A new study identifies the most Instagrammable US small cities by analyzing their population, area in sq miles, Instagram hashtags, and hashtags per area. Sonoma, California ranks first with the most hashtags per area at 529,990. Newport, Rhode Island has the largest population and area, but it ranks seventh for the hashtag per area, at 258,808. Cannon Beach, Oregon, has the second-smallest area, 1.53 square miles, but it is among the top four with the highest hashtag per area number, at 367,849. A new study by Heepsy identified the top ten most Instagrammable small cities in the US by analyzing 50 cities with populations under Read more
California
You can set your watch by it. Every time an Olympic Games year rolls around, out come the stories about over-priced tickets and soaring hotel prices. I was the main Olympics reporter for the Toronto Star for 15 years or so, and I’ve seen it happen time and time again, from Vancouver to Athens and Sydney to Salt Lake City. Now it’s Paris’s turn to take the brunt of the criticism. The New York Times reports that tickets for the Opening Ceremonies, which will feature a flotilla of barges carrying athletes down the River Seine to the foot of the Read more
Today’s travel roundup includes news on air passenger protection rules for Canada, a boom in European tourism, and an item on how major U.S. destinations are hoping to restart major tourism from China. I also have a note about the new Eastern and Oriental Express train’s Malaysia trips. AIR PASSENGER RIGHTS IN CANADA Today, the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) is launching consultations on proposed amendments to the Air Passenger Protection Regulations (APPR), and invites Canadians to participate. The Budget Implementation Act introduces changes to the Canada Transportation Act (the Act) to clarify, simplify and strengthen the Canadian air passenger protection regime. The CTA will have Read more
Air Transat has unveiled its sun destinations for the coming (sorry to mention it) winter. Meanwhile, United is beefing up its Florida flights, and a business group is pushing for Canada to open its borders. Also, a top tourism expert looks at when San Francisco might recover. My Future of Travel blog for Aug. 13. Transat’s Sun Lineup for Winter To accompany its Here Comes the Sun Promo, currently in full swing, Transat is delighted to unveil its 2020-2021 South brochure. Vibrant and easy to consult, it features a total of 320 properties grouped under its four collections—Luxury, Distinction, Family and Solo—in over 30 destinations Read more
The folks at hotels.com have come up with a list of 10 Instagram-worthy spots in the U.S. I also have a look at the new rules for visitors to Hawaii that come into effect Sept. 1. Top Instagram Places in the U.S. They skipped over some obvious places such as the Empire State Building and came up with a nice list. I’ll note that four of the 10 places they listed are in my home state of California. Just sayin’. Here’s the list: 1. Big Sur, California 2. Red Rocks Park and Ampitheater, Colorado 3. Montauk Read more
