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.
It was simply time for the Golden Gate City to start playing ball again in Canada – literally, as a delegation from the San Francisco Tourism Association invited a select group of travel friends to attend a Blue Jays game against their own Giants at the Rogers Centre last week.
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.
As Canadians gear up to celebrate Canada Day on Saturday, CheapOair.ca got to thinking about the most unique Canadian attractions that have earned worldwide attention. And with its self-declared mission to “educate and aid consumers and travel professionals in planning their travel accommodations,” the online travel agency asked its staff to select their most iconic Canadian attractions from the north to the south, east to west and all points in between.
The Culinary Tourism Alliance (CTA), a trailblazer of Canada’s culinary tourism industry, is set to serve up the “Great Taste of Canada,” an ultimate field guide to mouthwatering eats, hands-on food experiences, and unique tastes across the nation. “More than just maple syrup and poutine (though there certainly is that), Canada’s food scene is a true smorgasbord of gastronomic journeys, shaped by the rich history, heritage, and cultures across the country,” says CTA.
A new world-class aquarium will open in Montreal in 2024 with the aim of educating visitors and “inspiring future generations to become advocates for our wildlife and wild places.”
Vancouver is certainly known for its bridges, but the one we’re most enamoured of is Bridges restaurant and patio, found on Granville Island, overlooking fabulous False Creek, the city skyline, and the mountains of the north shore.
As we get set to turn the volume to 11 on Canada Day, it’s only fitting that we offer a little classic Canadiana for your listening/viewing pleasure. And who can forget the Calgary-based trio The Stampeders – perhaps the only band that could use the word macaroons in a song and get away with it?
Travellers south of the border got hit with delays at US airports again Wednesday, an ominous sign heading into the long July 4 holiday weekend, which is shaping up as the biggest test yet for airlines that are struggling to keep up with surging numbers of passengers.
Canada Jetlines says it is on schedule to add another aircraft that will allow it to fly to Europe next summer, but not before it operates “numerous charters” to Greenland this summer.
Air France has inaugurated its new non-stop flight between Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Ottawa, making the carrier the only company to operate direct flights between the Canadian capital and Europe.
A place where “cowboy boots and hats come together,” Fort Worth exudes a real Texas vibe, yet with a “modern west” ambiance befitting America’s 12th largest city.
After years of restraint and missed travel, Canadians are on the roam again this summer, says TRAVELSAVERS Canada, citing a study by Narrative Research, which says that more than one-half of Canadians (56%) intend to travel in 2023.
Expanding its reputation for immersive travel experiences, Holland America Line has launched “National Geographic Day Tours” in the Mediterranean. The exclusive shore excursions were developed with National Geographic, a world leader in geography, cartography, and exploration.
An Amsterdam museum that severed ties with St. Petersburg’s Hermitage collection after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine last year has been renamed and on Monday announced partnerships with renowned galleries in London, Paris and Washington, DC.
Strong demand and supply-side issues will push up car rental rates in North America and other regions of the world during the next year, according to American Express Global Business Travel (GBT). The travel management company is projecting year-on-year car rental rate hikes of 5 percent in both Canada and the US.
Porter Airlines continues to expand its presence in Western Canada with the addition of Victoria to its network with one daily roundtrip flight as of September 20. Victoria is the second city in British Columbia that Porter will serve with its new 132-seat Embraer E195-E2 aircraft, which the airline touts as having the lowest fuel consumption per seat and per trip among its class.
The largest review of funding and fees for Ontario’s travel industry since the inception of the Travel Industry Council of Ontario (TICO) in 1997 is nearing completion, but registrants will have to wait a little longer for the results.
Sustainability was a hot topic last week at the Paris Air Show, the world’s largest event for the aviation industry, which faces increasing pressure to reduce the climate-changing greenhouse gases that aircraft spew. The take-away? When it comes to flying, going green will likely cost travellers more. And it’s going to take a while for the strategy to take off.
New York City has received a federal approval for its plan to charge big tolls to drive into the most visited parts of Manhattan, part of an effort to reduce traffic, improve air quality and raise funds for the city’s public transit system. It will be the first city in the US to do so.