There’s good news for cruise fans and lovers of the Caribbean. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has lowered its risk assessment rating for cruise ships, as well as for such popular Caribbean destinations as Jamaica, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and The Bahamas. The CDC’s website says it bumped cruise travel from level three (high levels of COVID) to level two (moderate levels) on Monday, March 14. The centers’ level three warning says travel should be avoided to those destination unless a visitor is fully up-to-date with their vaccines. Level two is much more mild, simply stating that Read more

Canada’s busiest airport is getting a bit lift from Trudeau government. The ruling Liberals today announced $142 million in funding to help Toronto Pearson International Airport recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and to support continued air services and important transportation infrastructure projects at the airport. “As Canada works towards recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, investments in our airport infrastructure continue to be crucial to maintain safety, security, and connectivity for travellers, workers and communities,” the government said in a press release.  Investments such as this “also help ensure Canada’s aviation industry is well-positioned to recover from the Read more

The Coalition of the Hardest Hit Businesses is calling on the Government of Canada to take immediate action to save the tourism industry in Canada, which was the first hit by the pandemic and will be the last to recover. Businesses are urgently calling on the government to remove barriers at the border, maintain and extend the Tourism and Recovery Hospitality Program (THRP) support program and help the sector attract the workforce it needs to recover. The impact of the pandemic on these businesses has been relentless. The industry’s small business owners have depleted their savings, cut costs to the Read more

The Omicron variant delayed a potentially solid first quarter recovery for Air Transat, and the airline says it’s discussing an additional aid package with the Justin Trudeau government in Ottawa. Transat A.T. Inc. today announced revenues of $202.4 million but an operating loss of $73. 8 million for the quarter ended January 31, 2022. “While we were in the midst of a strong recovery, with November and December results matching our targets, the emergence of the Omicron variant brought our sales to a temporary halt between mid-December and early February,” said Annick Guérard, President and Chief Executive Officer of Transat. Read more

The good news is we’re having a travel rebound in Canada. The bad news is that means crowds for March Break this weekend. Preparations are well underway at Toronto Pearson for the traditionally busy March Break travel season. The busiest day of the period is expected to be on March 11, when approximately 85,000 passengers will arrive or depart at Pearson. (Of course, this is when I’ll arrive home from L.A., but I suspect it will be a lot worse for departures). This will mark the busiest travel day at the airport since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic two Read more

A leading group of travel agents says it’s “imperative” that the Trudeau government extend aid to travel agents devastated by the coronavirus. The Tourism and Hospitality Recovery Program rent and wage subsidies are scheduled to be cut in half on Sunday, March 13 and end entirely May 7, 2022. “The fifth wave of Omicron has devasted Canada’s travel and tourism small businesses, nearly eliminating the winter holiday season,” said Wendy Paradis, President, ACTA. “While recovery is on the horizon, border restrictions remain and travel agencies and independent travel agents cannot recover until the summer season.” “It is imperative that the Read more