Germany takes the cake, but Canada wins the silver medal. A new Nations Brand Index report from Anholt Ipsos finds Germany ranks in first place out of 60 countries around the world. It’s the seventh time overall and fifth year in a row that Germany has taken top honours. Germany was the highest ranked NBI nation in 2008, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020, and now in 2021. With another first place ranking this year, Germany has now tied the United States’ record of seven years as the top NBI nation. Germany’s reputational strengths lie on the Exports, Immigration and Read more
Australia
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
Major cuts by Air Canada. New tests for the trouble Boeing 737 MAX. Plus, Delta joins with the Mayo Clinic, a spiffy new hotel project for Halifax and an update on Australia and tourism. My Future of Travel blog for June 30. Air Canada Closing Operations at 8 Canadian Airports, Slashing 30 Domestic Routes It’s a perfectly understandable move given the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on Canada. But it’s a devastating loss for many Canadian communities. And the company says there could be more changes coming soon. Air Canada said today that it is indefinitely suspending service on 30 Read more
Special air arrangements between specific countries. A new Thailand health and safety program. A spike in U.S. hotel occupancy. And aid for Newfoundland tourism. I’ve got news on these and other topics today in my regular Future of Travel blog. BUBBLES AND BRIDGES We’ve gotten used to a whole lot of new buzz words of late, including “physical distancing.” Now comes a couple new concepts related to travel: “air bridges” and “travel bubbles.” They’re both similar concepts that could help spark a tourism resurgence in certain parts of the world, but only with certain travellers. Australia and New Zealand have Read more
I’m not going to call this the beginning of the road to recovery, because I learned in my years covering baseball that you never jinx things in the press box by saying things like, “Gee, this game is REALLY moving along nicely,” as that pretty much GUARANTEES a 15-inning nightmare. However, I will say it’s a joy to have good news to report on a couple of major fronts today in my regular Future of Travel blog, including news of June planning by both Air Canada Vacations and the Lufthansa Group of airlines. Lufthansa Group Boosting June Service Lufthansa Read more
