News from Air Transit, Brand USA and Explora Journeys for today’s blog post. AIR TRANSAT BEGINS OTTAWA-LONDON FLIGHTS Air Transat has begun new non-stop service between Ottawa and London Gatwick. The first flights operated on Friday, May 15, marking the launch of a new link between the Canadian and British capitals. “We are the only airline offering a non-stop flight between Ottawa and London Gatwick. It’s something we’re truly proud of and a meaningful addition for travellers in the Ottawa–Gatineau region,” said Sebastian Ponce, Chief Revenue Officer at Transat. “Combined with the connections offered by our partner Porter Airlines from Read more
Brand USA
Brand USA, the people in charge of marketing the U.S. to the world, have a new campaign called “America the Beautiful.” The announcement, made today at the U.S. Travel Association’s IPW event in Chicago, includes the launch of a new global tourism campaign, America the Beautiful, and the introduction of a dedicated digital hub, AmericaTheBeautiful.com. The campaign aims to showcase the diversity and richness of U.S. destinations and encourage international travel to the United States in 2025 and beyond. Brand USA also outlined key milestones shaping the coming decade — including America250 (celebrating the 250th anniversary of the U.S.), the Read more
Many Canadians are avoiding trips to the U.S. right now. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t tons of new things to see do and places to explore. The U.S. is always unveiling new experiences and destinations, and Brand USA invites visitors to explore them all. Looking ahead to 2025 and into early 2026, travellers can expect a wave of new additions, major milestones, and exciting developments across the country. “There are so many reasons to visit the USA and even more reasons to return,” said Fred Dixon, president and CEO of Brand USA. “The joy of travelling to the U.S. Read more
The U.S. Travel Association has released a study that found the United States ranks 17th out of 18 top travel markets in terms of global competitiveness. Decades of underinvestment and a lack of focus and coordination from federal policymakers caused the U.S. to fall behind, while other countries actively apply robust strategies to increase travel and grow economic output, the study suggests. The study gave the U.S. a 47% score, placing 17th out of 18 countries. Only China was worse. Canada ranked fifth in the report with 59%. Finishing on top of the list was the UK (72%), followed by France, Read more
Cross border travel between Canada and the U.S. is growing, and experts see a strong recovery on the horizon. BrandUSA, which seeks to boost travel to the United States, sponsored a virtual tourism/travel session earlier today with border, tourism and airline officials. Tim Liu, Managing Director, Sales Planning & Effectiveness at Air Canada, said things are looking much better these days. “We are definitely seeing strong signs of growth and we expect to return to a more normal Canada-USA air travel market,” he said. “We definitely see that recovery under way.” “We expect it to be fast-paced recovery and expect Read more
