to travel plans across this country. Here’s a general overview of what happened in Canada over the holidays.
Foreign companies welcomed China’s decision to end quarantines for travellers from abroad as an important step to revive slumping business activity while Japan on Tuesday joined India in announcing restrictions on visitors from the country as infections surge.
If 2022 was the year of the changed traveller, 2023 is the year of the ‘evolved’ traveller, according to Hilton, whose annual 2023 trends report reveals that consumer expectations for the new year will include a focus on frictionless travel, more engaging experiences, a sense of caring, and enhanced wellness offerings.
A day after most US airlines had recovered from the storm, Southwest Airlines again scrubbed thousands of flights Tuesday in the aftermath of the massive winter storm that wrecked Christmas travel plans across the US, and the federal government said it would investigate why the company lagged so far behind other carriers. Those flights accounted for more than 80% of the 3,000 trips that got cancelled nationwide Tuesday, according to tracking service FlightAware.
Statistics Canada says Canadian international travel rebounded sharply in October as the transportation industry continued its post-pandemic recovery. The agency says Canadian residents returned from 3.3 million trips abroad in October, nearly four times the figure recorded during the same month of 2021.
Porter Airlines received an early Christmas present with the delivery of the first two of 50 Embraer E195-E2 ordered by the airline at a ceremony Dec. 21 at Embraer’s headquarters in Brazil. In the run up to the new year, Embraer will deliver a further three aircraft to Porter.
From Vancouver to the deep US south, and populous southern Ontario in between, wild winter weather cancelled flights and disrupted holiday travel plans across the continent ahead of the Christmas weekend.
Winter whacked pretty much everyone across the continent last week; the Canadian Transportation Agency revealed Canada’s most complained about airlines; G Adventures ticked off Russia; India started arrivals testing again – all this and more in our past-weekly Round Up.
Across Canada, Friday is shaping up to be a snow day – but not in a good way, as winter weather continues on the storm-weary west coast and an expected wallop of rain, ice, and snow arrives in Toronto and points east. On the eve of Christmas Eve it’s a gift for travellers akin to a lump of coal in one’s stocking.
India has begun randomly testing international passengers arriving at its airports for COVID-19, but the country’s health minister says there are no plans yet to halt flights from countries where new cases have been reported.
For children, the holidays are a time to sample the latest and greatest in seasonal confectionary – an all-you-can-eat feast of whatever cookies and sweets their relatives baked that year. For adults, the holidays represent a time to indulge in sweet things of a more liquid and alcoholic variety.
I implied last week that I am largely uninspired by most of the overwrought and overthought holiday musical fare that comes like the snow this time of year (whether you want it or not). But I’m not in fact a mean one like Mr. Grinch, because I do in fact love that classic song, along with many of the other great cartoon tunes that still make me smile.
Air Transat is the least dissed domestic airline in 2022 by consumers at just over two (2.2) complaints per 100 flights flown, according to the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA), which has published a new dashboard that tallies the grievances. At the more dubious end of the scale, Flair Airlines racked up the most moans per century at 13.7.
The woes for travellers stranded by heavy snow at Vancouver’s airport are spreading across the country and Toronto Pearson International Airport is now advising of an approaching storm that could derail things further.
A Newfoundland man was barrelling home Wednesday in a rented Toyota Corolla after his WestJet flight from Toronto to St. John’s was cancelled three days ago.
Jamaica is set to have a record winter tourist season, with the Jamaica Tourist Board forecasting that it will welcome nearly 1.5 million visitors and earn approximately US$1.5 billion in foreign exchange, prompting the country’s tourism minister to declare, “We’re back to normal.”
A dead man was found in the wheel bay of an airplane that flew from Gambia to Britain, Gambian authorities said this week. The unidentified body of a man was found on a jet operated by a British charter carrier TUI Airways, which had flown from Gambia’s capital of Banjul to London’s Gatwick airport.
The Travel Corporation (TTC) has become the first global tour operator to introduce verified net zero targets validated by the Science Based Target initiative (SBTi). The company has also introduced an industry leading internal carbon fund to achieve net zero across its 40 brands, which include prominent names like Trafalgar, Insight and Contiki.
MSC Cruises’ latest vessel – and new US flagship – has sailed off to its winter home, Miami, and onwards to Caribbean itineraries after a dazzling debut in New York last week, officially named at a traditional maritime ceremony at the Manhattan Cruise Terminal.
Words are important, they can make us think – build us up – give us hope and courage and happiness, and equally they can destroy our confidence, and plunge us into despair. At Travel Industry Today we offer a selection of words and thoughts that have inspired us, made us think, smile, or laugh out
Call it the celebration before the celebration (FIFA World Cup 2022) as MSC Cruises lit up the sky in Doha, Qatar last night (Sunday) during the official naming ceremony of its newest ship, MSC World Europa.
It was only a stray line in the paper recently, but it hit like hammer: Gordon Lightfoot was performing at a small venue in Oakville, Ont. on the weekend. To be sure, the iconic Canadian singer-songwriter hasn’t been entirely out of the news in recent years, but the about-to-be 84-year-old (Nov. 17) is still going strong filled me with delight.
Eurail, the company behind the popular Eurail and Interrail Passes, has a new look, featuring a visual identity designed to pay tribute to its heritage while embracing what’s to come for rail travel.
I never knew, met, nor (I confess) was even aware of Sandra Jaffe, but in hindsight the remarkable woman has without a doubt played an influential, unexpected role in my life. Jaffe, after all, was co-founder of Preservation Hall in New Orleans, an iconic institution that I have previously proclaimed my favourite place on the planet.
Walt Disney World Resort 50th Anniversary Fifty years ago, the Walt Disney World Resort, born of impossible dreams, opened its gates. And beginning October 1, 2021, the magic is calling everyone to The World’s Most Magical Celebration – the 50th Anniversary at Walt Disney World Resort. Come be immersed in shimmering EARidescence and experience special
02 MAY 2019: After decades in this industry, I like many others, have been subjected to more than my fair share of tours and tour guides usually droning on and on in monotonous monotones about some seriously uninteresting – let’s call it – stuff. Regrettably over the years I have on occasion inflicted this same dull disservice on other unfortunate travellers. Only twice in all that time have I ever found a tour that offered me an experience that was truly both interesting, fun and made me not dread getting back on the coach. And both occasions had three common denominators.