Today’s travel notebook looks at Hong Kong’s plan to reopen for tourism, an Air Canada event in Toronto, a Niagara Region Tourism help package, and an update on the status of Canadian discount airline Flair.
HONG KONG READY AND WAITING
One of the world’s most popular destinations has a tourism revival plan in place.
| The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) held its annual Tourism Update event online today May 6 and announced a revival plan that highlights Hong Kong’s vibrant developments and new experiences, aiming to generate a positive ambience and make the city top-of-mind destination for worldwide travellers when travel resumes.
In his opening remarks, HKTB Chairman Dr. Y K Pang highlighted Hong Kong’s return to normality. “The fifth wave of the pandemic is subsiding,” he said. “Hong Kong’s daily life and economic activities are now gradually returning to normal, allowing us to stage large-scale events and prepare to welcome back visitors.
“Throughout the pandemic, Hong Kong never stopped building and upgrading its tourism infrastructure. We will see the grand opening of the Hong Kong Palace Museum this summer, while the third runway at Hong Kong International Airport is expected to go into service within the next couple of years. With these new infrastructure elements and the support of the Central and Hong Kong SAR Governments, Hong Kong’s competitive edge has held firm, and we can head towards new horizons with confidence.”
HKTB Executive Director Dane Cheng described how the agency will focus first on generating a positive ambience in the city, stimulating consumption, and maintaining Hong Kong’s profile globally by launching “Hong Kong Summer Treats.” The campaign will provide a wide range of discounts and promotional offerings and will begin with “Arts in Hong Kong” – a campaign that supports international art and cultural events, such as Art Basel, which will return in a physical format.
When social distancing measures are further relaxed, the HKTB will arrange more world-class events in phases, including the Hong Kong Wine & Dine Festival and Hong Kong WinterFest.
“The HKTB has conducted extensive research in 16 markets and found Hong Kong is still well-loved by travellers worldwide,” Cheng said, “They have specifically identified some major driving factors to visit Hong Kong, including cleanliness, local culture, in-depth experiences, unique cuisine, high accessibility, and ease of communications. These factors are not only core strengths of Hong Kong but also match the trends and tastes of the post-COVID travel era.
“With our solid tourism foundations … and our wealth of new tourism assets and infrastructure, Hong Kong’s tourism future is full of potential,” he said.
I’ve been to Hong Kong several times and always find it a thrilling experience, with wonderful food, awesome nature hikes and tremendous hotels and shopping. |
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AIR CANADA PROMISES GREAT TIMES AHEAD
Air Canada.
Air Canada held an in-person event for travel agents and others in the travel trade in Toronto on Thursday night. According to Pax News, Lucie Guillemette, Air Canada’s executive vice-president and chief commercial officer, described the event as “an opportunity for all of us to celebrate the return of travel.”
“By the time we hit the summer of 2022, we’ll probably be operating 80% of what we would have operated in 2019,” said Guillemette. “We intend to rise higher than ever.”
FLAIR RULING COULD COME JUNE 1
The Canadian Transportation Agency sparked headlines a few weeks ago when it suggested the low-cost carrier might not meet Canadian ownership requirements.
The CTA gave the Edmonton-based airline until May 3 to respond. The airline did, indeed, reply to the CTA’s concerns.
Travelweek reports the agency will issue its final decision on June 1.
AIR TRANSAT BEGINS MONTREAL-AMSTERDAM ROUTE
A canal in Amsterdam. Adrien Olichon/Unsplash Photo.
Air Transat yesterday began direct service between Montreal and Amsterdam. The route will operate until mid-October with three flights per week at the height of the season: on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
With this service, the airline is responding to the significant demand from travellers who want to discover Europe
this summer and strengthening its fast-growing transatlantic operations.
“We are very excited to provide our customers with easy access to another jewel of European culture. Amsterdam joins 18 other destinations to explore from Montreal,” said Joseph Adamo, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer, Transat. “The Netherlands is a fascinating destination, both steeped in history and forward-looking, and known for its
efforts to be environmentally responsible.”
FEDERAL HELP FOR NIAGARA TOURISM
Table Rock Restaurant at Niagara Falls. ROB ANZIT/NIAGARA PARKS PHOTO
| On April 6, Helena Jaczek, Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario), announced a non-repayable investment of $68.5 million for 11 Regional Tourism Organizations across southern Ontario and for Indigenous Tourism Ontario.
As part of this investment, The Tourism Partnership of Niagara is receiving a non-repayable contribution of $8.5 million through the Tourism Relief Fund, delivered by FedDev Ontario. With this funding, The Tourism Partnership of Niagara is providing eligible tourism businesses in the Niagara Region with non-repayable contributions of up to $100,000 to help local tourism businesses recover from the impacts of the pandemic and invest in new products and services to attract visitors and drive growth in the region. This support will ensure the tourism sector in Niagara has the tools to innovate and find new business opportunities as we safely welcome back tourists from within Canada and around the world.
Tourism businesses in Niagara can visit NiagaraRelief.com to learn more about available funding. Applications opened for Niagara-based tourism businesses on April 12th, 2022 and must be received before May 15th, 2022 at 11:59 PM ET to be eligible. |
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