Fine dining with inventive menus. A fabulous, Beatle-themed garden display. And a memorable kayak ride with one of the most engaging tour guides I’ve ever encountered. I recently spent two days bopping around Sarasota, Florida, enjoying craft cocktails, checking out fabulous, white-sand beaches and poking my head into casual, boutique shops. There was some damage to the region from Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton last year. But almost all businesses and hotels are up and running, and I don’t think I saw a single damaged property in more than 48 hours in the city. Here’s a look at some great Read more
U.S.A.
It’s mid-morning on a lovely February day in Bradenton, Florida. I’m kayaking through the tranquil Robinson Preserve in the northwest corner of the city, sliding past deep green mangrove forests dotted with majestic blue herons and brilliant white ibis. I’ve lucked into a morning paddle with Ranger Randy West from Kayak Jack’s. We get to talking as we roll along, and West tells me he used to be a professional volleyball player. Among his opponents over the years was Karch Kiraly, the legendary U.S. volleyballer and two-time gold medallist often considered the finest man to play the game. “I earned just Read more
This tariff war is not an easy thing to watch, particularly for a dual U.S./Canadian citizen who has called Canada home for 43 years and 45 weeks. Canadians are booing the U.S. national anthem at some sporting events and are calling off visits to the States. Americans seem embarrassed at the way their president is behaving, but appear helpless to stop the “51st state” nonsense or the ongoing tariff battle. With that as a painful backdrop, it’s nice to see the tourism folks in Detroit reaching out across the border with a friendly nod and a firm handshake to let Read more
Major awards for three Canadian airports. A nice Air Canada sale. New hotels for Maui. Turkish Airlines becomes third busiest in the world. A new marketing plan for Fort Lauderdale. And a spiffy new Fairmont hotel/resort in Spain. Today’s blog post covers a lot of ground! TORONTO, VICTORIA AND ST. JOHN’S AIRPORT AWARDS Toronto Pearson Airport, along with airports in Victoria, B.C. and St. John’s, have won awards from Airports Council International (ACI). As part of ACI’s annual Airport Service Quality awards, The Montreal-based group handed out three “Best Airport Awards” for North American facilities that serve Read more
The tariff spat between the United States and Canada may be having an effect on cross-border travel. Statistics Canada says the number of Canadians who returned to Canada from the U.S. by car last month was down 23% from February of last year, falling to 1.2 million. The number returning by air was down 2.4% to 1.8 million. “It doesn’t surprise me that we’re seeing a reduction in discretionary travel to the States,” Avery Campbell, the Director of Advocacy and Industry Relations for the Association of Canadian Travel Agencies and Travel Advisors, told me. Given that people usually book their Read more
