Be prepared to pay more for the privilege of travel this winter. Experts say that while airfares have so far remained steady, experts predict a price spike for fall and winter flights as demand returns. Canadian Press reported earlier this week that experts feel demand could rise further if remaining COVID-19 restrictions such as vaccine mandates are lifted, encouraging travellers who were previously hesitant to fly due to the restrictions. “No doubt,” said Martin Firestone, president of insurance provider Travel Secure Inc. “My gut tells me with the removal of restrictions, more people than ever will travel.” Firestone told me Read more
Caribbean
Around this time in the bad old days of 2020, some experts projected that Canadian hotels wouldn’t get back to pre-pandemic levels until 2025 or even 2026. But the strong summer rebound in travel around the world has some observers suggesting a full rebound is only a few months away. Real estate firm CBRE says Canadian hotels will return to pre-pandemic revenues next year, two years ahead of its previous forecast. Canadian Press reports the firm is projecting the Canadian hotels market will end this year at 92 per cent of the revenue per available room achieved in 2019, before Read more
Canadians have more ways to fly to sun destinations this winter. My travel notebook for today also looks at how the Toronto International Film Festival might impact the city’s tourism, how Canadian airports are faring with delays, and more mixed news about world business travel recovery. SWOOP ADDS MORE SUN Swoop, which bills itself as Canada’s leading ultra-low-cost airline, today announced that it’s expanding its winter sun-flying offering from John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport with new non-stop service to Fort Lauderdale and Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic. Swoop will begin its ultra-affordable flying to Fort Lauderdale on December Read more
Here’s a lazy Sunday Labour Day compendium of a few stories I found on the old Internet this morning about new world hotels, travel products for people with small children, Caribbean visits and more, plus a note about Toronto Pearson delays. First off, I’ve been tracking delays at Toronto Pearson Airport the past few days, and things aren’t a whole lot better. According to Flight Aware, here are the outgoing flight delay stats for the past few days. September 1: 205 delays (15 minutes or more), which is 33% of all outbound flights. September 2: 200 delays (34%) September 3: Read more
Is ArriveCAN Killing Canadian Tourism? Also, Airport Delays Continue + Porter Expansion Edges Closer
Is the ArriveCAN app killing Canadian tourism? A new CBC story quotes a border city tourism operator and the mayor of Niagara Falls, Ontario as saying the app has done tremendous damage to a region that relies heavily on American visitation to keep people employed. “When you talk to any businesses in town, they’ll tell you there’s a very small amount of American dollars coming in,” said Niagara Falls Mayor Jim Diodati. “It’s been hurtful, especially after two years of COVID.” Anna Pierce, vice president of Niagara Helicopters, told the network that she’s had several calls from potential U.S. visitors Read more
