By Jim Byers Member, Society of American Travel Writers (SATW) There’s further evidence of a travel rebound in Canada and around the world. Air Canada today announced an expanded Summer 2022 international schedule with 34 routes relaunching across the Atlantic and Pacific. Starting next month, non-stop services will begin resuming from Toronto to Tel Aviv, Paris, Amsterdam, Vienna and Edinburgh, signs that recovery is well underway. Service from Montreal to Casablanca, Nice, Rome, Tel Aviv and Tokyo will also be resuming. From Vancouver, Air Canada will be offering service to Frankfurt, Dublin, and Zurich. Air Canada is also relaunching Read more
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Europe and the world are poised for a travel rebound, plus tourism optimism in the Canadian Maritimes and news about rules for visiting Hawai’i and Belize. Today’s Jim Byers Travel news update. EUROPE POISED FOR TRAVEL REBOUND THIS YEAR The European Travel Commission (ETC) predicts tourist arrivals to be just 20% below pre-pandemic levels in 2022, according to Hotel News Resource. The International Air Transport Association says that, worldwide, there was an 11-percentage point improvement between the January and February periods for air travel, which it said was the fastest such increase for any two-week period since the pandemic began. Read more
Swoop, Canada’s leading ultra-low fare airline, today announced it will expand its presence in the United States by adding non-stop flights to five new destinations this summer: New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Nashville. In addition to serving five new destinations, the fast-growing Canadian airline will also extend its current seasonal services to San Diego, Palm Springs, Las Vegas, St. Pete-Clearwater, Orlando (Sanford) and Phoenix (Mesa) into the summer season. In total Swoop will serve 11 U.S. destinations “with ultra-not-expensive flights” from its three main Canadian bases in Toronto, Hamilton, and Edmonton, officials said. “As part of our Read more
Sunwing is making it easier than ever for Canadians to reunite and explore their own backyard this summer with the return of their domestic summer program. Now in its 17th year, the program offers something for everyone to enjoy, from bustling city streets to majestic mountains, sprawling prairies and picturesque lakes. Flights begin in May and will run weekly until the beginning of September to some of the most sought-after destinations from coast to coast. As an added travel incentive, the tour operator is offering customers savings of up to $200 per couple on domestic flights. “We’re thrilled that our domestic program Read more
A new report finds more than eight in ten Americans are in a “ready to travel” state of mind, up five points from two weeks ago and one of the highest levels since the start of the pandemic. A new study of 1,200 American travellers by Destination Analysts shows that “travel sentiment has recovered from Omicron and in some areas even soared to levels not seen since the Summer 2021 vaccine rollout-high. “American travelers optimistic about the course of the pandemic over the next month climbed over 11 points in the last two weeks, reaching 41.9%—exceeding the post-Delta recovery,” the Read more
