Time Magazine (remember them?) is out with a list of its top 50 destinations for 2023. Some of my fave places made the list, including Vancouver, Vienna, surprising Tampa and the Caribbean island of Dominica, where I spent five days in January. Also making the list on the Canadian side of the ledger was Churchill, Manitoba, which I haven’t had the pleasure of visiting. For Australia, placements went to Kangaroo Island in South Australia and Brisbane, the capital of Queensland. There are six U.S. places on the list but none from the United Kingdom or Ireland, which is a little Read more
Israel
Air Canada says better times are ahead. Meanwhile, WestJet adding Calgary-Amsterdam flights, Israel tourism soars, and Orlando launches a new tourism camapaign. BETTER TIMES AHEAD Air Canada this week said it’s expecting stubborn light and baggage delays at Canadian airports to subside through the rest of this year and next as staffing levels improve. In a report from Reuters that ran on the Global News website, Air Canada Chief Financial Officer Amos Kazzaz said he expects to see an uptick in business travel after the Labour Day holiday, Chief Financial Officer Amos Kazzaz said at an investor conference organized by Read more
The Israel Ministry of Tourism has announced that tourism arrival numbers, for the first time in over two years, are approaching the same record-breaking numbers of summer, 2019. This upward trend comes on the heels of the country reopening to international travelers regardless of vaccination status in March. “We are thrilled that travelers from all over the world are eager to visit Israel again; ever since our total reopening to all travelers, we are seeing an influx of visitors,” said Eyal Carlin, Tourism Commissioner for North America. “With new hotels, restorations and renovations to many historical sites, new tour offerings, Read more
The Canadian travel surge is here, and Canadians are booking trips around the world. Canadian agents say they’ve definitely seen a bump in requests since the federal government announced last week that, as of February 28, it would no longer require expensive PCR-style/molecular tests for people coming into Canada. Instead, Canadians and visitors will be able to show negative rapid antigen test results taken within 72 hours of their scheduled departure, or their arrival at a Canadian land border. “For sure removing the PCR Test was the catalyst. It was not only costly; it was time consuming running around trying Read more
Israel will begin allowing entry to all tourists, regardless of whether they have been vaccinated against COVID-19, starting March 1. Quoting a statement from the prime minister’s office said on Sunday, Global News and Reuters said entry into Israel will still require two PCR tests, one before flying in and one upon landing in Israel, the statement said. Right now, only COVID-19 vaccinated foreigners are allowed into the country. “We are seeing a constant decline in morbidity data, so it is time to gradually open up,” said Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. “In order to maintain to public’s trust and ensure Read more
