Today’s travel roundup includes news on air passenger protection rules for Canada, a boom in European tourism, and an item on how major U.S. destinations are hoping to restart major tourism from China. I also have a note about the new Eastern and Oriental Express train’s Malaysia trips.
AIR PASSENGER RIGHTS IN CANADA
Terminal One baggage claim, Toronto Pearson Airport. JIM BYERS PHOTO
Today, the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) is launching consultations on proposed amendments to the Air Passenger Protection Regulations (APPR), and invites Canadians to participate.
The Budget Implementation Act introduces changes to the Canada Transportation Act (the Act) to clarify, simplify and strengthen the Canadian air passenger protection regime. The CTA will have to make regulations to implement these changes.
The consultation period will be open for 30 calendar days and end August 10, 2023. After considering the feedback and comments received, the CTA will publish draft regulations in Canada Gazette Part I. There will be an opportunity to review and comment on the draft regulations before they are finalized, approved by the CTA and Cabinet, and published in Canada Gazette II.
More information about the consultation process can be found on their website, including instructions for providing comments on our Consultation Paper.
What is changing?
The changes to the Act strengthen Air Passenger Protection eliminate the current three categories of flight disruptions which were used to determine the compensation to which passengers were entitled.
Airlines will have to provide compensation for inconvenience to passengers when there is a flight disruption, unless there are exceptional circumstances, and airlines will have the burden to prove the situation is an exceptional circumstance. One objective of the consultations is to define these exceptions.
In addition, as a result of the legislative changes and to take into account lessons learned since the coming into force of the APPR in 2019, the CTA is proposing other regulatory amendments. These include amendments to assistance (standards of treatment) and communication requirements, and the defining of passenger entitlements that would apply in the case of all flight disruptions, and separately those that would apply for exceptional circumstances. Further details can be found in the Consultation Paper.
Canadians have repeatedly complained about a lack of communication from airlines when flights are delayed or cancelled, and the Trudeau government has promised to improve the situation.
In addition to these proposed regulatory changes, the BIA brings major changes to improve the efficiency of the CTA’s dispute resolution process and it authorizes the CTA to recover from airlines the costs of processing air passenger complaints which will be the object of a separate consultation process later in 2023.
EUROPE TOURISM: A STRONG REBOUND
Lisbon, Portugal. JIM BYERS PHOTO
Europe’s tourism recovery is maintaining its momentum despite economic headwinds, reaching about 95% of 2019 levels of international tourist arrivals. The latest data available shows that one-quarter of reporting European destinations have surpassed pre-pandemic levels of foreign arrivals, with southern Mediterranean countries leading the way.
Recent data up to May shows that value-for-money destinations are performing well, with Serbia (+27%), Bulgaria (+21%), Montenegro (+12%) and Türkiye (+9%) among those leading the recovery.
U.S. travellers taking advantage of favorable exchange rates are expected to drive many European destinations’ recovery this summer. Most recent data shows that 52% of reporting destinations have surpassed pre-pandemic levels of U.S. tourist arrivals so far this year.
Southern Mediterranean destinations such as Portugal (+79%), Türkiye (+78%), and Montenegro (+43%) have reported substantial growth in arrivals from the U.S. market. In Eastern Europe, Latvia (+135%) and Poland (+51%) also recorded significant arrivals growth from the US.
No data was available for Canadian visits.
Though inflation and increased travel costs are squeezing consumers’ wallets, officials say travel spending is still a priority compared to other types of discretionary spending.
VIKING CRUISE AWARDS PILE UP
Travel + Leisure readers have voted Viking (www.viking.com) to the top of its categories for oceans, rivers and expeditions in the 2023 World’s Best Awards, which were announced today. Viking was once again named the #1 Ocean Line for ships with 300 to 799 cabins, as well as one of the best river lines. Additionally, Viking’s new expedition ships were voted #1 in their first year of operation. Viking is also rated at the top of its categories for oceans, rivers and expeditions by the readers of Condé Nast Traveler. No other cruise line has ever received these same honors by both publications at the same time.
U.S. STATES EYE CHINA REBOUND
A view of New York City from a Circle Line Cruise ship tour. JIM BYERS PHOTO
Skift.com reports that U.S. destination marketing organizations are making their first sales trips to China in the coming weeks. In August and September, Visit California and New York City Tourism + Conventions will make their first sales missions to China since the pandemic.
Flights between China and North America aren’t yet up to pre-pandemic levels, but things are gradually improving. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Destination British Columbia send a delegation to China soon.
EASTERN AND ORIENTAL EXPRESS TRAIN RETURNS
After a long hiatus, The Eastern & Oriental Express, A Belmond Train, Southeast Asia is proud to announce its much-anticipated return to the rails in February 2024. Offering a reimagined adventure of Southeast Asia in motion, the train will launch two new seasonal journeys departing from Singapore and traveling through Malaysia’s ever-changing landscapes and vibrant cities: the Essence of Malaysia (November to February) and Wild Malaysia (March to October). The iconic train’s 15 dark green carriages will leave Singapore’s Woodlands station, taking in destinations like Penang, Langkawi and for the first time the Taman Negara National Park, before heading back to the garden city.
With restyled interiors, elevated on board experiences, and enthralling journeys encompassing culture, gastronomy, architecture and the arts, the Eastern & Oriental Express continues to take railway travel in the region to new heights, while setting a new standard of excellence in Southeast Asia.
I visited Malaysia a few years ago and had a splendid time.
