Baseball spring training is officially underway, and that means even more reasons to visit the Tampa Bay/St. Pete region, where you’ll find the spring training homes of the New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays and Philadelphia Phillies, as well as the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Yankees train in Tampa, the Phillies in Clearwater, the Pirates in Bradenton, and the Jays in Dunedin. I’ve been a regular visitor to the area since I began covering the Blue Jays for the Toronto Star in the early 1990s, and have probably been 15 times or more by now. Here’s a list of some of Read more
Toronto Blue Jays
Fresh off a new record for visitors to the Bahamas, Porter Airlines has announced new, direct flights to the island nation from Montreal. The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Investments & Aviation recently announced the nation last year welcome a record 12.5 million visitors. Visitor arrivals grew 11.4% year-over-year, surpassing 2024’s record and exceeding pre-pandemic 2019 levels by more than 70%. This growth underscores the strength and resilience of demand across global markets. Canada continues to emerge as one of The Bahamas’ fastest-growing markets, with year-round arrivals now surpassing pre-pandemic levels, driven by strong demand from Ontario and Quebec and expanding Read more
Having the Toronto Blue Jays in the World Series is causing a large spike in demand for Toronto hotels. Air Canada launches new flights from Billy Bishop/Toronto Island Airport, including direct flights to New York City/La Guardia. And San Francisco opens a new “Martini Trail.” BLUE JAYS SPARK TORONTO TRAVEL SPIKE As the Toronto Blue Jays gear up for their long-awaited World Series return tomorrow (Fri, Oct 24), Toronto is seeing the impact not just on the field, but in travel demand as well. New data from Booking.com (the official accommodation partner of Major League Baseball in the U.S.) shows Read more
Baseball fans in Canada are riding a rollercoaster, as the Toronto Blue Jays bounced back from two losses at home to the Seattle Mariners with a 13 to 4 win on Wednesday night. As the Jays look to advance to their first World Series since 1993 (a series I covered for the Toronto Star, allowing me to witness Joe Carter’s home run with my own eyes) attention on the team has advanced well past regular ball fans. New data from the non-profit Angus Reid Institute finds two-in-five Canadians following the team closely on this run (39%) – rising to half Read more
Their timing was fabulous. Tourism folks from Meet Boston and VISIT FLORIDA, along with Elite Sports Tours, gathered in Toronto this week and treated a few lucky media and travel people to box seats for the Toronto Blue Jays. As a former baseball writer for the Toronto Star who covered the team for six years, attending at least 600-700 games, I always love a night at the ballpark. To be at games when the Jays are in the thick of a pennant race, like they are now, is doubly exciting. The home side didn’t fare well in the Boston game, Read more
