It’s been a rough go for Hawaii of late. Visits from Canada are down, and they’ve struggled to regain their once super-strong Japanese market. There’s also, of course, the devastating fire that destroyed most of the lovely, funky town of Lahaina. Maui in 2023. On top of all that, the state suffered a series of devastating rainstorms over the past couple weeks when a Kona low, an unusual low-pressure weather system, parked itself over the island for days on end. There was some damage to roads and infrastructure, but I’m happy to report that the skies are sunny again and Read more
Australia
It’s a tough time to be a sun seeker from the US or Canada. In January, flights were disrupted to the ABC islands (Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao) due to the US action in Venezuela. A few weeks later, flights to Cuba were halted because of an ongoing lack of aviation fuel, leaving Canadians and other visitors scrambling for alternative sun destinations. Many would-be Cuba visitors, including personal friends of mine, opted instead for Mexico. But some potential visitors are now spooked because of the violent outbreak in Puerto Vallarta on the weekend following the killing of a top Mexican drug Read more
Two Canadian hotels and 16 in the U.S. have attained the highest rating by Michelin Guide by earning “three key” status. U.S. THREE-KEY WINNERS Canyon Ranch, Tucson, Arizona (new to the list) Little Palm Island Resort and Spa, Florida (new) Kona Village, a Rosewood Resort, Hawai’i Island, Hawai’i (new) Sage Lodge, Montana (new) Amangiri, Utah (new) The Beverly Hills Hotel, Beverly Hills, California Post Ranch Inn, Big Sur, California Single Thread Inn, Healdsburg, California Hotel Bel-Air, Los Angeles, California Auberge du Soleil, Rutherford, California Meadowood Napa Valley, St. Helena, California Canyon Ranch Woodside, Woodside, California Aman New York, New York Read more
A new report on travel preferences for residents of Canada, the UK, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa names Perth as the world’s top city, and Portugal as the most attractive country. Meanwhile, a new American Express business travel study names New Jersey, western Michigan, North Carolina, Honolulu and Sacramento, California as top emerging markets for biz travellers. This year’s Amex Trendex report reveals a surprising shift towards less traditional destinations that are becoming increasingly attractive to corporate travelers. For the first time, Amex identified five trending U.S. destinations based on commercial customer spending: Princeton, New Jersey; Durham, North Carolina; Southwest Read more
Air Canada is boosting its Asia presence. American travelers are eyeing the Caribbean, and Canadians are looking for lesser-known options. Meanwhile, Iceland could be poised for another volcano. Today’s blog post has all sorts of travel news and trends. AIR CANADA EXPANDS ASIA PRESENCE Asia travel has been slow to recover from COVID-19, but Air Canada is betting on the Asian continent in a big way. Air Canada today announced it is strategically boosting its Asia-Pacific network capacity beginning mid-December through to the end of next summer 2024. Among the changes: – Vancouver-Hong Kong operates up to 11 Read more
