Nice to see some places I know and love in Oceania come home with World Travel Awards. The World Travel Awards for Oceania were held recently, with awards being handed out to hotels, airlines and destinations in Australia, New Zealand, French Polynesia, and more. New Zealand (I’ve been twice and hope to go again in early 2025) was named Oceania’s Leading Destination 2024. It’s a remarkable country with an outstanding variety of things to see and do, and a wide variety of climatic/geographic zones that range from rugged mountains and fjords to wide, sandy beaches. Air New Zealand, which I Read more
Uluru
It’s been a tough year for tourism on Maui, but positive signs are emerging. Virtuoso, a luxury travel agent network that books exclusive vacations around the world, said its sales for Maui resorts are up 4% for the first six months of the year. For the winter holiday or “festive” season, sales are up a whopping 66%. A network spokesperson on Monday, Aug. 12 said that West Maui/Lahaina bookings are about 7% lower than Wailea, which makes sense given the incredible fire damage to Lahaina in August of last year. “Even with the noticeable impacts on tourism to Maui, we Read more
I’m heading to Los Angeles this weekend to meet with tourism and travel representatives from across Australia and hear about wonderful things to see and do. I’m very excited about this, as I’ve come to dearly love the beauty and people of The Land Down Under, which is home to scintillating cities, amazing nature, rich aboriginal culture, isolated islands and more than a few bizarre animals. Here’s a look at 10 of my fave experiences in Australia, a country I’ve been lucky enough to visit four times over the years. LORD HOWE ISLAND, New South Wales Only the most nerdy Read more
A new era has launched for Porter Airlines, and for Canadian travellers. Toronto-based Porter on Wednesday (Feb. 1) began flying jets for the first time as part of a massive expansion effort that threatens to shake up the industry. Porter on Wednesday flew its new Embraer E195-E2 jets from Toronto Pearson Airport to Montreal Trudeau and Ottawa International, its first ever jet flights. Until this week, Porter had flown exclusively out of the Toronto Island/City Centre Airport using De Havilland propeller planes. Service on the Toronto Pearson-Ottawa route has four daily, non-stop return flights. Porter is offering three daily, non-stop Read more
Australia is open again for business, and Air Canada is an ideal way to get there. Australia has long been a top destination for Canadians dreaming of fantastic scenery, sunny skies, indigenous travel experiences, and amazing culture. The borders were pretty much closed for two years, but international visitors began to be welcomed again in late February. Air Canada has daily flights from Vancouver to Sydney on posh, Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners. They’ll add direct flights from YVR to Brisbane starting July 1. (Air Canada also will resume flights from Vancouver to Auckland, New Zealand in November of this year.) Vic Read more
