The cheapest cities to visit in Europe, Canadians in love with Japan, top summer travel spots for Americans and a facelift for the Four Seasons Hotel Toronto. I also have items on Via Rail, a new tourism campaign for Canada, and honours for the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel. A look at what’s new in the travel and tourism world today.
CHEAPEST CITIES TO VISIT IN EUROPE
Europe is the favorite overseas getaway spot for American and Canadians. But it can get expensive. Yahoo and Insider Monkey have a nice list of the cheapest places to visit in Europe this summer. They consulted travel experts and then looked at round-trip package rates out of JFK airport in New York City. The package is based on the travel cost of one adult traveler, and meals are not included in it. We have only considered packages that have a rating of 7 and above. The rates for each package represent the time this article was written, as of 2024. It is important to note that these rates are subject to change at different times of the year. These numbers thus present a moderate calculation of the cost of travel to each of these European cities for one round-trip for an adult. Here’s what they found. All figures in USD.
Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic, is one of the prettiest villages I’ve ever run across. JIM BYERS PHOTO
25. Belgrade, Serbia. $1,661
24. Klagenfurt, Austria. $1,437
23. Porto, Portugal, $1,331
22. Vienna, Austria, $1,328 (surprisingly affordable)
21. Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic, $1,295 (fairytale-beautiful village)
20. Izmir, Turkiye, $1,208
19. Prague, Czech Republic, $1,145 (perennial European fave)
18. Valencia, Spain, $1,131 (greatly underrated city)
17. Split, Croatia, $1,128 (stunning city)
16. Zagreb, Croatia, $1,095
15. Granada, Spain, $1,060
14. Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, $1,045
13. Warsaw, Poland, $1,043
12. Kaunas, Lithuania, $1,040
11. Seville, Spain, $1,029 (lots of Spain choices in this list)
10. Brasov, Romania, $1,001
9. Athens, Greece, $986 (another perennial fave)
8. Istanbul, Greece, $983 (amazing city)
7. Riga, Latvia, $953
6. Lisbon, Portugal, $904 (one of my fave cities in the world)
5. Krakow, Poland, $887
4. Bucharest, Romania, $873
3. Budapest, Hungary, $728 (gorgeous city)
2. Sofia, Bulgaria, $663
1. Berat, Albania, $620
CANADIANS FLOCKING TO JAPAN, AMERICAN OVERSEAS TRAVEL SOARS
Tokyo Image by Sofia Terzoni from Pixabay.
Canadians are heading to Japan in record numbers, the world cruise industry is going gangbusters, and travel to the U.S. is picking up steam.
A new report from Mastercard Economics Institute finds that Canadians are evidently chasing cherry blossoms at an increasing rate, as Japan recorded a record 57,800 Canadian visitors in March of this year. That’s the highest level since 1996.
Other destinations seeing an increase in demand for travel from Canada between June and August 2024 include Rome, Athens, and Edinburgh. (Here’s a recent post I wrote about a vrbo stay in Rome, as well as a story about Edinburgh).
Canadians are also extending the length of their trips, with stays in the 12 months preceding March 2024 higher than those in the 12 months preceding February 2020.
US TRAVEL TRENDS
By November 2022, the number of U.S. travelers departing overseas (excluding Canada and Mexico) had exceeded 2019 levels. U.S. travel overseas is 20% above that level as of March 2024.
By comparison, visitor traffic arrivals into the U.S. from abroad remain 6% below 2019 levels as of March 2024. The good news? At its current pace, the Mastercard Economics Institute estimates foreign passenger traffic into the U.S. should exceed 2019 levels later this year.
GLOBAL TRENDS
As for world travel trends, MasterCard found that global cruise transactions in the first quarter of 2024 were almost 16% higher than 2019 levels.
It also found that spending on experiences and nightlife totals 12% of tourism sales globally; the highest in five years.
The top ten trending destinations for summer (not most popular, but trending upward the most) are Munich, Tokyo, Tirana (Albania), Nice, Cancun, Bali, Bangkok, Corfu, Frankfurt and Oranjestad, Aruba.
The top ten trending destinations for the last 12 months were Japan, Ireland, Romania, Italy, Spain, Malaysia, Australia, South Korea, United Arab Emirates and Indonesia.
Globally, Mastercard Economics Institute analysis suggests leisure travelers are enjoying longer trips – by about an extra day. For the 12 months between March 2019 and February 2020, a trip’s average length of stay was just about four days. As of March 2024, the length of a leisure trip globally is close to five days.
TOP SUMMER DESTINATIONS FOR AMERICANS THIS YEAR
Try a cycling ride along the beach at the Hilton Aruba Caribbean Resort & Casino. Photo courtesy Hilton Aruba Caribbean Resort & Casino.
International Medical Group has conducted a survey of customer travel plans and predicts the following as the top international destinations for U.S. travelers this year:
- Mexico
- Aruba
- Dominican Republic
- Italy
- Jamaica
FOUR SEASONS HOTEL TORONTO GETS A FACELIFT
Four Seasons Hotel Toronto announces the completion of an extensive, multimillion dollar guest room renovation, enhancing the luxury experience for its guests from around the world. With a focus on elevating comfort, functionality, and aesthetic appeal, the redesign encompasses all 259 guest rooms including 42 suites within the Hotel.
“We have an unwavering commitment to providing guests and residents with the best luxury experience in Toronto, and this fresh, holistic update has surpassed all expectations,” states Shahid Kahn, owner of Four Seasons Hotel Toronto. “We ensured that every detail was considered, and refined many iterations of the model room until it was absolutely perfect. It is important to reinvest in Four Seasons Hotel Toronto through the elevation of our guest room product and experience, and this organic and warm update underscores our promise to offering the preeminent Hotel in the market.”
NEW CAMPAIGN SEEKS TO BOOST CANADIAN TOURISM
An enthusiastic Canadian at Canada Day celebrations in Ottawa. JIM BYERS PHOTO
Canadian tourism and travel officials are set to announce what they call a “transformational tourism strategy” to boost Canada’s profile and put it back among the top seven destinations around the world.
Destination Canada CEO Marsha Walden and Federal Minister for Tourism Soraya Martinez Ferrada will launch the program Thursday in Edmonton at Rendez-vous Canada which is Canada’s largest international tourism marketplace and signature event.
I’m quite curious to see what the magic plan involves. Given our consistently high ranking in all those studies of admired countries and safest destinations, and given our natural beauty and great cities, it seems to me that Canada isn’t attracting nearly as many visitors as it should. I think the world still thinks of us as a bit of a backwater; nice and beautiful, but not that exciting.
Let’s hope the people in charge of tourism have a new, bold plan to unveil.
VIA RAIL CANADA SURPASSES 2019 PASSENGER LEVELS
More than four million passengers chose to travel by train in 2023 with VIA Rail marking its highest ridership numbers since 2019. Year over year, ridership was up 24.7%.
“2023 was a pivotal year for VIA Rail as we introduced new equipment, launched a modern new reservation system, restored several key train frequencies in the Québec City–Windsor corridor, and achieved a significant increase in revenues,” said Françoise Bertrand, VIA Rail’s Chairperson of the Board of Directors. “The end result is that we were able to better serve our customers and build the foundation for our future growth.”
HONOURS FOR THE FAIRMONT BANFF SPRINGS
The view from the patio at the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel in Banff, Alberta. JIM BYERS PHOTO
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