We’re on the first hole of the quirky, delightful, 12-hole Shiskine Golf Course on Scotland’s Isle of Arran. I’ve been set up to play a round with three members of this fiery green links course on the west side of the island, and I hit a slow putt that has absolutely zero chance of making it to the hole. “When we hit a putt that’s short of the hole, Canadians yell, ‘Skate, skate,” I tell them. “That’s great” one of my partners, Alice Anderson, says with a laugh. “When we hit a putt like that we yell, “Taxi!” For the Read more
Scotland
Thinking of a trip to Europe this fall? Try flying into Oslo, Edinburgh or maybe Madrid if you want to save money. With help from Expedia, Travel + Leisure magazine has issued a list of 11 European airports and computed the cost of an airline ticket today, compared with during the peak summer months. Here’s what they found, with the percentage decline in ticket prices from summer to today in parentheses. Oslo (-40%). Stockholm (-35%) Hamburg (-35%) Ibiza (-35%) Copenhagen (-30%) Madrid (-30%) Dublin (-25%) Brussels (-25%) Geneva (-25%) Edinburgh (-25%) Florence (-20%) That’s a fun list. Not to rain Read more
Canada’s tourism industry can’t seem to catch a break. As if COVID-19 and tough travel restrictions for two years weren’t enough, now come summer wildfires. It was Alberta’s turn a few weeks ago, then Nova Scotia. Now we have wildfires in Ontario and Quebec that are sending smoke south into the U.S., causing American news networks to broadcast nightly segments about smoke from the Great White North. Those kind of news broadcasts, which are perfectly reasonable, seem to be having an effect on tourism. “We have had a few conversations with our members and we’re already seeing domestic and international Read more
A Canadian parliamentary committee is calling for sweeping changes to Canada’s air passenger rights rules, including better compensation regulations for those facing delayed or cancelled flights, and tougher enforcement of the rules. Canadian Press reports that the recommendations, tabled in Ottawa on Tuesday (April 18), comes after chaotic travel seasons over the summer and winter holidays brought on by soaring demand, labour shortages and winter storms. The House of Commons standing committee on transport offered 21 recommendations, including stronger monetary penalties, smoother processing of compensation claims and automatic payout offers after cancellations, significant delays or denial of boarding. The Globe Read more
WestJet today announced its 2023 summer 787 Dreamliner routes from YYC Calgary International Airport, unveiling Tokyo, Japan, as its first destination in Asia with new service to Narita International Airport. The airline is also creating greater two-way tourism opportunities and increasing connectivity between Western Canada and Europe with new service between Calgary and Barcelona, Spain and Edinburgh, Scotland along with increased frequencies on existing European routes. Today’s announcement comes as WestJet prepares for broader expansion within Canada and North America over the coming months. Open Jaw reports that flights from Toronto to Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dublin, Barcelona and London Gatwick will Read more
