I’m sorry, but this is absurd. MSN recently ran a story on the world’s most attractive countries. It’s a good list, but with one glaring exception; there’s no mention of the United States. Yes, I know Canadians (and residents of many other countries) aren’t feeling terribly well disposed towards the U.S. these days. As a Canadian citizen, albeit with U.S. roots, I fully understand. But you can’t possibly deny that the U.S. has some of the most spectacular scenery and beautiful vistas – and cities – in the world. From thick pine forests and immense lakes to rugged, snow-capped mountains, Read more
Japan
Okay, so here’s an odd/interesting list of the world’s great cities. TimeOut magazine asked 24,000 people in 150 cities around the world about their fave cities, and then balanced that with views from their team of city experts to come out with a new ranking. I’ll give them credit for including some smaller or lesser-known destinations such as Bath, England and Antwerp, Belgium, as well as Lagos, Nigeria. But, for the life of me, I don’t know how ANYONE can come up with a list of great cities of the world and put Paris in the 22nd spot. That boggles Read more
It’s that time of year in Canada, folks. March Break is a time-honoured travel tradition in this country; a time when kids get a respite from school and families often take off for warmer, sunnier climes. Air Canada says it will welcome more than 136,000 passengers today (Friday, March 13) as passengers head out for the annual break. The airline also says families flying through Toronto Pearson are in for a heartwarming surprise. Air Canada is hosting a Paws and Relax experience with St. John Ambulance Therapy Dogs who will be wandering the terminal with wagging tails both today and tomorrow Read more
High-end travellers in the U.S. say Canada is their top choice for an international vacation, followed by Costa Rica. They’re also increasingly interested in cruise and wellness holidays. A new report from Resonance Consultancy, a respected tourism/travel research company, looked at the top 10% and top 1% of travel spenders in the U.S. They found that safety and easy access/proximity to the States were key factors in travel decisions. “Safety is the top factor affluent travelers consider when choosing a destination. Canada scores strongly on political stability, personal security, health care and infrastructure, particularly important for multi-generational family trips and Read more
Japan rules the tourism world. A new look at the world’s best cities gives the top spot on the podium to Osaka, with Kyoto in the bronze medal spot and five Japanese destinations/cities in the top 12 in the world. Yanolja Research recently published its Global Tourism City Attractiveness Index, which it says “objectively measures the attractiveness of global tourism cities from the perspective of tourists—the actual demand side of tourism.” This index directly reflects how tourists perceive and evaluate the appeal and popularity of tourism cities. It is derived through sentiment analysis and the measurement of positive and Read more
