Travellers coming into Canada by the land border can benefit from a one-time exemption if they forget to submit their information through the ArriveCan application, the National Post reports. Ottawa quietly made the change in May for Canadian citizens and permanent residents, and extended it to all foreign nationals, including American citizens, at the end of the month of July, confirmed the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) on Friday. CBSA spokesperson Judith Gadbois-St-Cyr told the Post the measures are “temporary” for fully vaccinated travellers and that the rules were changed to “provide more flexibility” to those “who may have been Read more

The recent decline in gas prices is a positive indicator for travel for the rest of the summer and into the fall, according to the latest Longwoods International tracking study of American travellers. While 31% of travellers said gas prices would greatly impact their decision to travel in the next six months, that is down dramatically from the 43% of travellers who expressed the same sentiment just a month ago. “Falling gas prices is an automatic plus for the travel industry,” said Amir Eylon, President and CEO of Longwoods International. “And if fuel costs continue to decline as expected, more Read more

The federal government insists that Canada’s airports are getting much better in terms of delays and cancellations. Government officials put out a release this week saying that, for the week of August 1-7, three per cent of flights planned for Canada’s top four airports were cancelled, compared to 12% over the same period in July. From August 1-7, more than 85% of flights from the top four airports left on time, or within one hour of their scheduled departure. That’s up from 75% for the first week of July. OTHER METRICS Holding of aircraft at Toronto Pearson International Airport * Read more

Passenger activity is way up at Toronto Pearson. It’s not a surprise to anyone who watches the news, but Greater Toronto Area Airport officials today said Passenger activity increased by 8.3 million or 780.4 per cent during the second quarter of 2022. For the first half of the year, passenger activity was up by 12.5 million or 584.1 per cent, when compared to the same periods of 2021. Passenger activity increased given the easing of pandemic-related travel restrictions and pent-up travel demand compared to the same period of 2021. Nevertheless, all measures of operating activity continue to be well below Read more

Expedia Group bookings for the second quarter of this year were the highest in history, and travellers around the world are taking more long-haul flights to traditional, top destinations. Expedia Group’s second quarter report for 2022 revealed a 40% increase in stayed room nights and a nine per cent increase in stayed average rates. That means significantly more travel despite higher rates, a sure sign of the pent-up demand for travel around the world. The study revealed that the global demand for long-haul flights (more than four hours) soared by more than 50% during the second quarter, compared to last Read more

As airline passengers continue to struggle with baggage issues, delays and cancellations, stay close to home this August and hit the open road with Marriott Bonvoy. Take advantage of special end of summer savings that include perks such as food and beverage credits, parking, attraction passes and complimentary gas cards up to $100 in value. So pack up the kids, curate your own playlist and explore all that Canada has to offer at these participating hotels*: Toronto Delta Hotels by Marriott Toronto (I especially love the Delta on Bremner Boulevard; a relatively new and very stylish hotel just a few Read more