Visitor arrivals to Hawaii are on the upswing. According to preliminary statistics there were 707,486 visitors to the Hawaiian Islands in September 2024, up 7.8% from the same month last year. Hawaii Tourism Authority figures say arrivals in September 2024 represent a 96.1% recovery from pre-pandemic, September 2019 figures. In September 2024, 19,188 visitors from Canada arrived in Hawai’i as a whole, an increase from September 2023 (18,647 visitors, +2.9%), but a decline compared to September 2019 (21,928 visitors, -12.5%). The stats show visits from all outside destinations were down slightly for O’ahu (-1.3% for September of this year, versus Read more

It’s an exciting week in Toronto sports, as fans gear up for some serious Raptors nostalgia. The legendary Vince Carter, Mr. “Air Canada” himself, is back in Toronto to celebrate the retirement of his legendary #15 Raptors jersey.  Celebrations kicked off today as Carter touched down at Toronto Pearson and headed to an Air Canada hangar for a very special unveiling – an Airbus A220 decked out with a custom tribute livery featuring Carter’s name, jersey number and signature.   “The city of Toronto, and Canada as a whole, has meant so much to me throughout my career,” said Carter. “I’m deeply Read more

Visit St. Pete-Clearwater, the official tourism marketing and management organization for Pinellas County, is telling the world that the destination is “Still Shining,” and ready to welcome visitors. After recently weathering two major hurricanes, the beach community has worked tirelessly to resume operations at many favorite locations with nearly 80% of the destination now open and eager to welcome guests – including accommodations, attractions, restaurants, museums, shops and more. “It’s important for everyone to know that St. Pete-Clearwater is Still Shining and ready as always to welcome residents and visitors to our beautiful beaches, amazing arts and experiences, and delicious Read more

Three of Canada’s loyalty powerhouses captured eight out of the twelve categories in Canada’s Choice 2024. Rewards Canada’s annual survey of Canadians had an excellent turnout of over 35,000 votes cast over the course of two weeks which saw Aeroplan, TD Bank and Scotiabank/Scene+ dominate the rankings. Marriott Bonvoy also scored a big win.   “In general the results do show the prowess that the large loyalty programs and credit card issuers have,” said Patrick Sojka, founder of RewardsCanada.ca.  “Several categories were hard fought battles that were closely contested. The overall Credit Card Rewards program saw 1st and 2nd place separated by Read more

  Maui County recently released a draft of its long-term recovery plan for Lahaina.   I find it an encouraging report, but there aren’t a lot of details just yet.   “To the naked eye, little progress has been made in the 14 months since the fire, with only a handful of houses breaking ground on reconstruction,” Forbes.com reported recently. “However, most of the debris from the fire has been cleaned up, and crews are almost done restoring utility access to all impacted lots.” Forbes said release of the  Lahaina draft plan is “no doubt a welcome sign for the Read more

It’s that time of year. No, not Halloween. No, not the even scarier U.S. election. It’s time for travel magazines and online publications to issue their suggestions on where we should go in 2025. One of the first off the mark was National Geographic, a publication I have written for in the past. Nat Geo’s top 25 destinations for 2025 has some intriguing destinations including Haida Gwaii in British Columbia, Greenland and Los Angeles. Here’s what they said about L.A. “L.A.’s cultural scene is getting a jolt of new energy. Destination Crenshaw, the largest public/private Black art program in the U.S., Read more