The latest ranking of countries for travel and tourism puts Canada just outside the top 10. The 2024 Travel and Tourism Development Index from the World Economic Forum gives top spot to the United States, followed by Spain and Japan. Canada came in 11th, receiving relatively low scores for tourism infrastructure, openness to travel and tourism, cultural resources and price competitiveness. Destination Canada and the Tourism Industry Association of Canada recently stated that Canada was recently ranked 13th (in 2021), and that they aimed to get the country into the top seven by 2030. The tourism index report states Canada Read more
Australia/New Zealand/PAC
A record Memorial Day for travel in the United States, Bluey’s World is coming to Brisbane Australia, and how to save on great trips to Europe. I also have news about more WestJet flights to Mexico, the Caribbean and Florida, new Air Transat Club Class discounts and firework cruises coming up at Niagara Falls. A busy today for the old travel blog. RECORD MEMORIAL DAY EXPECTED IN THE U.S.A. By car, plane, rail and sea, nearly 44 million Americans plan to travel over the upcoming Memorial Day weekend, which could beat a record for the late May holiday that Read more
The Hawai‘i Tourism Authority (HTA) has launched new targeted campaigns as part of its global marketing and visitor education efforts. The purpose of these initiatives is to reinvigorate responsible travel demand from key markets around the world to the Hawaiian Islands. “We are being more assertive in our messaging strategy with inspiring campaigns that spotlight Hawai‘i’s people, culture and experiences unlike anywhere else in the world,” said Mufi Hannemann, HTA board chair. “We need to ensure that the Hawaiian Islands stay top-of-mind among travelers amidst the competitive global market, especially as we head into the summer and fall.” “The Read more
In case you’ve been living in a cave, Taylor Swift has a new album out. One of the songs, “Florida,” has a line about a Florida panhandle city called Destin, which is famous for its relaxed vibe and white sand beaches. “Little did you know your home’s really only a town you’re just a guest in, So you work your life away just to pay for a timeshare down in Destin,” Swift sings in the song, which is on her “Tortured Poets Department ” album. Destin Tourism, not being entirely without common sense, is hoping to capitalize on their five Read more
Time to look at some interesting lists again. Trip Advisor has a list out of the top 25 beaches in the world, and in the U.S.A. I find these fun to look at, and I will say the world list includes a ton of places I don’t know. Still, I find the trouble with these lists is that Trip Advisor clients tend to go to a lot of the “usual” places, which skews the results. There are some unexpected spots on the world list, including Zanzibar and Indonesia. But Australia only gets one spot in the top 25, and it’s Read more
