Domestic travel is up. But Canadian visits to Florida are still lagging slightly, new figures show. Florida tourism reps say 31.5 million domestic travelers visited the Sunshine State in the second quarter of 2024. That’s up 1.8% from the same period in 2023, and 8.7% higher than in 2019, the last full year before COVID-19. But CBS News reports Canadian and international visits are still down slightly from a few years ago. VISIT FLORIDA, the state’s tourism-marketing agency, said there were 2.44 million overseas visitors in the second quarter of 2019, with 848,000 Canadians. In the second quarter of last Read more
Toronto
You can set your watch by it. Every time an Olympic Games year rolls around, out come the stories about over-priced tickets and soaring hotel prices. I was the main Olympics reporter for the Toronto Star for 15 years or so, and I’ve seen it happen time and time again, from Vancouver to Athens and Sydney to Salt Lake City. Now it’s Paris’s turn to take the brunt of the criticism. The New York Times reports that tickets for the Opening Ceremonies, which will feature a flotilla of barges carrying athletes down the River Seine to the foot of the Read more
Ontario residents have a new way to reach one of the world’s most popular destinations. Porter Airlines is taking to the skies for two new routes to Orlando International Airport today, with flights departing from Toronto Pearson International Airport and Ottawa International Airport. The start of service to Orlando marks the third new Florida destination that Porter has touched down since the start of November, following Tampa and Fort Myers. Flying aboard the new Embraer E195-E2 aircraft, Porter brings its genuine hospitality and elevated onboard service to a new market with free, fast WiFi, a selection of premium snacks, and Read more
Air Canada today announced the expansion of its award-winning in-flight entertainment with the addition of exclusive Apple TV+ original programming beginning Aug. 1, 2023. The partnership marks Air Canada’s latest investment in the customer experience, adding critically acclaimed original programs including Ted Lasso, Bad Sisters, Severance, Foundation and many more for its global customers. New and existing AppleTV+ subscribers will get 2 free months as a result of this new partnership. “At Air Canada, we know that in-flight entertainment is an important part of our customers’ travel journey, particularly on long-haul flights. We continually evaluate opportunities to expand our entertainment Read more
Toronto Pearson Airport Says It Has Turned Things Around, Sunwing Boosts Winter Flights to Caribbean
Toronto Pearson says it’s made a dramatic turnaround in on-time performance, baggage handling and other issues. A year ago, headlines around the world blared that Canada’s biggest airport was a disaster. It’s wait times were listed as the worst in the world. But the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) says it has made remarkable improvements, and that this summer is a very different story. GTAA President and Chief Executive Officer Deborah Flint today provided a YYZ mid-summer performance update. “Since last summer, Toronto Pearson has tangibly improved passenger experience across its operations, implemented digital innovations and bolstered staffing. These advancements Read more
