With 2024 coming to a close, KAYAK, the world’s leading travel search engine, is forecasting the future of Canadian travel habits that will rule the year ahead. From the hottest trending international destinations to the best deals for a sunny getaway, these are the top travel trends to expect in 2025: A strong surge in international travel searches – Canadians are taking things abroad next year with international travel making up over three quarters of all searches. With domestic travel costs rising to the most expensive it’s been in four years (and seeing another 19% increase in domestic airfare Read more
Palm Springs
Five inches of rain in Toronto this morning has me thinking that maybe instead of cool-weather vacations, which I mentioned in this space yesterday, it’s time to look at dry-weather destinations. I don’t normally dream of the desert in summer, but maybe it’s time to look at places where you’re vacation is unlikely to require a heavy-duty umbrella and thick, rubber rain boots. With that in mind, here are some great, dry (not in an alcohol availability sense) vacation places you could think of. The Atacama Desert, Chile There was a pretty good rain here a few years ago, but Read more
Victoria, British Columbia has been named the world’s best city in this year’s Conde Nast Travellers’ Readers Choice Awards, while Canada owned the top three picks for world’s friendliest cities. Victoria was third in the friendly category, while Edmonton came second and Calgary was first. Dublin, Ireland was fourth and Quebec City fifth, giving Canada four of the top five spots. I might push for St. John’s or Saskatoon or Regina as the friendliest city in the country if I had a vote, but I suspect Conde Nast readers aren’t as familiar with them as they are with the winning 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
California remains the top choice for Canadians travelling to the U.S., Visit California officials say. “We’re the number one travel destination in the U.S.,” Andrew Levine of Development Counsellors International, a media relations firm that represents the state, said at a Visit California event in Toronto on Monday, April 4. A January 2022 study found that the likelihood of Canadians visiting the Golden State was up 46.6%. “The engine of travel is restarting,” Levine said. Air Canada and WestJet fly from Canadian cities to California, as does Swoop and Flair. Canada Jetlines is expected to arrive soon, as is Air Read more
