A new report looks like bad news for tourism and the business travel industry. My travel notebook also has good news for tourism in Las Vegas, Vancouver, San Francisco, Toronto, Bali, and Halifax. I also have news about Emerald Cruises in the Caribbean. BUSINESS TRAVEL: WILL IT EVER RECOVER? A company called Morning Consult surveyed more than 16,000 people across the Americas, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region between October 2021 and summer 2022. It found that two in five Americans who used to travel for work three times a year say they will NEVER take another business trip. People’s intentions Read more
Amsterdam
An insurance company called Luko has looked at the most bike-friendly cities in the world, and Europe came out smelling like a rose. Nine of the top ten bike-friendly cities were in Europe, led by Utrecht, Holland. North American cities fared poorly, with Montreal the only entry in the top 20 (16th overall). Vancouver came 37th, while San Francisco was the top U.S. city in 39th position. Portland, Oregon was 41st and Seattle 50th. Cities were ranked on a variety of issues, including bike accident rates, theft rates, weather, bike usage and infrastructure. Holland had two cities in the top Read more
A new list of the world’s most liveable cities puts three Canadian places in the top ten. Calgary came tied with Zurich for third spot, while Vancouver was fifth and Toronto eighth. No other country had three cities in the top ten, although Switzerland did have two. No Canadian cities made the top ten in 2021, so this is pretty cool. The Global Liveability Index is an annual ranking from the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) that rates 172 cities around the world on over 30 factors, from healthcare, infrastructure, education and crime rates to access to cultural and sports pursuits Read more
Travel executives are betting that this summer will be one of the busiest yet even with soaring inflation as consumers excited to leave home will splurge on vacations – potentially going further afield and venturing back into tourist hot spots For its part, ToursByLocals, the Canadian-based company that connects discerning travellers in search of customized, private tours with handpicked tour guides in 189 countries worldwide, sees “substantial demand” for travel heading into the busy summer season after more than two years of Covid-19 restrictions. “May was an all time record month for us after nearly 14 years in business,” says Read more
Today’s travel notebook looks at Hong Kong’s plan to reopen for tourism, an Air Canada event in Toronto, a Niagara Region Tourism help package, and an update on the status of Canadian discount airline Flair. HONG KONG READY AND WAITING One of the world’s most popular destinations has a tourism revival plan in place. The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) held its annual Tourism Update event online today May 6 and announced a revival plan that highlights Hong Kong’s vibrant developments and new experiences, aiming to generate a positive ambience and make the city top-of-mind destination for worldwide travellers when Read more
