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August 2020

A report on over-tourism. Which is now under-tourism. Which isn’t good, either. Also, a note about the U.S. State Department lifting its four-month advisory against Americans travelling abroad. My Future of Travel  blog for Aug. 7. Finding the Right Tourism Balance For years we’ve read headlines about too many tourists cramming the Champs Elysees and jamming the canals of Amsterdam. Locals on some popular Spanish islands got so fed up that they vandalized visitors’ cars. Petitions against over-tourism sprang up in overcrowded cities such as Barcelona and Venice, where they had to put limits on cruise ships. Now, what some Read more

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A new listing of the top cities in the U.S. gives a boost to NYC and to several California cities. I also take a look at tourism in Nova Scotia and the re-opening of a fabulous hotel in the Caribbean. My Aug. 5 Future of Travel blog. Top 20 Cities in the U.S. The Big Apple takes top prize. But California has plenty to boast about. A company called Resonance Consultancy has once again published its list of the top cities in the U.S. They used six categories for ranking American cities: place, product, people, prosperity, program and promotion. The Read more

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This is an excerpt from my new book, “Ontario Escapes: 19 Great Places  to Visit Right Now.” It’s available from Apple Books (and only for Apple devices) for just $4.99 Canadian. What a deal! Here’s the link for the book: https://books.apple.com/ca/book/ontario-escapes/id1523750857   Chapter 11: Gravenhurst and Muskoka WHAT: There’s a reason some folks call Muskoka Toronto’s playground. Located just two hours (maybe less given COVID-19 traffic, or lack of same) north of the city, you’ll find amazing lakes strewn with rocky islets and towering, deep green trees. It’s as pretty as a postcard, and easy to reach. WHERE: Gravenhurst, the Read more

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An airline food company in Israel is offering meals to the public. Meanwhile, Emirates is offering free funerals. No, these two items are not related. I also have an item about how Canadians are reluctant to hop on a plane or onto a cruise ship and how Hawaii’s tourism opening may be delayed again. My August 4 Future of Travel blog. Airline Food for Sale – Yum! I hadn’t thought about it, but one of the businesses that’s been hurt by the lack of air travel the past few months are companies that supply that delicious, highly appealing food that Read more

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This is a re-post of a story from Hawaii in 2018. A newly discovered great drive. Classic food places. And lovely nature all around. Hawaii Big Island is always a huge treat for me. It’s the Hawaiian island I know the least, partly because I haven’t been there as often as the others and partly because it’s so darn huge; as big as all the other islands put together. We only had a couple days, and I wanted to stay in Hilo as we had visited there in 1968; the first year our family took a trip to Hawaii. My Read more

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