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.
It’s never too early to plan a cruise, especially for peak periods and events like Christmas and Halloween. With this in mind, Disney Cruise Line has released details and opened sales for its fall and winter holiday offering in 2024.
Italy’s culture and tourism ministers have vowed to find and punish the tourist who was filmed carving his name and that of his apparent girlfriend in the wall of the Colosseum in Rome, a crime that in the past has resulted in hefty fines.
North America is leading the global travel recovery this summer, comprising a global “powerhouse” for the travel industry, and, at the same time, surpassing 2019 levels, according to international analytics form ForwardKeys.
As if tech issues, labour shortages and weather aren’t enough, flights south of the border could be disrupted starting next week because some planes lack updated equipment to prevent interference from transmissions by wireless companies.
The federal government says passport delivery has returned to pre-pandemic processing times, there are no backlogs, and Service Canada is exceeding its delivery standard for most applications.
Explora Journeys, the luxury lifestyle brand of the MSC Group wants to recognize and reward travel advisors who have embraced the brand “from the start” by booking at least one cruise during the brand’s inaugural year of operation.
Coinciding with the one-year anniversary since its acquisition by Navigatr Group, Ensemble held its first Summit event for owners and managers at the Stein Erikson Lodge in Park City, Utah, earlier this month.
VoX International in collaboration with several Caribbean tourist boards and hotel groups, are organizing a new event for meeting and incentive planners – Caribbean ConnEX Canada, set to take place in Toronto on Nov. 1.
Swedish government investigators have launched a probe into a roller coaster accident that killed one person and injured nine at the country’s oldest amusement park.
Declaring that “Canadians deserve clean waters and a clean environment,” Ottawa has announced new mandatory environmental rules for cruise ships. Announced Friday by Transport Minister Omar Alghabra, the new measures address discharges of greywater and sewage and are effective immediately.
When the Titan submersible made its fateful dive into the North Atlantic, it also plunged into the murkily regulated waters of deep-sea exploration. It’s a space on the high seas where laws and conventions can be sidestepped by risk-taking entrepreneurs and the wealthy tourists who help fund their dreams. At least for now.
Canada Jetlines has announced the appointment of Charles McKee to lead the company’s commercial activities, replacing Duncan Bureau, who is leaving the company to pursue other opportunities, reportedly elsewhere in the aviation sector.
Low-cost Icelandic airline PLAY launched its inaugural flight from Canada June 22, with the carrier aiming to offer another competitive alternative for Canadians to fly to Europe via its Reykjavik hub.
Travel Industry Council of Ontario (TICO) registered wholesalers now have the option of depositing all sales of travel services into their Travel Industry Act trust bank account, including sales made to out-of-province retailers.
American Queen Voyages (AQV) has announced a series of deployment changes and updates for 2024 and ‘25 that will see the company drop its Great Lakes itineraries and refocus on river cruising. Consequently, owners the Hornblower Group will also sell its Ocean Navigator and Ocean Voyager vessels.
A couple of Canadian carriers scored top marks in prestigious Skytrax World Airline Awards last week, while in other weekly news highlights: Sunwing Vacations reassured the trade; an Indian airline conducted the biggest buy of planes in history, Ottawa announced a major investment in sustainable aviation fuel; and a popular Australian tourist destination took a new name.
OceanGate Expeditions has confirmed the deaths of the five men on the Titan submersible. The landing frame and rear cover of the missing submersible were discovered on the ocean floor, 500 meters from the bow of the Titanic. The discovery by a remote operated submarine is said to mean the sub suffered a crack and imploded under the underwater pressure, instantly killing those on board. The US Coast Guard said the men would have died instantly, their bodies may never be recovered.
Retail sales growth – including travel – in Canada is continuing to outperform much of the world so far this year, a sign of the ongoing resiliency of Canadian shoppers despite higher inflation and recession predictions, a new report has found.
The last segment of a higher-speed rail line stretching from South Florida to the central part of the state has been completed, a milestone that was celebrated Wednesday by mayors from across the Sunshine State and which heralds the imminent arrival of much-anticipated service between Miami and Orlando.
For a mere US$450,000 per person, travellers will soon be able to travel to edge of space with Virgin Galactic, which will start regular commercial flights beginning in August. The space tourism company has been working for years to send paying passengers on short space trips and in 2021 finally won the US federal government’s approval.
Around 8,000 revellers – Druids, pagans, hippies, local residents and tourists –gathered around Stonehenge in southern England this week to express their devotion to the sun, or to have some communal fun.
Car capers dominated last week’s foolishness, along with bare butts, ‘satanic’ verses, and a macabre tale that would have been best left to Monty Python.
Four Seasons Yachts hasn’t even opened bookings for its first ultra-luxury ship, but it’s so confident that it’s already ordered a second.
Mention Matchbox 20 and the band is usually greeted with an “Oh, I love them.” It is entirely fair to say they are beloved, not least thanks to charismatic frontman Rob Thomas and not just by women (my wife included). A few years ago, Thomas, performing solo, blew the audience away at the annual IPW U.S. travel trade show.
It what is widely regarded as ‘the Oscars of the aviation industry,’ Singapore Airlines has been voted the World’s Best Airline at the 2023 World Airline Awards, the fifth time that the airline has scooped the Airline of the Year title in the 23-year history of the prestigious annual Skytrax rankings.