A strong increase in Canadian domestic visits helped Montreal boost its visitor numbers by more than seven per cent last year. Tourisme Montréal today (Feb. 17) said the city attracted 11.8 million visitors last year, up 7.3% from 2024. Domestic travel continued to rise, with the Canadian market up 10%, fuelled by strong gains from several provinces, especially those in the Atlantic region (+17%). U.S. visits dipped in the middle of 2024, but the year ended with a more moderate decline of 5%. Overseas markets posted 2% growth overall. France set a new record with more than 470,000 visitors, a Read more
travel to Mexico
Visiting China is about to become a lot easier for many Canadians. As of tomorrow (Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026), holders of Canadian passports can travel to China without having to pay for a visa. A China travel visa currently costs about $140 CAD, so this would mean a savings of almost $300 for a couple and more than $550 in savings for a family of four. The CBC reports Canadian passport holders will be “exempted from visa to enter China and stay for up to 30 days for business, tourism, family/friends visit, exchange and transit purposes.” The policy also applies Read more
A new Flight Centre Canada national YouGov survey suggests the shift away from U.S. travel for Canadians isn’t going away. It also says three times as many Canadians are interested in a Europe trip as they are in a visit to the States. The study found that 62% of Canadians say they are less likely to visit the U.S. in 2026 compared to last year. The U.S. also placed fifth on the list of where Canadians would like to go this year, finishing far behind trips within Canada and trips to Europe and slightly behind visits to Mexico and Asia. Read more
MSN.com has a very useful story on where the Canadian dollar goes the farthest. Knowing your foreign currency exchange rates is a great way to save money, as some destinations might surprise you in terms of their value. Many Canadians are avoiding the US these days for political reasons, but also because the dollar is still quite low. As of June 16 ,the Canadian dollar is still down at 74cents US, which means a US dollar will cost you at least $1.35. That’s not so bad in, say, Kentucky or New Mexico, but it could make a trip to a Read more
WestJet today issued an advance lockout notice to the Air Line Pilots Association, International (ALPA), the union that represents WestJet Encore pilots. As a result of the lockout notice, a work stoppage could occur as early as Saturday, June 1, 2024, at 6 p.m. MT, unless a deal is reached. The announcement comes following the failed ratification of the tentative agreement between the two parties on Friday, May 10, 2024. “The decision to issue notice was not made lightly, and we sincerely apologize for the uncertainty this causes for our guests and the Western Canadian regions that rely on WestJet Read more
