In a spectacular closing ceremony for the 2024 Olympic Games, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass received the official Olympic flag from Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, marking the countdown to the LA28 Games. Adam Burke, President & CEO, Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board, was also in Paris to gain insights into the tourism impact and further understand the preparations ahead of 2028. I love this for several reasons. I went to college at UCLA and worked as a journalist at City News Service for the past year or two of school. One of my first assignments was covering one Read more
Paris Olympics
The world’s best city for foodies is Tokyo, Japan, with the most Michelin-star restaurants and budget-friendly dining options starting at $44 USD. Research conducted by AHTI Games looked at more than 50 cities worldwide to discover the globe’s top destinations for food lovers. It found that Italy has the highest number of fine dining restaurants, with 87 earning a Michelin star. London and New York City are hosting the most food festivals and events this year, with five each. AHTI considered several key metrics, includingthe number of Michelin star restaurants, the cost of a mid-range three-course meal, the number of food festivals and culinary events, the number of cheap Read more
A new look at the world’s safest and most riskiest cities for tourists puts Toronto in the top three. Forbes Advisor looked at a variety of criteria, including U.S. State Department advisories, crime rates, and health infrastructure. Cities were given numerical ratings from zero (most safe) to 100 (least safe) Singapore came out on top with a zero rating, which is pretty remarkable. Forbes said the island state has the lowest natural disaster rating and the second lowest health security risk, reflecting the level and quality of healthcare services and infrastructure. Air Canada recently began direct flights between Vancouver and Read more
The Paris Summer Olympics begin a week from tomorrow, on July 26. And I’m very much looking forward to it. I covered the Olympic Games for the Toronto Star for many, many years, including both of Toronto’s failed bids to stage the Games and then Vancouver’s successful gamble for the 2010 Winter Olympics I also was in Sydney, Salt Lake City, Athens, Turin, Beijing and Vancouver to cover the Games in person. I haven’t covered any Olympics since then, but it remains a magical event that I tune into when I can. This year’s Games will be especially cool because Read more
Air Canada has renewed its partnership with the Canadian Olympic and Paralympic Committees until 2030. It also has unveiled a special new Boeing 777 with special decorations and Go Canada Go message. Air Canada will transport more than 1,000 Team Canada athletes and delegation members to the upcoming Games, showcasing the airline’s ongoing commitment to connecting the best of Canada with the world. The new agreement extends through the 2030 Winter Games, including Paris 2024, Cortina d’Ampezzo-Milan for the 2026 Winter Games and the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles, and also the 2030 Winter Olympics. Air Canada has been the Official Airline Read more
