It could take another three years for Ontario’s tourism industry to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, a major new study says. A report from The Tourism Industry Association of Ontario and the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, released today, calls for sweeping changes, including keeping the Ontario staycation tax credit, boosting cannabis tourism, providing better train and rapid transit service, giving indigenous tourism a push, and boosting affordable housing for workers. The study says tourism businesses in Canada’s most populous province are generating less than two-thirds (64%) of the revenues they saw in 2019, and that 70% have taken on debt Read more
business travel
Air Canada today announced a comprehensive range of new product improvements to elevate the customer experience. The changes will have something for everyone, including upgraded Economy dining, more in-flight entertainment and connectivity options, and enriched Premium offerings. Beginning in November, customers will see new and restored services in Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounges and in Premium cabins onboard, a new Economy Class dining service with a celebrity chef entree internationally plus fresh, new Bistro choices in North America, and in a first for a Canadian airline, complimentary, high-speed Wi-Fi when travelling Premium Rouge. Starting in 2023 (perhaps in time for Read more
WestJet says leisure travel is at or above 2019 levels, and that small-to-medium sized companies are back to flying for business. Speaking to OpenJaw.com, Chuck Crowder, WestJet’s Vice President Sales and Distribution, said Canadians flocked to Europe this summer and that leisure/vacation travel was at or above 2019 levels for the Calgary-based company. “Travel is back in Canada,” he said. Crowder said large, multi-national companies haven’t fully returned to the market, but that small and medium-sized companies are booking business travel at rates similar, or even exceeding, 2019 levels. Crowder said Canadians who want to book winter packages with WestJet Read more
Canadians have more ways to fly to sun destinations this winter. My travel notebook for today also looks at how the Toronto International Film Festival might impact the city’s tourism, how Canadian airports are faring with delays, and more mixed news about world business travel recovery. SWOOP ADDS MORE SUN Swoop, which bills itself as Canada’s leading ultra-low-cost airline, today announced that it’s expanding its winter sun-flying offering from John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport with new non-stop service to Fort Lauderdale and Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic. Swoop will begin its ultra-affordable flying to Fort Lauderdale on December Read more
A new report looks like bad news for tourism and the business travel industry. My travel notebook also has good news for tourism in Las Vegas, Vancouver, San Francisco, Toronto, Bali, and Halifax. I also have news about Emerald Cruises in the Caribbean. BUSINESS TRAVEL: WILL IT EVER RECOVER? A company called Morning Consult surveyed more than 16,000 people across the Americas, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region between October 2021 and summer 2022. It found that two in five Americans who used to travel for work three times a year say they will NEVER take another business trip. People’s intentions Read more
