Australia is open for international visitors, and Canadians are chomping at the bit. Canadian consumers recognize that Australia did a good job handling COVID-19, and that there’s a “huge demand” for visits amongst Canadian travelleres, Chris Allison, the North America acting general manager for Tourism Australia, said at a Tourism Australia “Australia On Tour” event in downtown Toronto on Tuesday. A study in December found that Canadian interest in visiting Australia was back to pre-pandemic levels. Tim Liu, Managing Director, Sales Planning & Effectiveness at Air Canada, said Air Canada recognizes the increased interest and is responding with more flights. Read more
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Vienna is rightfully famous for its polished palaces and prancing Lipizzaner stallions, not to mention the rich, pure voices of the Vienna Boy’s Choir. There are historic churches from the Middle Ages and homes lived in by the likes of Ludwig van Beethoven and Johann Strauss. But there’s also a rich, vibrant modern side to this city, with rooftop bars that blast pulsating dance tunes, wildly inventive architecture, and funky shops based on Monty Python sketches. Tour guide Alexa Brauner, an engaging and enthusiastic art lover, recently took me on a three-hour walking tour that included both the old and Read more
Eight Canadian hotels have been honoured with five-star ratings from the Forbes Travel Guide, and four are in Toronto. Two Canadian hotel spas also were awarded five-star ratings. Forbes today announced five-star ratings for The Ritz-Carlton Toronto, The Four Seasons Toronto, The Shangri-La Toronto and the Hazelton Hotel in the city’s Yorkville district. The Four Seasons Toronto spa also got a five-star spa rating. In Vancouver, five-star ratings went to the Shangri-La, The Fairmont Pacific Rim and the Rosewood Hotel Georgia. The Four Seasons Montreal was the lone entry for Quebec, although the hotel spa also received five stars. The Read more
Air Canada ticket sales for March of this year nearly reached pre-pandemic levels, one of the surest signs yet that the travel rebound is real. Canada’s largest airline released its first quarter results today. One of the key indicators is that ticket sales for March of 2022 were more than 90% of sales in March, 2019. Air Canada officials called that “a leading indicator to much stronger 2022 second and third quarter results.” For the quarter, Air Canada had operating revenues of $2.573 billion, more than triple that of the same quarter last year. The airline reported a first quarter Read more
Two of Europe’s most popular destinations are ending travel restrictions on Monday. Published reports say Switzerland’s State Secretariat of Migration (SEM) has lifted all entry restrictions that were put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Switzerland is open,” said Pascal Prinz, Director for Switzerland Tourism in Canada. “We warmly welcome travel-starved Canadians to enjoy the fresh air of the Swiss Alps, discover our quirky boutique towns, and explore our four language regions. No tests, no certificate, no forms, and no quarantine are required in Switzerland. ” Prinz said Air Canada and SWISS/Lufthansa Group are ramping up their flight schedule to Read more
