Canadians are looking for the usual spots for winter getaways, but Japan is gaining traction, according to a new study by Expedia. The study finds the most searched winter destinations for Canadians are New York City, Cancun, Las Vegas and Punta Cana. Those are followed by three Florida sports: Orlando, Fort Lauderdale and Miami, and then Puerto Vallarta and Playa del Carmen in Mexico. Tokyo is tenth on the list. For trending destinations (not most searched, but destinations with the biggest recent increases), the top 10 (along with percentage increase in searches) were Osaka (95%), Tokyo (90), Kyoto Read more
Canada
As Taylor Swift’s epic Eras Tour heads to Vancouver for its final three shows, Destination Vancouver and BC Pavillion Corporation (PavCo) estimate that the total economic impact in Vancouver of those three shows will be $157 million CAD. Of that, $97 million is direct spending on such things as accommodation, food and beverage, retail and transportation—more than 70% of which will be spent by out-of-town visitors. That infusion into local businesses translates into more than $27 million in total tax revenue for all three levels of government. “The announcement last November that Taylor Swift would play three nights in Vancouver Read more
World’sBestCities.com has unveiled its list of, well, the world’s top cities. To no one’s surprise, London, New York and Paris take the podium spots, followed by Tokyo and Singapore. Rounding out the top 10 were Rome, Madrid, Barcelona, Berlin and Sydney. That’s six European cities in the top 10, which tells you something. In fact, I count 28 European cities in the top 100. The website says they considered a variety of factors, both the “performance and perception of cities around the world. I can’t say I fully understand the methodology, but I think they’ve missed the mark on a Read more
Looking for a hotel in Canada for an upcoming Taylor Swift show? Be prepared to pay perhaps 10 times the normal price. MSN.com reports there has been “a truly horrific surge” in hotel prices in Toronto and Vancouver when Swift is in town for her concerts. The Canadian leg of her tour kicked off last week in Toronto with three shows at Rogers Centre stadium. She has three more, starting tonight and then again Friday and Saturday night. After taking time off for U.S. Thanksgiving, and probably some Kansas City Chiefs (boo!) football, she’ll be in Vancouver Dec. 6 to Read more
Canada may be a winter wonderland, but Canadians prefer their holidays in places with turquoise seas and waving palm trees. A new study from KAYAK, the world’s leading travel search engine, finds Canadians have their eyes set on international travel this holiday season. According to an overwhelming majority (90%) of hotel and flight searches show Canadians are looking at international destinations. Cancún, Fort Lauderdale and Orlando top their list of most popular destinations for Canadians. The list isn’t particularly different from other years, but I forgive my fellow Canadians for looking at tried-and-true vacation spots. After all, I’ll be heading Read more
