PHILIPPINE ACCESS ON THE RISE

March 10, 2009

Potentially good news for Toronto folks headed to the Philippines.

Philippine Airlines said Tuesday it will increase flights to Canada and the U.S. despite the global financial crisis. AP reports airline officials say they'll add one weekly flight to both Los Angeles and San Francisco, increasing weekly flights to LA to 10 and SF to eight.

PAL also said it will also fly daily direct to Vancouver starting March 23 to service a "sizeable Filipino migrant community" in Canada as well as business and leisure travellers.

IRELAND WOES

It can't be anything but bad news for Ireland's tourism industry to see the recent incidents in Northern Ireland. With three killings in two days being claimed by an Irish Republican Army splinter group, tempers are dedicedly frayed.

The good news is that Protestant and Catholic leaders in the Northern Ireland coalition government, according to wire service reports, have jointly pledged to crush the dissident group and end a renewal of hostilities.

Police say they arrested two suspects in regards to Monday's shooting of a policeman in a Catholic neighborhood southwest of Belfast. Two British soldiers were gunned down in Northern Ireland on the weekend.

North Ireland leaders are to meet in Washington with American president Barack Obama on St. Patrick's Day, March 17.

ST. PATRICK'S DAY ON THE WAY

With the big day approaching, cnn.com put together a list of top spots in the U.S. to "Get your green on" on the 17th. We knew Boston, Chicago and New York were big on all things Irish, but hadn't thought about Seattle, Phoenix or Savannah, Georgia.

If you're talking about Canada, the best spot has to George Street in St. John's. Doncha think?

Posted by Jim Byers at 03:12:28 PM in airlines, canada, Current Affairs, europe, Food and Drink, tourism, Travel, united states

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Travel Blog by Jim Byers

Jim Byers is the Star's Travel Editor. He has been writing travel stories for more than a decade, covered five Olympic Games and spent years covering the Blue Jays, the Toronto Raptors and the PGA Tour. He's been everywhere from Bonavista to Vancouver Island, as well as China, Hong Kong, Australia, the Caribbean, Thailand, Mexico, Tahiti, New Zealand, Vietnam, a dozen countries in Europe and just about every major city in the U.S. Okay, he was only in Liechtenstein for a couple hours in a rental car and his only visit to New Orleans was when he was 12, but you get the picture.

March 10, 2009