A report from Christopher Reynolds of Canadian Press lays out some startling information on the reduction of flight options for Canadians, and the increased cost. In a story that appeared in the Toronto Star, Reynolds wrote that prices on flights between Halifax and Montreal rose 69% after WestJet cancelled the route. He also noted that fares between Winnipeg and Regina umped 39% after Air Canada left the route for WestJet. Quoting the airline website Hopper, Reynolds said that, since 2019, roundtrip air fares for Canadians for trips to Europe have risen 32%, while those to the U.S. have gone Read more
Asia
Travel + Leisure has come out with its annual “It List” of the top 100 new hotels in the world. The only Canadian property to make the list was The Ace in Toronto. “Canada’s first Ace property ticks many of the brand’s familiar boxes: a bustling lobby with people on laptops working by day and drinking by night; in-room acoustic guitars and curated vinyl; and walls hung with works by Toronto artists. It’s also one of the city’s boldest buildings,” the magazine said. The Ace in Sydney, Australia also made the list. New York City had seven hotels in Read more
A recent 2023 Blue Cross Travel Study found that 90% of Ontario residents said they want to take a vacation this year. However, the survey also indicated that nine in ten Ontarians also experience some form of stress while travelling. Here are some key findings: 71% of Ontarians said they experience stress while travelling for leisure and 83% said they experience stress while travelling for business. Asked what causes stress while travelling, 42% said high costs, while 33% cited cancelled or changed flights and 32% said lost or stolen bags. Safety and security was mentioned by 30%. More than one Read more
As cruise travel numbers rise around the world, several cruise lines say they plan to soon drop their COVID restrictions. A report in Travel Weekly says Ponant, which recently acquired Paul Gauguin Cruises, plans to drop its vaccination requirement for passengers on April 1. “After careful consideration of the lower incidence of Covid infections, combined with the higher rate of vaccinated and boosted guests, we have decided to relax our policy,” said Navin Sawhney, CEO of Americas at Ponant. Travel Weekly said Cunard plans to drop vaccination requirements for guests on the Queen Victoria and Queen Mary 2 beginning April Read more
Time Magazine (remember them?) is out with a list of its top 50 destinations for 2023. Some of my fave places made the list, including Vancouver, Vienna, surprising Tampa and the Caribbean island of Dominica, where I spent five days in January. Also making the list on the Canadian side of the ledger was Churchill, Manitoba, which I haven’t had the pleasure of visiting. For Australia, placements went to Kangaroo Island in South Australia and Brisbane, the capital of Queensland. There are six U.S. places on the list but none from the United Kingdom or Ireland, which is a little Read more
