It was at the end of the NBA All-Star Game in Charlotte, North Carolina in 2019. The next year’s game was slated for Chicago, and someone had to take an NBA basketball signed by the legendary Michael Jordan and escort it safely to Chicago. Lisa Nucci, who’s now Chief Marketing Officer for the city of Chicago’s tourism office, Choose Chicago, was Director of Marketing for the Chicago Bulls at the time (she was later Senior Director and Executive Director of Marketing) and was given the task of shepherding the invaluable ball to the Windy City. So, how did she handle Read more
December 2024
SAN FRANCISCO – The walk-in gingerbread house at the Fairmont Hotel was a big hit. Likewise the barking sea lions at Pier 39. But the thing that our almost-four-year-old grandson loved the most about his first-ever visit to San Francisco was the same thing as many visitors; the cable cars. As someone who grew up a half-hour from the city, I have been in San Francisco hundreds of times. But yesterday marked only the second time I had visited with a grandchild, and the first time with one who could walk and talk and understand what they were looking at Read more
New York City is the most-visited large city in the U.S. and has welcomed roughly 64.3 million travellers this year, hitting 97% of its record-setting 2019 visitation level of nearly 67 million. Time Out reports NYC saw strong domestic travel (particularly from Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Boston and Los Angeles) who mostly stayed overnight here. The U.K. remains the largest source of international travelers at 1.1 million visitors in 2024. Following that is Canada with about 1 million visitors, then in decreasing order, France, Brazil, Italy, China, Germany, Mexico, Australia and Spain. City tourism officials say they expect to surpass pre-pandemic Read more
It’s a busy time of year for travel. But, if you’re planning a last-minute getaway, here are some tips to keep in mind. AVOID PEAK TRAVEL DAYS If you can, avoid travelling on traditionally busy days such as Dec. 24 and 26, and also Dec. 31 or January 2. Christmas Day or New Year’s Day are likely better. A friend of mine flew to Mexico from Toronto on Christmas Day a few years ago and said the airport was almost empty. This also can be difficult, but try to avoid peak days such as Sunday, Jan. 5, which is the Read more
The travel boom continues for most of the world, and 2025 is shaping up to be a great year. But where to go? Well, that depends on what you like and what you want to pay and how tolerant of crowds you are. If you like Europe, please go. But don’t visit in summer when it’s packed with tourists. Instead, go in spring or mid-to-late fall. If you want to go to a place where the Canadian dollar is relatively strong, try Australia, Japan, or New Zealand. Of course, flights there can be expensive, so you have to take that Read more
