As I watch the rain turn to snow ere in windy and increasingly cold Toronto, I notice a couple of interesting moves by North American tourism boards. North of the border, Quebec City is pleading with the creators of the “White Lotus” TV show to film in one of North America’s oldest (and most romantic) cities. The Toronto Star and Canadian Press report that Destination Quebec City and its advertising agency have created a presentation promoting te city and its biggest assets as an ideal filming spot. Part of their pitch, of course, is the fairy tale-like Fairmont Le Chateau Read more
Quebec City
Today’s travel notebook looks at a variety of subjects, including WestJet trimming flights to Halifax and other cities in Atlantic Canada, a new, long flight between New York City and New Zealand, and the slow opening of Japan to tourism. WEST JET TO TRIM ATLANTIC CANADA FLIGHTS The CBC reports that WestJet, which announced earlier this year it would retrench and focus more on Western Canada, has cut fliights to several cities in Atlantic Canada. Flights between Halifax and Montreal will be suspended Oct. 28, while flights from Halifax to Ottawa and St. John’s will be suspended in early January. Read more
WestJet is trimming flights in and out of four Eastern Canadian destinations this winter, but adding more western Canadian flights and sun destination routes. The Calgary-based airline said this week it will end service to Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, on Nov. 15. (Swoop, a WestJet, subsidiary, will fly in and out of PEI, however). WestJet said it also is cutting winter flights in and out of Quebec City, Fredericton, and Sydney, Nova Scotia. In a news release, WestJet said the changes are part of a strategic focus shift to concentrate more resources in the west, and to boost sun destination Read more
Travel + Leisure magazine readers have weighed in with their top choices for hotels and resorts in Canada, and Fairmont dominates both categories. Fairmont captured six of the top ten spots for city hotels in the Travel + Leisure poll. Toronto-based Fairmont also copped six of the top 10 spots for resort hotels. For city hotels, five of the top ten were in British Columbia, with three in Quebec and two in Ontario. For resort hotels, four were in B.C. and three each in Alberta and Quebec. I’ve managed to stay in almost all of them, so I’m adding Read more
Canadian travelers are ready to get back to cruising, and to help beat the currency exchange rate Holland America Line is offering a “Canada Super Sale” with savings up to 20% on select cruises and running through 2022. Canada Super Sale is offered on select 2022 Alaska, Canada and New England, Pacific Coast, Hawaii and Panama Canal cruises that sail to or from a Canadian homeport. Cruises to Mexico roundtrip from San Diego, California, also are included in the special. “With travel opening up Canadians are looking to cruise, but the current exchange rate can make that challenging,” Read more
