Conference Board of Canada

Outbound Canada summer travel outlook

In its Travel Outlook for the summer of 2020, the Conference Board of Canada reports that amidst the global COVID-19 pandemic, summer travel intentions have fallen to the lowest level ever. What follows are excerpts from the Conference Board’s latest report: Summer Travel Intentions As expected, the proportion of surveyed Canadians planning to take a leisure trip this summer has...

 

Covid-19 questions to ask yourself

We know. Whether your company is large or small, you already have a million COVID-19 questions that need answers, and you don’t think you need to wrestle with any more. But here are a dozen more, to at least consider adding to your existing list. 1. Have I looked at my existing Business Insurance policy, to see if it might offer anything in the way of benefits in light of the...

 

When will domestic travel start again?

Special to Canadian Travel Press

ERIC BARBER If the Canadian government was looking for any guidelines on how to put the travel and tourism industry in Canada back to work, they might want to consider a new report from Germany’s Kompetenzzentrum Tourismus des Tourismus which represents the first document in tourism that plots a timeline for the return of tourism in Germany based on select factors: politics, economics and...

 

Los Cabos looks forward to the return of tourists

IAN STALKER Los Cabos Tourism officials want to make it clear that their decision to roll up the welcome mat was only a temporary measure that was done with the best interests of everyone -- including vacationers -- in mind. The Baja California destination has suspended all tourism activity to comply with government guidelines on social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic....

 

Mythbusters

Agents debunk misconceptions people have about travel advisors

ANN RUPPENSTEIN There’s no doubt that the ongoing global pandemic has helped shine a light on the value of using a travel agent. Along with the old notion that no one uses agents anymore, travel advisors from across the country weigh in with common misconceptions the public believes about their trade. A dying breed Stephanie Mercredi runs a live travel agency with second year...

 

Heroes with wings

COVID-19 and the story of Canadian North

There are so many stories that need telling these days, and one that shouldn’t be forgotten is the story of Canada’s North and how the people living there are managing during a time when the world has been turned upside down by COVID-19. Canadian Travel Press had a chance to connect with Chris Avery, president & CEO of Canadian North and, in this Q&A session, he talks about how the...

 

After the apocalypse

Hotels adjusting to COVID-19 world, looking to agents for help

ERIC BARBER 2020 marks the year that I officially cross the threshold of having worked for 30 years in the hotel business. [caption id="attachment_137156" align="alignright" width="300"] Barber[/caption]I’ve lived through the tail end of the Black October recession and stock crash, 9/11, SARS and the 2008 financial meltdown, but the effect of Covid-19 has had a more massive impact on...

 

After the fever breaks

Thoughts on rebuilding the travel industry after COVID-19

RICHARD VANDERLUBBE, TRIPCENTRAL.CA At a time when the world has been turned upside down and each and every one of us is searching for a way to move forward, tripcentral.ca’s Richard Vanderlubbe provides some thought-provoking ideas that the industry may want to pack on its journey to recovery. In this three-part series that begins in this week’s issue of Canadian Travel Press,...

 

Staying strong

Agents pull out all the stops to take care of clients

ANN RUPPENSTEIN Leah Holt is wearing a new hat these days — or at least an apron. As a means of engagement during COVID-19, the travel advisor with Go Travel Edson is pairing her passion for travel with her love for cooking through a new social media video series called Cooking Around the World, in which she shares how to make dishes like French onion soup or Russian Blini — a crepe...