There are reports today that the Canadian-U.S. border will remain closed for another month. Meanwhile, Hawaii has extended its quarantine requirement for incoming visitors from Aug. 1 to Sept. 1. Also, Canadians appear to be having trouble getting good travel insurance. My Future of Travel blog for July 14. U.S. Border Not Opening Soon Canadians have made it pretty clear they don’t want any part of an open border with a virus-ravaged United States. The Prime Minister appears to agree. The Globe and Mail today reports that sources indicate the border will remain closed to all but essential travel until Read more
United States
COVID-19 “passports” to help revive the airline and tourism industries. Plus a look at what the future holds for cruising, a new rewards plan from CIBC that will help local restaurants, and great advice from the Canadian Automobile Association on summer road trips. That and more in today’s Future of Travel post. CORONAVIRUS PASSPORTS? COOL IDEA A company called Pangea has introduced an end-to-end platform for issuing a Covid-19 immunity ‘passport’ based on a biometric ID. The smart card holder will be granted free access to public areas including airport terminals and planes, as part of the effort to revive Read more
They were calling it “the lost decade.” Tourism officials gathered in Toronto last week for the annual Canadian Tourism Marketing Summit. And it wasn’t pretty talk. This country is in desperate need of a new tourism strategy. So far, the Harper government in Ottawa seems oblivious. We thought we were perhaps riding high after the Vancouver Olympics in 2010. But the statistics tell a very sad story. In 2002, Canada ranked eighth in the world in international tourist arrivals, with 19.6 million visitors. That was good for number eight in the world. By 2011, the year after the Vancouver Games, Read more
The entry of the big boys from Trump and Shangri-La and the new Four Seasons Hotel and the fairly new Ritz Carlton has garnered a lot of attention in Toronto hotel circles. So much so that we (meaning in this case, I), sometimes forget about a very sleek and very convenient hotel right downtown: One King West. The famous tower in the historic (almost 100 years!) bank building at King and Yonge has 330 hotel rooms; all suites with kitchens for the convenience of guests. They do a fair bit of leisure travel, as it’s very convenient to attractions like Read more
