From Taylor Swift and Beyonce to Emily in Paris and White Lotus, Expedia says music and entertainment are driving travel traffic like never before. Expedia Group also says “dupe” travel is becoming big, a trend where travellers look for a lesser-known city or destination that somewhat duplicates the experiences they would have in a more famous location. Expedia Group on 08NOV unveiled Unpack ’24, a comprehensive look at what’s motivating travellers and where they’re going next year. Based on the company’s unmatched first-party travel data, plus a global consumer survey of 20,000 travellers, Unpack ’24 includes eight new travel Read more
Australia/New Zealand/PAC
Time Out has just issued its annual list of the world’s 40 coolest neighborhoods. Of course, it’s entirely a judgment call; what I call cool might be considerably different from what you like. Still I enjoy these lists. So here are some highlights that include some of my fave countries and U.S. states to visit. UNITED STATES California impressed with two spots in the top 30. The vibrant and funky Arts District in Los Angeles was 13th overall and second in the U.S. only to the Mid-City district of New Orleans. Here’s a Vancouver Sun story I wrote that talks Read more
A new, high-frequency rail corridor for eastern Canada, a splashy new W Hotel in Sydney, and a Jamaica travel expo for Toronto. Today’s travel notebook. HIGH-FREQUENCY RAIL BETWEEN TORONTO AND QUEBEC MOVES CLOSER I’ll believe it when I see it, but the Canadian government today announced the launch of the Request for Proposals (RFP) for what could be a future, high-speed rail project between Toronto and Quebec City. The RFP process will be ongoing until summer 2024. Following the evaluation period, the government will select the group who will become the private developer partner to work collaboratively with VIA HFR Read more
Victoria, British Columbia has been named the world’s best city in this year’s Conde Nast Travellers’ Readers Choice Awards, while Canada owned the top three picks for world’s friendliest cities. Victoria was third in the friendly category, while Edmonton came second and Calgary was first. Dublin, Ireland was fourth and Quebec City fifth, giving Canada four of the top five spots. I might push for St. John’s or Saskatoon or Regina as the friendliest city in the country if I had a vote, but I suspect Conde Nast readers aren’t as familiar with them as they are with the winning Read more
One of the world’s most iconic sights turns 50 next year. But she doesn’t look it. The Sydney Opera House, a building derided by critics when drawings were first unveiled, will celebrate its half-century birthday the weekend of October 21-22. The Opera House has a series of events planned for October to celebrate, including a dance program called Message in a Bottle that features songs from Sting, a new indigenous restaurant by First Nations Chef Mark Olive, performances by ne of the world’s finest chamber orchestras, St. Martin’s in the Fields, and the unveiling of a new First Nations public Read more
