Happy Canada Day to all my friends and family! I was going through my emails on this lovely summer’s day in Toronto and spotted a new study from the Canada Goose clothing company that says 95 per cent of Canadians are proud of their country, which is great. The study also found that 64 per cent of Americans have considered moving north of the border, which I suppose means I was ahead of the curve by 38 years and two months, having landed on these shores via my Honda Accord hatchback on May 1, 1981, following a drive from my Read more

I’ve often written that tourism slogans and campaigns may not matter much in the end. But I could be wrong, and I like the inclusive feeling of this new one from my own city of Toronto. Tourism Toronto today (June 19) announced it’s launching a new destination marketing campaign called “Let Yourself In.” The campaign comes fresh on the heels of the multicultural Toronto Raptors capturing the NBA championship and capitalizes on the city’s sense of welcome and diversity. The campaign also arrives as Toronto celebrates another record year in visitation, having welcomed 44 million travellers into the city in Read more

Newly refreshed rooms. A real sense of history. And a tremendous location. The Hotel Pennsylvania has been one of the top places to stay in New York City for decades, and it shows no signs of slowing down in its 100th anniversary year. I recently was in town for a night and managed my first-ever stay at the hotel, located on 7th Avenue and 32nd Street; directly across from Madison Square Garden and Penn Station. It may not be the centre of the universe, but darned if it doesn’t feel like it. They’ve refurbished a number of rooms and have Read more

To quote a band from San Francisco, what a long, strange trip it’s been. But what a finish for the Toronto Raptors. Here’s my post from TravelPulse Canada the other day, talking about the effect the team’s rise has had on Toronto and, indeed, all of Canada. So happy for this country’s sports fans! https://ca.travelpulse.com/news/destinations/toronto-raptors-re-define-toronto-and-canadas-image.html

A grand, new look for Toronto’s grand dame of hotels. The Fairmont Royal York celebrated its 90th birthday yesterday and also unveiled a sleek, sexy and very much updated look that no doubt will give the hotel a huge lift. Surrounded by employees, guests, and members of the community, hotel officials unveiled its transformed lobby, designed by Rockwell Group, and the new lobby bar, called CLOCKWORK in honour of the jazzy new clock; a meeting place for Torontonians for nearly a century. Hundreds of people crowded the famed lobby for the celebrations, which were inaugurated with entertainment from Big Smoke Read more

Canada has a new, heart-felt tourism slogan. The new slogan, “For Glowing Hearts,” was officially unveiled this week at Destination Canada’s Rendez-vous Canada event in Toronto, an annual tourism extravaganza that brings together thousands of sellers, buyers and media folks to celebrate Canadian tourism – and book new visits to bolster our economy. Destination Canada, the national tourism marketing agency, has tapped into what it means to be Canadian and evolved its brand to inspire even more international travellers to visit Canada. The tagline For Glowing Hearts, which was inspired by the national anthem, and a distinctive heart-shaped logo, rooted Read more