Special air arrangements between specific countries. A new Thailand health and safety program. A spike in U.S. hotel occupancy. And aid for Newfoundland tourism. I’ve got news on these and other topics today in my regular Future of Travel blog. BUBBLES AND BRIDGES We’ve gotten used to a whole lot of new buzz words of late, including “physical distancing.” Now comes a couple new concepts related to travel: “air bridges” and “travel bubbles.” They’re both similar concepts that could help spark a tourism resurgence in certain parts of the world, but only with certain travellers. Australia and New Zealand have Read more
Canada
Orlando’s theme parks are talking with public officials about how they might re-open. My Future of Travel blog for May 21 looks at Disney and Universal Studios, as well as a tourism recovery plan for France, a plan to restore Windstar Cruises and a fascinating report on the cleanliness of airplane air. FLORIDA THEME PARKS GEARING UP Disney Springs at Walt Disney World in Florida opened on Wednesday. Universal Orlando has opened up its retail distrct, as well. No one is saying just yet when the main parks will open, but it looks like that day is approaching. Top officials Read more
Air France says it’s re-instating flights from France to cities around the world, including some in North America. Sunwing, meanwhile, will launch its Canadian domestic service again this summer. The province of British Columbia and the Caribbean island of Aruba also are opening up for visitors. I’ve also got news on British tourism and United States cruises. Oh, and a crazy quote from the head of the Dubai Airport that will make you think twice about flying any time soon. Here’s my May 19 Future of Travel report. SUNWING CANADIAN DOMESTIC SERVICE FOR 2020 Seeing the great sights of Canada Read more
It’s a mixed bag of travel and tourism news today, folks. There’s good news from Italy, Saint Lucia and the Florida Keys, but strong, ongoing concerns about this summer’s tourism season for Canada. I’ve got a series of reports on those and other topics in my regular Future of Travel blog report. ITALY OPENING SOON I don’t know how easy it is to get there right now, but there’s good news on the tourism front for Italy, one of the world’s most-loved destinations (and where I met my wife!). Here’s a report from my colleagues at TravelPulse in the U.S. Read more
A troubling report for Canadian tourism, potential new flights to China and a great offer for frontline workers who need a vacation. Check out my Future of Travel blog Sunday edition. I’ve been thinking for quite some time that this might be a decent year for Canadian tourism. With so many Canadians seemingly wanting (and, in some cases, still pretty much required) to stay close to home, it seems likely that most Canadians will take road trips in Canada this summer instead of flights to Europe or Asia, or the U.S. Given that, I which found that under the worst Read more
