Destinations
Colorado High
With lots of access – including service from Air Canada (28 flights a week) and WestJet – and a range of attractions sure to please even the most finicky traveller, it's no one wonder Colorado is so popular with Canadians. Tourism officials from the Centennial State were in Toronto Wednesday to update the trade on what's new and Andrea Blankenship, director of international tourism for the Colorado Tourism Office, took time to go over some of the numbers which help attract travellers to her state. They include: four national parks, eight national monuments, 10 scenic and...
California Is Golden
It was a tasty evening in Toronto for a select group of travel trade types as Visit California and Visit Santa Barbara offered a taste of what the destination has to offer. Naturally, good food and good wine were on the menu. Visit California's Kristen Bonilla welcomed the group, telling them that there were plenty of “amazing” and “unique” things happening in the state that will keep visitors enthralled from the start to finish of their vacations. Bonilla highlighted the new California 101 video series – there are 36 of them in all – that showcases just about all the...
Canada’s Tourism Industry On The Move
Canada’s Travel & Tourism sector grew 50% faster than the wider economy in 2017, according to new research released by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC). The total contribution of Travel & Tourism to the Canadian economy in 2017 was $138.8 billion, once all the direct, indirect and induced benefits were taken into account. This represented a rise of 4.5% against growth of 3% for the wider economy. Other highlights of the report released today show: Travel & Tourism supported 1.6 million jobs in 2017 (8.6% of total Canadian employment); By 2028, almost two...
Celebrating China-Canada Tourism
Chinese tourism authorities used a kung fu performance in Toronto Wednesday night to kick-start this year being China-Canada Tourism Year. September 2016 saw the governments of both China and Canada agree to heighten two-way tourism between the countries, with a goal of doubling the 2015 number of visitors by year 2025. Both governments believe they're on track to reach the figure, with direct air capacity between Canada and China increasing 24.8% last year and 13 cities in the two countries now linked with direct air service. Mutual tourist visits crossed the 1.5 million mark...
Swoop Increases Frequency Out of Hamilton
Low-fare carrier Swoop is adding a fourth Boeing 737-800 aircraft to its fleet and an increased weekly frequency schedule out of John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport in Hamilton, Ont. beginning Aug. 16. The announcement comes less than two months after Swoop announced its initial schedule release on Feb. 1, with service starting from Abbotsford, Hamilton, Edmonton, Winnipeg and Halifax, beginning June 20. The addition of a fourth aircraft will increase weekly frequency almost two-fold for Hamilton-Edmonton and Hamilton-Abbotsford, while service from Hamilton to Halifax and...
Hotel X Toronto Welcomes First Guests
Hotel X Toronto by Library Hotel Collection has welcomed its first guests as the first step in its soft opening phase. The luxury hotel, located in the heart of Exhibition Place, is now able to welcome guests in 404 lakefront rooms and suites, with a plan in place to have amenities and public areas open in phases in the upcoming months. When complete, officials are describing the development as Toronto’s “first lakefront urban oasis, complete with four indoor tennis courts, two outdoor pools, two cinemas, four food and beverage outlets, and TEN X TORONTO, the largest hotel athletic...
Vancouver Sets New Tourism Record
The results are in, and 2017 was another record year for Vancouver’s tourism industry. Tourism Vancouver year-end data shows 2017 overnight visitation to Metro Vancouver was 10,345,867 million people, an increase of 3% over 2016. This represents a new best for the city's tourism industry and the fourth consecutive record-breaking year. Officials say that many factors played a role in 2017’s strong tourism performance. Key among them are Tourism Vancouver’s sales and marketing initiatives in 11 countries worldwide; and strategic marketing partnerships with Destination Canada,...
New Web Series Offers California Travel Tips
A new web series from Visit California, “California 101,” is set to answer agents' and visitors’ most asked questions about travel to the Golden State. Kicking off with 35 visually stunning, yet information-rich videos, the series shows agents and their clients how to see and do some of the best destinations and experiences in California – a great planning tool as Canadians look to plan summer vacations. “California 101 allows travellers to see different trip ideas in video format, and then click through to web content for a deeper dive into the details of trip...