As if mountains and Mounties and our 150th birthday party next year weren’t enough, now the world has another reason to visit Canada. A survey from Booking.com finds that Australia is the only country in the world with a reputation for friendlier and happier locals than Canada. Respondents in the survey were asked to name the planet’s cheeriest and most relaxed locals. Australia came first with mentions by 35 % of respondents, followed by Canada (33), Italy (29), Spain (25), the U.S. (24), Thailand (20), Japan (20), France (20), New Zealand (20) and Brazil (19). The survey of travellers around Read more
hotels
I’ve been saying for years now that the federal government in Ottawa doesn’t understand tourism and doesn’t give it the support it should. Now I see that MP Elizabeth May and TV comedian/pundit Rick Mercer are saying the same thing. Here’s my Globe and Mail blog from Friday, Feb. 20…. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/travel/travel-news/when-will-the-government-give-tourism-the-respect-it-deserves/article23115880/
A brilliant, new way to earn free trips faster. A lot faster. The folks at Rocketmiles and Aeroplan are announcing a partnership today that will “help put people on vacation faster.” Rocketmiles is an incredibly smart program where you can earn thousands of points with Aeroplan or other airline reward programs while booking hotels in cities around the world at excellent prices. The Chicago-based company was founded in 2012 and is headed up by American Jay Hoffmann, who used to work with the United Mileage Plus program and at Groupon and other companies. “I’ve seen what works, “ he told Read more
It’s almost V-D time, folks. As in Valentine’s Day. Not the other kind of V.D. We all could use a getaway round about this time of year. And it’s always good to impress your significant other. With that in mind, here’s one well-travelled guy’s list of some of the most romantic hotels in Canada. Wickaninnish Inn, Tofino, B.C. A true sense of place, plus a wonderful restaurant steps from a long beach just made for strolling hand in hand. Try a couples massage just a few feet from the pounding surf. Prince of Wales Hotel, Niagara-on-the-Lake Stroll the quiet streets Read more
Earlier this week I was talking about the latest Canadian/American Automobile Association ratings and noted that Canada now has 11 combined hotels and restaurants with five-diamond ratings, the top award they give out. Now comes another series of ratings, this time from the travel folks at Forbes. They’ve got a pretty different list. Radically different, actually. Most notable, I think, is that both Forbes and the Automobile Association folks put the Four Seasons Hotel in Toronto on their five-diamond (five-star for Forbes) list. That means the Four Seasons flagship property (in Yorkville) is the only property in Canada to have Read more
