By Jim Byers Member, Society of American Travel Writers (SATW) After nearly two years of closed borders and virtually no tourism, Australia is flinging open the doors to visitors on Monday, Feb. 21. It’s a momentous occasion for a country that has always placed a high value on attracting tourists. “There is no doubt that a full recovery will take time, but we are confident that the demand for Australia is strong,” Phillipa Harrison, the managing director of Tourism Australia, the country’s tourism board, told The New York Times. The Times said tourism was one of the fastest growing sectors Read more
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New Canadian travel rules are sparking a surge in demand for U.S. and international travel, Expedia Canada reports. One big beneficiary appears to be the cruise industry, as Canadian search cruises are up sharply in the past few days. “The easing of Canada’s travel restrictions is set to inspire a greater demand for U.S./ international travel and family travel in the coming weeks, in line with the trends that we have seen in our latest research findings,” officials said. Expedia Group’s 2022 Traveler Value Index anticipates an international travel comeback for 2022, with 43% of Canadians planning to Read more
Air Canada’s finances are definitely on the rise. The Montreal-based airline today reported fourth quarter 2021 operating revenues of $2.731 billion. That’s 30 per cent higher than in the third quarter of 2021, and over three times fourth quarter 2020 operating revenues. AC reported a fourth quarter 2021 operating loss of $503 million compared to an operating loss of $1.003 billion in the fourth quarter of 2020. For the full year of 2021, Air Canada reported operating revenues of $6.400 billion, compared to 2020 operating revenues of $5.833 billion. Also for the full year, it reported a 2021 operating loss Read more
Europe and the world are poised for a travel rebound, plus tourism optimism in the Canadian Maritimes and news about rules for visiting Hawai’i and Belize. Today’s Jim Byers Travel news update. EUROPE POISED FOR TRAVEL REBOUND THIS YEAR The European Travel Commission (ETC) predicts tourist arrivals to be just 20% below pre-pandemic levels in 2022, according to Hotel News Resource. The International Air Transport Association says that, worldwide, there was an 11-percentage point improvement between the January and February periods for air travel, which it said was the fastest such increase for any two-week period since the pandemic began. Read more
Porter Airlines is boosting its presence in the Maritimes in a big way with three new non-stop routes connecting downtown Toronto’s Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport to Halifax, Fredericton and Moncton. Non-stop Halifax service begins April 7, featuring up to three daily roundtrips in summer, while Fredericton and Moncton both start May 5, with one daily year-round non-stop flight each. This new service is in addition to existing flights for each market that stop in Montreal or Ottawa, and don’t require passengers to change aircraft. “These three established Porter markets in Atlantic Canada will see significant service improvements with new Read more
