Is September becoming the new August for Canadian and American travelers? The traditional summer travel season may be shifting. Air Canada is forecasting record revenue for September and October, as travellers increasingly move trips outside the July and August peak to avoid heat and crowds. HomeExchange data suggests Canadians may be following that shift. September exchanges among Canadian members are up 44.2% year over year, while August activity remains relatively stable. And those September getaways are getting longer, with the average exchange now lasting just over five nights, an 8.2% increase year-over-year. The numbers point to an interesting shift in Read more
Atlantic Canada
Today’s travel notebook looks at a variety of subjects, including WestJet trimming flights to Halifax and other cities in Atlantic Canada, a new, long flight between New York City and New Zealand, and the slow opening of Japan to tourism. WEST JET TO TRIM ATLANTIC CANADA FLIGHTS The CBC reports that WestJet, which announced earlier this year it would retrench and focus more on Western Canada, has cut fliights to several cities in Atlantic Canada. Flights between Halifax and Montreal will be suspended Oct. 28, while flights from Halifax to Ottawa and St. John’s will be suspended in early January. Read more
A new study finds that one of Canada’s most attractive destinations still faces a bit of an uphill struggle when it comes to tourism. And, quite frankly, I don’t get it. A survey of Canadian travel habits and desires by Tourism Nova Scotia found that 37% of Canadian travellers who aim to take a holiday in the next 12 months will be heading to Ontario. The next choices were Quebec (24%), British Columbia (23%), the U.S.A. (18), International (17) and Alberta (15, which is a lower percentage than I would’ve expected given the grandeur of the Rockies). Atlantic Canada, which Read more
With only a month left in the high summer season, Atlantic Canada is showing no great desire to let Canadians in from other provinces Meanwhile, a Florida marketing group is launching a new campaign to lure more visitors to the state. I also have news about a study that finds young people are dying to travel IMMEDIATELY, while older folks are quite timid about the idea. My Future of Travel blog for August 12. Atlantic Canada: We Quite Like Our Bubble, Thank You The Toronto Star, my former employer of 32 years, has a story this morning that suggests the Read more
There are reports of cars with out-of-province cars being vandalized in Canada. I’m also taking a look at a new study on the health of the hotel industry, and I have reports on how COVID-19 is rebounding in Australia and whether the Atlantic Canada travel bubble might soon open. My Future of Travel blog for July 30, 2020. Shame on You, Canada – You’ve Got to Do Better Than This A month or so ago, there were stories going around about how some folks with Alberta license plates had crossed over into British Columbia and found “go home” notes attached Read more
