Florida has posted a record third-quarter for tourist visits this year. Despite highly-publicized hurricanes in August and September, Visit Florida this week said 34.61 million people traveled to the Sunshine State in the third quarter of 2024, up from 33.995 million during the same period in 2023 and 34.551 million in 2022. “The hard work and resilience of Floridians have been instrumental in keeping our tourism industry strong, showcasing the best of what our state has to offer,” Visit Florida President and CEO Dana Young said in a statement. CBS News said Visit Florida estimates that 2.27 million overseas travelers Read more
Auckland
Time Out has just issued its annual list of the world’s 40 coolest neighborhoods. Of course, it’s entirely a judgment call; what I call cool might be considerably different from what you like. Still I enjoy these lists. So here are some highlights that include some of my fave countries and U.S. states to visit. UNITED STATES California impressed with two spots in the top 30. The vibrant and funky Arts District in Los Angeles was 13th overall and second in the U.S. only to the Mid-City district of New Orleans. Here’s a Vancouver Sun story I wrote that talks Read more
A new look at the world’s best cities puts Vienna on top, but the top of the charts is dominated by cities in Canada and Australia. The Global Liveability Indes from Economist Intelligence looked at a variety of quality of life factors in cities around the world, including such issues as stability, health care, culture and environment. The list is for liveability, not necessarily what’s the best place for a tourist to visit. But it’s still instructive. Vienna was tops, with a score of 98.4 out of 100. Here’s a link to a short item I posted about Vienna recently. Read more
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
Tourism New Zealand has a new campaign that extends an official invitation to international visitors – especially for those curious enough to look a little deeper and go a little further to discover more authentic, meaningful connections when traveling. As the first global campaign post-pandemic, “If You Seek” is designed to intrigue audiences and captivate the viewer through alluring perspectives of the destination’s people and places. The true magic of Aotearoa (New Zealand) is reserved for the manuhiri (visitors) who immerse, embrace, and respect its unique culture, people, and natural environment. With New Zealand now open to Canadian travellers, they Read more
