American lawmakers and business officials are ratcheting up the pressure on the Trudeau government Ottawa to get rid of the controversial ArriveCan app.
Nearly 1,500 emails have been sent to federal MPs and Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino since the Canadian American Business Council’s new campaign, “Travel Like it’s 2019,” went live two weeks ago, The Canadian Press reports.
The online campaign calls on Ottawa to scrap the troublesome ArriveCan app, a mandatory pre-screening tool for visitors to Canada, and to tackle the backlog plaguing the Canada-U.S. trusted-traveller system known as Nexus.
Critics have blasted ArriveCan for causing airport congestion and scaring off would-be American visitors to Canada. Border city mayors in Ontario have said many Americans don’t understand the app and can’t be bothered with it, which is drastically reducing U.S. visitation to places such as Niagara Falls and Vancouver.
AIR TRANSAT SCHEDULE CUTS
Las Vegas downtown. JIM BYERS PHOTO
Published reports say Air Transat is reducing its winter schedule due to operational challenges.
Both the Centre for Aviation (CAPA) and PAX News report the schedule has been trimmed by six per cent.
PAX said it first heard about the cancellations through comments that were posted on social media by travel agents.
PAX said Transat officials told them they were “aware of the inconvenience caused by its cancellations and apologized to those who are impacted” but that capacity had to be “responsibly and efficiently” reduced.
The news site said flights to Los Angeles, Tampa, New Orleans and Las Vegas are among those affected.
PARKS CANADA TARGETS CLIMATE CHANGE AND TRAFFIC CONGESTION
The Bow River in Banff, Alberta. JIM BYERS PHOTO
Parks Canada has outlined a series of targets designed to mitigate climate change and traffic congestion in a handful of the country’s premier mountain destinations, including Banff National Park, The Globe and Mail reports.
The federal government recently tabled management plans for seven national parks and one national historic site in British Columbia and Alberta. The plans are reviewed every decade and the latest iterations, with new strategies for climate change, moving people sustainably and bettering Indigenous relations, reflect Ottawa’s broader policy aspirations.
CANADA JETLINES READY TO FLY
Canada Jetlines says it has received its Domestic, Non-scheduled international, and scheduled international service licenses from the Canadian Transportation Agency. With the Air Operator Certificate that was issued on August 18, 2022, by Transport Canada, Canada Jetlines has now completed all government requirements and obtained all certification to start operations.
“I am extremely proud of this achievement and the hard work completed by all the employees and the support we received for this project from Ed Wegel and his team at GlobalX, as well as all our other partners. I want to pass my appreciation for the trust our partners have put in the Canada Jetlines team,” said Eddy Doyle CEO Canada Jetlines.
“We will be announcing our fall schedule shortly with an updated inaugural flight date and are excited at the possibilities ahead of us to provide Canadians with a new air service,” said Duncan Bureau Chief Commercial Officer of Canada Jetlines.
Jetlines already has announced flights between Toronto Pearson and both Winnipeg and Moncton.
CityPASS 25TH ANNIVERSARY
CityPASS Toronto advertisement. JIM BYERS PHOTO
CityPASS®, the first American company to bundle discounted, prepaid admission to a destination’s top attractions into one easy-to-use ticket, is celebrating its 25th anniversary and more than two decades of happy travellers.
Since launching in Seattle and San Francisco in 1997, CityPASS has expanded to 13 additional North American destinations, most recently San Diego in 2021; sold more than 24 million CityPASS tickets to travelers seeking to maximize their vacation experiences (and their budgets); and adeptly integrated new technology, including a full transition to mobile tickets, which are currently available in eight languages.
CityPASS is the brainchild of co-founders Mike Morey and Mike Gallagher, business partners who spent much of their respective careers working at, with or around attractions. Their vision was specific: handpick the very best attractions in major North American destinations and then discount admission to those attractions by up to 50 percent. It was something no one else had done in the United States, and it was a risk. But Gallagher and Morey believed in their goal of making travel easier, more affordable, and vastly more enjoyable. And, based on more than 76,000 customer reviews, that vision has succeeded. Across its 15 partner destinations, CityPASS tickets average a 4.6-star rating (out of a possible 5 stars).
CityPASS offers curated, discounted admission to the top attractions in 15 North American destinations: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Houston, New York City, Orlando, Philadelphia, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Southern California, Tampa Bay, and Toronto.
WINDSTAR CRUISES: 35 YEARS IN TAHITI
Canoeing in Tahiti. TAHITI TOURISME PHOTO
The Islands of Tahiti are best accessed via small ship – allowing effortless travel amongst some of French Polynesia’s most storied and iconic 121 islands and atolls. Small ship cruise line Windstar Cruises simply knows it best, having sailed the longest of any operator in the region and celebrating 35 years of Tahitian sailings in 2022. It’s also the only destination where the U.S.-based cruise line sails year-round, giving guests ample opportunity to plan a once-in-a-lifetime visit in any season.
This October, there’s double the chance. The 148-guest Wind Spirit, complete with sails built for the breezes of the South Pacific, is sailing around the Islands of Tahiti now, but in October, Windstar will move the all-suite, 312-guest Star Breeze to the region, increasing capacity with two yacht options to choose from. All-suite Star Breeze features newly transformed guest suites, two new restaurants, a new World Spa, an infinity pool, and more. Although without sails, Star Breeze is ideal for accessing the shallow lagoons that helped make the destination famous. Both Wind Spirit and Star Breeze feature Windstar’s signature sports platform, opening up right off the back deck into crystal clear waters perfect for swimming, kayaking and paddle boarding . In February 2024, Star Breeze will move to Tahiti year-round in place of Wind Spirit.
