Here’s a cool bit. A study from Nestpick, a furnished apartment search engine, found that six of the world’s top 10 cities for millennials are right here in Canada.
The study gave Berlin the nod as the top world city for millennials to live, work and play. But Montreal was second, Toronto fifth and Vancouver sixth.
The Nestpick study looked at everything from recreation to business, housing, food, universities and “openness” before coming up with its rankings.
A new study ranks Montreal as the world’s second best city for millenials. JIM BYERS PHOTO
“Millennials grew up in a shrinking world, where the internet opened doors their parents never could have dreamed of, and budget airlines made those avenues real possibilities. It’s now possible to live and work anywhere in the world, and these opportunities are shaping how our planet will look to future generations.” said Ömer Kücükdere, Managing Director of Nestpick. “We must learn to adapt to the needs of younger people in order to have a thriving economy, and we believe that this ranking offers valuable insights to those cities looking for regeneration from a younger demographic.”
Berlin had a total score of 7.14, with Montreal right behind at 7.10. Coming third was London (6.71), followed by Amsterdam (6.63). Toronto was fifth (6.60), and Vancouver sixth (6.34).
Toronto was cited as the world’s second-best millennials city for openness, surpassed only by Helsinki. Montreal was rated seventh for openness and sixth for recreation.
The only U.S. city in the top 10 was New York, in the eighth spot.
A study by Nestpick ranks Toronto fifth best city in the world for millenials. JIM BYERS PHOTO
“One of the most exciting outcomes of this study are the top cities based on Essentials, which takes into account factors such as affordable housing, high speed internet and accessible food.” said Kücükdere. “Seoul, Brno, Beijing, Monterrey—these are some of the most up-and-coming cities in the world and millennials are already flocking to these urban playgrounds in their droves. However, while these places are attracting this demographic for the short-term, these cities should consider improving elements such as employability and openness if they wish to keep the economic and social benefits of their millennial influx.”
“The hackneyed idea that millennials are all entitled snowflakes is tired, and needs to be put to rest,” Kücükdere said. “How this generation differs from their predecessors is that they have more choice, and with these increased options has come a sense that they won’t settle for second-best.
“This offers an exciting opportunity for cities to rise to the challenge and become a magnet for millennials, because while this young demographic is demanding more, they are also giving back more in terms of entrepeneurialship, economy and equality than ever before.”
Here’s the top 20:
1. Berlin
2. Montreal
3. London
4. Amsterdam
5. Toronto
6. Vancouver
7. Barcelona
8. New York
9. Cologne
10. Manchester
11. Hamburg
12. Bristol
13. San Francisco
14. Austin
15. Paris
16. MIami
17. Munich
18. Lisbon
19. Glasgow
20. Madrid
RECORD SPENDING IN HAWAII
I found this today on the MauiNow website: “Visitors to the Hawaiian Islands spent a total of $1.69 billion US in January 2018, the highest statewide total for visitor spending ever recorded for a single month in Hawaiʻi’s history, according to preliminary statistics released today by the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority.
On Maui, visitor spending rose significantly in January, up 18% to $548.5 million, the highest monthly total ever recorded. The record-breaking numbers were boosted by growth a 5% increase in visitor days and higher average daily spending (+12% to $253 per person).
The Fairmont Kea Lani on Maui is a wonderful resort.
Arrivals on Maui increased 5.6% to 230,581 with more visitors from US West (+14.3%), Canada (+7.8%) and US East (+5%) but fewer visitors from Japan (-2.3%). The average number of visitors on any given day on Maui in January increased 5.3% to 69,808 visitors.
Visitor spending also increased on the island of Hawaiʻi (+1.8% to $268.2 million) and Kauaʻi (+2.3% to $191.2 million) in January, which too were the highest monthly totals ever recorded for each island. Visitor spending on Oʻahu declined slightly (-1.9% to $662.0 million) in January compared to last year. Total arrivals to the state grew 5.4% to 796,483 visitors in January, with total visitor days increasing 4% versus a year ago.”
Nice to see the Canadian numbers were up in January. Given our weather in the month, it’s perhaps not surprising.
I didn’t make it to Maui in January but I was there for a couple days in February as part of my Hawaii 50 trip; a celebration of our first Byers family trip to the islands 50 years ago. I’ll have more on that in later editions of my blog…..
