I don’t always agree with magazines that publish top destination lists. Sometimes they seem rather contrived, as if they’re trying to show off. But the latest one from Conde Nast Traveler hits the mark pretty well. The magazine asked travel experts to name the top island getaway places in the world, and they listed a half-dozen of my personal faves. Vancouver Island was cited for whale watching and other activities. “There’s far more to Vancouver Island than Victoria. One of my favorite places on the island is Tofino, a small town on the far west coast about halfway up the island Read more
Thailand
Demand for travel shows no signs of slowing, and there are positive signs for business travel and travel to Asia, a new study says. Expedia’s Traveler Insights report for the third quarter of 2022 paints a far rosier picture for the industry than would’ve been the case a year ago. Almost one-half of consumers surveyed said they have plans to travel internationally, and they’re also more willing to book a year or more in advance. Expedia said interest in Thailand and Hong Kong is on the rise, and that online searches for trips to Japanese cities rose 60% in the Read more
Forbes has a great item today about what countries in Europe are open for visitors. I’ve also got items on the resumption of cruise ship travel in Canada, passengers behaving badly, the resumption of Transat flights to Italy, a nice story on Ottawa and news about suspended flights between Vancouver and India. WHAT COUNTRIES ARE OPEN IN EUROPE Many European Union countries, including the UK and Ireland, have entirely done away with COVID-19 travel restrictions for non-EU travelers. Others, however, still have restrictions in place. Continue reading the Forbes story here. AND WHAT’S OPEN IN THE CARIBBEAN, TOO Travelweek has Read more
Special air arrangements between specific countries. A new Thailand health and safety program. A spike in U.S. hotel occupancy. And aid for Newfoundland tourism. I’ve got news on these and other topics today in my regular Future of Travel blog. BUBBLES AND BRIDGES We’ve gotten used to a whole lot of new buzz words of late, including “physical distancing.” Now comes a couple new concepts related to travel: “air bridges” and “travel bubbles.” They’re both similar concepts that could help spark a tourism resurgence in certain parts of the world, but only with certain travellers. Australia and New Zealand have Read more
Looking for a travel deal this summer? Look south. And way, way east. But not to the west coast of the U.S. A useful study from the folks at Trip Advisor finds that a three-day visit for two people to any of several great cities in the U.S. south is your best financial bet. If you’re looking overseas, you’re better off to consider the Far East. If you’ve got money to burn, on the other hand, try Seattle, Cancun or Zurich. The Trip Advisor study looked at the price of a four-star hotel (personally I’d study 3-star hotels if I Read more
