Gun violence in Mexico forced the temporary closure of two airports, stranding more Canadians. CP24 says Canadian tourists were trapped inside a Mexican hotel Thursday as buses that were supposed to take them to an airport and safely home burned outside. “It’s just chaos,” said Tina Dahl of Edmonton, whose six family members stranded in the popular tourist city of Mazatlan were supposed to fly out Thursday night. The government of Canada travel advice Twitter feed states that “there is widespread violence in Sinaloa State since the arrest of a (drug) cartel leader. The Culiacán and Mazatlán airports are closed. Read more
cruise ships
Today is Alaska’s statehood day, and to celebrate the region that is at the heart of summer cruising Holland America Line is sharing details of its 2024 Alaska season. The premium cruise line is debuting a new 28-day Arctic Circle itinerary that includes 12 Alaska ports, longer 14-day voyages and 117 weeklong journeys, enhancing its position as the leader in Alaska cruising. With more sailings to Glacier Bay National Park than any other cruise line, the only cruise line to include the unspoiled riches of the Yukon plus Denali on overland Cruisetours and more than 75 years of Alaska exploration Read more
Norwegian Cruise Line today announced that it has updated its global health and safety protocols by removing all COVID-19 testing, masking and vaccination requirements effective Oct. 4, 2022. Given the significant, positive progress in the public health environment, the cruise line said it updated its health and safety guidelines, which are now more aligned with other global travel organizations. “Health and safety are always our first priority; in fact, we were the health and safety leaders from the very start of the pandemic,” said Harry Sommer, Norwegian Cruise Line president and chief executive officer. “Many travelers have been patiently waiting Read more
Around this time in the bad old days of 2020, some experts projected that Canadian hotels wouldn’t get back to pre-pandemic levels until 2025 or even 2026. But the strong summer rebound in travel around the world has some observers suggesting a full rebound is only a few months away. Real estate firm CBRE says Canadian hotels will return to pre-pandemic revenues next year, two years ahead of its previous forecast. Canadian Press reports the firm is projecting the Canadian hotels market will end this year at 92 per cent of the revenue per available room achieved in 2019, before Read more
Air Canada is getting into the electric airplane business. Canada’s largest airline today announced a purchase agreement for 30 ES-30 electric-hybrid aircraft under development by Heart Aerospace of Sweden. The revolutionary regional aircraft, expected to enter service in 2028, will generate zero emissions flying on battery power and yield significant operational savings and benefits. Under the agreement, Air Canada has also acquired a US$5 million equity stake in Heart Aerospace. Saab also is buying a stake, according to published reports. “Air Canada has taken a leadership position in the industry to address climate change. The introduction into our fleet of Read more
