Air Canada ticket sales for March of this year nearly reached pre-pandemic levels, one of the surest signs yet that the travel rebound is real. Canada’s largest airline released its first quarter results today. One of the key indicators is that ticket sales for March of 2022 were more than 90% of sales in March, 2019. Air Canada officials called that “a leading indicator to much stronger 2022 second and third quarter results.” For the quarter, Air Canada had operating revenues of $2.573 billion, more than triple that of the same quarter last year. The airline reported a first quarter Read more

Two of Europe’s most popular destinations are ending travel restrictions on Monday. Published reports say Switzerland’s State Secretariat of Migration (SEM) has lifted all entry restrictions that were put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic.  “Switzerland is open,” said Pascal Prinz, Director for Switzerland Tourism in Canada. “We warmly welcome travel-starved Canadians to enjoy the fresh air of the Swiss Alps, discover our quirky boutique towns, and explore our four language regions. No tests, no certificate, no forms, and no quarantine are required in Switzerland. ” Prinz said Air Canada and SWISS/Lufthansa Group are ramping up their flight schedule to Read more

Allianz Partners has published its top summer destinations for Americans for 2022. Allianz officials said “revenge” travel appears to going to an entirely new level as people seek experiences they missed out during the pandemic. It’s also notable that big cities such as Los Angeles, New York and Boston are back on travelers’ radar. Additionally, Allianz research showed that 75 per cent of Americans will travel domestically this summer, up 16 per cent from last year. Here are the top 10 domestic choices, followed by top international destinations and European destinations. Alas, no mention of Canada. DOMESTIC ORLANDO SEATTLE HONOLULU/OAHU Read more

Beginning today, tourism businesses in Toronto, Mississauga and Brampton can apply for support through the Tourism Relief Fund (TRF) to expand and enhance visitor experiences. Destination Toronto is administering the program in its capacity as Regional Tourism Organization 5 (RTO5), working in close partnership with the City of Toronto, Tourism Mississauga, and the City of Brampton Tourism Office, on behalf of FedDev Ontario.  Announced by the federal government in July 2021, the Tourism Relief Fund supports tourism businesses and organizations in adapting their operations to meet changing public health requirements, while investing in new products and services to attract visitors Read more

The government of Canada is easing border rules for those who are fully vaccinated and for children, regardless of their vaccination status. “Unvaccinated or partially vaccinated children aged 5-11 who are accompanied by a fully vaccinated parent, step-parent, guardian or tutor will no longer be required to complete a pre-entry COVID-19 test for entry to Canada,” the Trudeau government announced. “Pre-entry tests will still be required for partially vaccinated or unvaccinated travellers 12 and older who are currently eligible to travel to Canada. Children under 5 years of age are not required to provide a COVID-19 test result.: The changes Read more

Expedia says research done in the past week shows Canadians are eager to visit the United States after two years of a pandemic. Expedia Canada looked at both hotel searches and flight searches for U.S. destinations between March 11 and April 9, 2022. “There is so much pent up travel demand to the U.S., which was always a favourite for Canadians before the pandemic,” Expedia Canada officials said. “In fact, over the last week we have seen an increase of around 10% when it comes to flight searches to Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Honolulu and San Francisco on Expedia.ca. “As Read more