I’m not going to call this the beginning of the road to recovery, because I learned in my years covering baseball that you never jinx things in the press box by saying things like, “Gee, this game is REALLY moving along nicely,” as that pretty much GUARANTEES a 15-inning nightmare. However, I will say it’s a joy to have good news to report  on a couple of major fronts today in my regular Future of Travel blog, including news of June planning by both Air Canada Vacations and the Lufthansa Group of airlines. Lufthansa Group Boosting June Service   Lufthansa Read more

Today’s Future of Travel blog looks at everything from the impact of cancelled cruises to a series of new suspensions by cruise companies and airlines. It seems things are getting better, but it’s going to be a while until we travel in any significant manner. Cruise Cancellations Hit Canada Holland America on Wednesday announced it has cancelled all its cruises for Canada/New England, Europe and Alaska for this year because of the COVID-19 crisis. It’s a blow for consumers who had plans to travel, of course. But there’s also a huge impact on the destinations. Cities and countries around the Read more

Today’s Future of Travel blog looks at some of the countries that could be hit hardest by a tourism drop. I also have great news for Norwegian Cruise Line, which has received $2 billion US in financing, plus news about Canadian attractions being left behind by government aid programs, hotel cleanliness programs and news from both Royal Caribbean and Silversea cruises. Oh, and baseball, too! COVID-19 And Tourism Impact We all know from the headlines that Italy and Spain had a hard time with COVID-19, and that the UK and the US seem far worse off than Canada. But what Read more

Anyone could see for months now that cruise lines around the world were in trouble. Now we know just how much. A report from the CBC suggests Norwegian Cruise Line is in deep financial trouble and is selling emergency stocks and bonds to raise desperately needed capital. Carnival on Monday said it will operate eight ships out of Florida and Texas beginning Aug. 1, but NCL appears to be going in the other direction. “The world’s third-largest cruise ship operator cast doubt on its ability to stay afloat as a company for much longer, even as one of its biggest Read more

It’s a mixed bag today; both discouraging and hopeful. But lots of news today, including updates on when Carnival Cruises will begin again, a new customer safety program from Air Canada and a great Mother’s Day sale from Fairmont Hotels. Oh, and because I feel like, a nice item about a baby manatee being rescued in the Florida Keys. All in today’s FUTURE OF TRAVEL report. It’s been a very rocky couple months for the cruise industry, but the news from Carnival provides a glimmer of hope. The cruise line on Monday said it will resume limited cruising out of Read more

With some states and provinces starting to open up after long spring lockdowns, and with some countries loosening travel restrictions, there’s no shortage of travel news for my regular FUTURE OF TRAVEL series. Today I look at everything from re-opening plans for Las Vegas to Hawaii hotel renovations, California tourism and cruise restrictions. VIVA LAS VEGAS MGM Resorts is talking about when they can safely re-open. Officials say they’ll likely start their re-openings with New York-New York in Las Vegas as it’s a good size (2,000 rooms). The Bellagio also is on their list, but they say they’ll consult health Read more