The Canadian government has new travel advisories up for citizens and residents who plan to visit the U.S. or China. Ottawa recently updated its travel advisory site to say that residents of Canada and other foreign nationals visiting the U.S. for longer than 30 days must register with the U.S. government. Canadians haven’t had to register with the government of the U.S. prior to this. U.S. President Donald Trump in January signed an executive order called “Protecting the American People Against Invasion.” The order requires all foreign nationals, including Canadians, to register with U.S. Customs and Immigration Services if they Read more
TV shows
White Lotus is spurring Canadian searches for hotels in Thailand, the price of a NEXUS travel pass is going WAY up, and Canada Jetlines Announces flights between Toronto and Miami. WHITE LOTUS FILMING SPURS SEARCHES FOR THAILAND HOTELS Queue the White Lotus theme song—KAYAK data shows Canadian searches for five-star hotels in Thailand are up 62 per cent year-over-year since the show’s season three location was released on Instagram, along with an eight per cent drop in hotel prices year-over-year. The most popular resort destinations for Canadians include Bangkok (avg. $113/night), Pattaya (avg. $80/night), Phuket City (avg. $123/night), Read more
From Taylor Swift and Beyonce to Emily in Paris and White Lotus, Expedia says music and entertainment are driving travel traffic like never before. Expedia Group also says “dupe” travel is becoming big, a trend where travellers look for a lesser-known city or destination that somewhat duplicates the experiences they would have in a more famous location. Expedia Group on 08NOV unveiled Unpack ’24, a comprehensive look at what’s motivating travellers and where they’re going next year. Based on the company’s unmatched first-party travel data, plus a global consumer survey of 20,000 travellers, Unpack ’24 includes eight new travel Read more
My travel notebook today touches on a major anniversary for a big-time Hollywood studio, a potential WestJet pilots strike vote and a call for more tourism workers in Canada. I also have some thoughts about whether popular places such as Niagara Falls should be called “tourist traps.” THAT’S NOT ALL FOLKS: WARNER BROS. CELEBRATES A HUNDRED YEARS The studio that brought us Bugs Bunny, Casablanca, Batman, Friends, Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, The Wizard of Oz and Big Bang Theory is celebrating a special anniversary TODAY. It was on April 4, 1923 that a group of four brothers, Harry, Albert, Read more
Brits are devouring a television show that features people racing across Canada, and Canadian tourism officials hope it will boost British visits to the country. An Amazing Race-style show called “Race Across the World” has contestants dashing from Haida Gwaii, the remote set of islands north of Vancouver Island, to St. John’s. But entirely by land or water; no air planes. The show is getting lots of attention, and a story in The Guardian says Canadian tourism officials are keeping a close eye. Great Britain is Canada’s number one overseas (not international, that’s the U.S.) market for visitors, but numbers Read more
