The MICHELIN Guide has announced that 74 restaurants made the inaugural Toronto selection, including 1 Two-Star restaurant, 12 One-Star restaurants, 17 Bib Gourmand restaurants, and 44 recommended restaurants. Toronto was announced as the first Canadian MICHELIN Guide destination in May and the sixth in North America. The country’s inaugural selection brings global attention to Toronto’s diverse culinary scene. The selection includes 27 cuisine types. Japanese food dominates the top picks, but the MICHELIN tasters also singled out fried chicken, smoked meat, and Jamaican food. The only two-star selection for Toronto was Sushi Masaki Saito. Receiving one star were Aburi Hana, Read more

WestJet says leisure travel is at or above 2019 levels, and that small-to-medium sized companies are back to flying for business. Speaking to OpenJaw.com, Chuck Crowder, WestJet’s Vice President Sales and Distribution, said Canadians flocked to Europe this summer and that leisure/vacation travel was at or above 2019 levels for the Calgary-based company. “Travel is back in Canada,” he said. Crowder said large, multi-national companies haven’t fully returned to the market, but that small and medium-sized companies are booking business travel at rates similar, or even exceeding, 2019 levels. Crowder said Canadians who want to book winter packages with WestJet Read more

LOS ANGELES – A new museum dedicated to the magic of the movies. A classic art centre celebrating its 25th anniversary. An African American museum. Wonderful street art. And hotels with brilliant art displays of their own. Los Angeles has long been known for its celebrities and convertibles, but it’s collection of impressive cultural centres and museums continues to grow. Here’s a look at some great options. THE ACADEMY MUSEUM OF MOTION PICTURES The folks behind the new Academy Museum of Motion Pictures could have easily focused on Leo and Kate, or Bogart and Bacall. But the Academy Museum doesn’t Read more

Western Australia’s unique destinations and experiences are epitomized as “Walking On A Dream” in a new global tourism brand for the state launched this week by Tourism Western Australia. The “Walking On A Dream” campaign invites travelers to visit WA to explore the attributes that make the destination a wondrous, dreamlike place, including its extraordinary landscapes and one-of-a-kind experiences that inspire a sense of unparalleled freedom. Editor’s note: I had a FABULOUS trip to Western Australia in May of this year. Included on my tour was a visit with Josh Koomal, an aboriginal man who runs a tour company called Read more

Air Canada says better times are ahead. Meanwhile, WestJet adding Calgary-Amsterdam flights, Israel tourism soars, and Orlando launches a new tourism camapaign. BETTER TIMES AHEAD Air Canada this week said it’s expecting stubborn light and baggage delays at Canadian airports to subside through the rest of this year and next as staffing levels improve. In a report from Reuters that ran on the Global News website, Air Canada Chief Financial Officer Amos Kazzaz said he expects to see an uptick in business travel after the Labour Day holiday, Chief Financial Officer Amos Kazzaz said at an investor conference organized by Read more

The Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) today announced that the Regulations Amending the Air Passenger Protection Regulations, which provide additional refund requirements, are now in force. But one transportation expert says the new rules are only a “slight improvement.” Until now, the Air Passenger Protection Regulations only required refunds to be provided for flight disruptions within the control of airlines. The new requirements now require airlines to provide passengers with either a refund or rebooking, at the passenger’s choice, when there is a flight cancellation, or a lengthy delay, due to a situation outside the airline’s control that prevents it from Read more