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U.S.A.

Time Out has just issued its annual list of the world’s 40 coolest neighborhoods. Of course, it’s entirely a judgment call; what I call cool might be considerably different from what you like. Still I enjoy these lists. So here are some highlights that include some of my fave countries and U.S. states to visit. UNITED STATES California impressed with two spots in the top 30. The vibrant and funky Arts District in Los Angeles was 13th overall and second in the U.S. only to the Mid-City district of New Orleans. Here’s a Vancouver Sun story I wrote that talks Read more

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If you’ve noticed air fares are more reasonable these days, you’re definitely onto something. The latest StatsCan report states that consumers paid less for air transportation (21.1%) in September on a year-over-year basis. That coincides with a gradual increase in flights offered by airlines over the previous 12 months, the agency said. Robert Kokonis, president and managing director at AirTrav Inc., told me that the StatsCan figures estimate the average change of airfares within Canada and between Canadian cities and international destinations. “I am not surprised given the growth of seat capacity recovery over the past 12 months, particularly in Read more

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Sports travel has become big business around the world, and Canadians are doing their part. We’re also seeing a good deal of Canadian interest in visiting the U.S. A report released today by Expedia, Hotels.com, and Vrbo finds that almost half (42%) of Canadian sports fans were more likely to travel and see a game on the road rather than attending a game at home or in their closest sports city1.   The Sports Travel Road Game Report also found that the average fan takes approximately three sports trips per year, and that 80% of fans are looking to take either Read more

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Parts of West Maui officially opened for business today. But it’s unclear if that will remain the case. Maui’s County Council unanimously passed a resolution on Friday (Oct. 6) asking Governor Josh Green to delay the opening because area residents are still traumatized by the August 8 fires that killed nearly 100 people and destroyed almost all of the town of Lahaina. “I hope that it sends a loud message,” Maui County Councilmember Tamara Paltin said in a story posted at Hawaii News Now. “We need certain things to be able to open to to tourism. We need stability of Read more

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Niagara Falls, Myrtle Beach and Montana’s Glacier National Park are the top domestic destinations that Americans are searching for online, a new study says. Other top places on American travel lists are Universal Studios Orlando, Graceland and the Las Vegas Strip. The research conducted by Places To Travel analyzed Google search data for more than 100 tourist attractions in the US as well as terms related to visiting each attraction to determine which is the most Googled by residents of all 50 states. This isn’t a dreamy, “Where would you like to go” in the U.S. study, but a look Read more

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