We’re number two. But our Prime Minister is number one. A new study by U.S. News and World Report found that Canada was ranked number two in the world in terms of best countries. The study looked at 80 countries in the world, examining their economic influence, quality of life and other issues. Switzerland came out on top of the overall country rankings, followed by Canada, Germany (up from fourth last year), the UK (down from third), Japan, Sweden, Australia, the United States (down one spot from last year), France and The Netherlands. Although we barely number one overall, Canada’s Read more
Europe
Another busy year in the old rear-view mirror, with fabulous memories of cliffside walks on laid-back Molokai to terrific tours of Wrigley Field and buttery biscuits in Chicago. Not to mention a wonderful Bordeaux wine cruise, crazy beautiful mountains in the south of France, awesome ice cream in North Carolina and one of the most memorable meals of my life on the border between Napa and Sonoma counties in California. Here’s a look at my favourite experiences and photos from the U.S. and the rest of world for 2017. Best Hawaii hike: A short walk along the cliffs of northwest Read more
The newest version of the Best Cities in the World report by the respected Resonance Consulting group has been released, and it’s another feather in Toronto’s proverbial cap. The latest Resonance report puts Toronto squarely at #13 on the planet, ahead of such renowned cities as Sydney (25), San Diego (20), and Vancouver (29). Here’s what the report said about Toronto: “Canada’s largest city has always been a hedge for people and capital—from English companies moving here in the ‘70s from Francophone Montréal to immigrants seeking a foothold to start a better life. The thing about welcoming everyone is that Read more
News of the day, folks. A little of this and a few dashes of that. CALLING ALL CANADIANS – FLORIDA WANTS YOU! Florida sunshine will come cheaper this winter. Florida Governor Rick Scott was in Toronto this week to announce a new Canadian Power Play program that aims to boost the number of visits from Canada this coming winter. The state is offering Canadians up to 20 per cent off package travel deals from VISIT FLORIDA partners. My friends at Travel Pulse Canada were all over this announcement this week if you want to read more. It’s a great idea Read more
Toronto is Canada’s most welcoming city and is the top 15 in the world, according to a new study by TravelBird. With the United Nations celebrating World Cities Day today (Oct.31), TravelBird looked at the top 500 tourists destinations around the world and then took into account factors that can lead to a visitor feeling welcome, including the happiness of locals, openness to tourists, airports and other issues. They gave Singapore the highest rating, with a mark of 8.22. Next were Stockholm (8.02), Helsinki (8.01), San Francisco (8.00) and Rotterdam (7.98). The next five were Lisbon, Tokyo, Oslo, Zurich, and Read more
