Canada Jetlines has pressed pause on its domestic routes as the upstart airline refocuses on sun destinations and leasing its planes, but says it plans to resume in-country flights come fall.
With the great Canadian snowbird migration set to return north, the Canada Border Services Agency and the Canadian Snowbird Association are encouraging Canadians who have spent the winter abroad, to plan ahead for a smooth return to Canada this spring. Together they are offering a top tips list of things to know before arriving at the border:
People who visit London’s Westminster Abbey after the coronation of King Charles III will be allowed to stand on the exact spot where he was crowned, but they will need to make sure they don’t have holes in their socks for the shoeless tour, designed to protect the abbey’s medieval mosaic floor.
If you’ve been to Miami Seaquarium during the past 52 years, you’ve probably met Lolita, who has been performing for guests since the ‘70s. Now the famed orca may be returned to her home waters in the Pacific Northwest, where a nearly century-old, endangered killer whale believed to be her mother still swims.
“Attention. Air raid alert,” the voice says with a Jedi knight’s gravitas. “Proceed to the nearest shelter.” It’s a surreal moment in an already surreal war: the grave but calming baritone of actor Mark Hamill, Luke Skywalker of “Star Wars,” urging people to take cover whenever Russia unleashes another aerial bombardment on Ukraine.
With the news that Queen – with lead singer Adam Lambert – is set to hit the road this fall for a North American expansion of their Rhapsody Tour, which will include a stop in Toronto, it got us to thinking about some of the band’s frontmen (and women) since the gone-too-soon passing of Freddie Mercury.
Travel is rebounding from the COVID pandemic more quickly than expected, but Canadian tourism businesses are still operating with more than 100,000 fewer workers than they were in 2019, according to Tourism HR Canada, which has launched a new campaign, Discover Tourism, that aims to close that gap and encourage further growth and recovery across Canada’s tourism sector.
The first time I visited Florida was a long long time ago. Disney World was only a couple of years old and I was relatively new to the industry, working for Adventure Tours. I flew into St. Pete-Clearwater Airport (PIE) to fill in for the vacationing Eileen Forrow, who then, at the very beginning of an illustrious career, was our rep at the Fort Harrison Hotel in Clearwater which was still owned by Jack Tar (it is now the Scientology Centre). I was back at PIE last week – what a difference!
As might be expected, optimism reigned at a conference of the cruise community that predicted the clouds of the long pandemic lockdown have finally disappeared and the horizon is once again brilliantly sunny. At the Seatrade Cruise Global conference in Fort Lauderdale, cruise lines pointed to record booking days–in part due to redemptions of cruise credits for previously cancelled cruises–and the fact cruise tourism is rebounding faster than bookings for land-based resorts–in part because cruising is a comparative bargain.
El Al Israel Airlines would like to return to Canada, but there is “no date circled on the calendar” for that to happen, admits the carrier’s Sr. VP Sales for North America.
With Air Canada set to boost service to Seattle from eastern Canada on May 1, the time was right this week for tourism types to drop in on the trade in Toronto and Montreal to tout the northwestern US city.
Condé Nast recognition, a new member advisory board, and a new app feature designed to facilitate “blind travel dating” for solo travellers highlight this week’s round-up.
Lynx marks it’s first anniversary Friday, having taken to the skies one year ago with its first flight from Calgary to Vancouver on April 7, 2022. To celebrate, the discount carrier has launched a contest for Canadians to win free flights for a year.
Calling it “a new chapter” in its storied history as a pioneer of the beach and mountain all-inclusive resort concepts, Club Med has unveiled a new refreshed and modernized brand identity.
Even as Canada’s economic numbers continue to improve, the Bank of Canada says business and consumers are preparing for an expected slowdown that could result in less spending on activities such as travel.
TD Insurance survey reveals that most Canadians planning to travel don’t intend to purchase travel insurance, even though over half of Canadians can’t afford an out-of-pocket expense exceeding $5,000.
Canadian travel industry veteran Susan Lawson has joined Trevello Travel Group as National Director of Sales & Training. In her new role, Lawson will be responsible for helping advisors achieve sales and deliver “a fantastic experience” to their customers.
With arrivals forecast to grow 20 percent over 2019 numbers this spring and nearly 50% in summer, the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association says it has a “very, very positive outlook” for the year.
Registration is now open for ACTA’s annual travel industry golf tournament, set to take place on Thursday, July 13, at the Royal Ontario Golf Course in Milton.
When North Carolina in 2016 banned transgender people from using the bathroom of their gender identity in public buildings, California retaliated by banning state-funded travel to that state and any others with similar laws. But seven years later, following a surge of anti-LGBTQ legislation in mostly Republican-led states, California now bans state-funded travel to nearly half of the US.
Expressing frustration after six months of failed negotiations, the union representing WestJet pilots says it expects to launch a strike authorization vote today (Monday) as contract talks with management drag on. If successful, pilots would be in a position to strike by the long weekend in May.
A bipartisan group of lawmakers in the US re-introduced legislation last week that would create a no-fly list for passengers who are fined or convicted of disruptive or violent behaviour on board an aircraft. In 2022, the Federal Aviation Administration received nearly 2,500 reports of unruly passengers.
Spending on tourism continued to grow last year as travellers returned to planes and patios, but it remained well below pre-pandemic levels, according to Statistics Canada. Tourism expenditures between October and December rose for the seventh consecutive quarter as the last of the COVID restrictions on travel lifted, increasing by 2.1% from the third quarter to $20.1 billion, the agency said in a report late last week.
The federal government has firmly put air travel on its radar after laying out plans in last week’s budget to speed up airport security screening and reduce flight delays, but observers say there is still much to do to the sector’s problems.
The Global Tourism Film Festival (GTFF), set to take place in North Bay, Ont., April 28-30, has announced a special presentation by the Ukraine Government Agency responsible for the country’s tourism development, joining a full roster of Canadian and international presentations and professional development for travel counsellors.
It’s not just the legacy, symbolic and practical, of the 2022 Commonwealth Games – sport is at the beating heart of England’s West Midlands. From tennis to cricket, and football to golf, visitors to Birmingham and surrounds visitors will discover a rich sporting pedigree in the region.
A federal budget and US travel tidbits (borders crossings, vaccine mandates) lead this week’s round-up of last week’s travel news, along with the naming of a new Ontario registrar, a Disney Cruise Line milestone, and the announcement of new Dubai reps in Canada.
A new cross-border study finds Canadians take more pride in their country than Americans do in theirs – and are more unified than Americans in viewing their country as a caring and safe place to call home, and a positive contributor to the globe. And Americans, it seems, agree.
The US Travel Association says the US Senate’s passage of a bill to terminate the government’s COVID-19 emergency declaration – and repeal vaccine requirements for visitors – will provide a much-needed boost for travel for the country.
Congratulations to Dorian Werda as the Travel Industry Council of Ontario (TICO) announces her appointment as Registrar, Travel Industry Act, 2002, overseeing all regulatory functions for Ontario’s travel agencies, booking websites and tour operators. The appointment is effective April 1, 2023. Werda has been with TICO since its inception in 1997 and is a member of TICO’s leadership team with deep knowledge of Ontario’s travel industry and its regulatory environment.