NYC ON SALE...STAR BLOGGING FROM IRELAND...KUDOS TO TORONTO

Hot on the heels of a hotwire.com report that noted many hotel prices in New York this month are about one-third cheaper than a year ago comes news that a slew of luxury hotels in Manhattan are putting on a sale of their own.

NYC & Company, the marketing/tourism organization for the city of New York, says eight luxury hotels are offering a stay two nights (in a row) and get one free deal between July 1 and Sept. 7. The package is available at the Carlyle, Jumeirah Essex House, Loews Regency, the London NYC, the New York Palace, the Plaza, the Sherry-Netherland and the fabled Waldorf-Astoria.

As well, Saks Fifth Avenue is taking part in the deal by offering a VIP shopping package to Third Night guests, a deal that includes personal shopping at the Fifth Avenue Club, special savings and complimentary coffee and dessert at Saks Fifth Avenue's Cafe SFA, which overlooks Rockefeller Center (look, there's Tina Fey!) and the Channel gardens.

For information, go to nycgo.com/thirdnight.

STAR MOVIES EDITOR ON LOCATION IN IRELAND

It's no fun doing a travel blog on your own. So I'm happy to welcome a fellow traveller, if you will. Star Movies Editor Linda Barnard, who's a dynamite reporter and a damned fun person to hang around with, is on holidays in Ireland and is typing up a terrific blog as she goes.

In the interests of cross-promotion and giving you readers a variety of voices, I'm posting a link to her blog. Hope you enjoy it.

TORONTO ON THE MOVE

A new ranking of "global city images" has put Toronto in a comfortable spot. But with some room for improvement.

A GfK Roper Public Affairs and Media study released Tuesday (June 16) found that the top cities in terms of their overall "brand" was Paris. followed by Sydney, London (ooh, the Aussies come out ahead of the Brits; they'll love that Down Under), Rome, New York, Barcelona, San Francisco, Los Angeles (heh, heh; San Franciscans LOVE to lord it over L.A.), Vienna and Madrid.

Simon Anholt, founder of the City Brands Index, says it measures the "world's perception of each city, which influences people's choice on where to live, work and vacation." The ranking is based on a survey in which respondents from 20 major countries are asked to rate 50 cities. The ranking is developed by averaging city scores on six categories:

- presence (the knowledge of a city and perception of its global contribution);

- place (cleanliness, aesthetic qualities and climate);

- pre-requisites (affordable accomodations and quality of public amenities);

- people (friendliness, personal encounters and cultural diversity);

- pulse (interesting events, activities and lifestyles); and,

- potential (perception as good place to do business, to find a job and go to school).

Toronto finished 13th overall in the CBI, which is pretty good and, frankly, probably about where we should be given the categories. We certainly don't win any points for climate, and our aesthetic qualities have only recently begun to show up on the world's radar screen thanks to the ROM, the AGO and other architectural delights. Most folks around the globe aren't likely to put Toronto high on a list for global contributions given Canada's size and all. I suspect folks around the world don't know much about things like Luminato or the Pride parade or maybe even the film festival, so perhaps our "pulse" could improve.

The study found that in terms of presence, the top three were London, New York and Paris. On place brand, it went Sydney, Rome, Paris. On pre-requisities, Toronto came out in the number two spot, defeated only by Sydney (hey, anyone from the Pan American Games evaluation group paying attention?), with Amsterdam third.  Vancouver was sixth in that category, by the way.

On people, we again came out second only to Sydney (damned Aussies!), but ahead of the third place folks from Melbourne. On pulse, Toronto didn't make the top 10 (Paris, New York and Rome were 1-2-3). Nor did we score a top 10 finish in the potential category (London, New York and Sydney had top spots).

Officials couldn't tell me where, in fact, Toronto finished in terms of presence, place, pulse or potential; only that it wasn't in the top 10.

Still, 13th in the world isn't bad. Vancouver came 18th, which was the only other Canadian city they were able to tell me about. And at least we know what we have to work on, right?

VANCOUVER & NYC ON SALE...BOARDING PASSES ON YOUR PHONE?

Not sure what to do with your summer holidays? A trip to Vancouver sounds like a great option given an apparent drop - a big drop - in hotel prices.

According to hotwire.com, you can get a 3-star property in Vancouver for just $70 U.S. this month, down 38 per cent from a year ago. New York properties in the 3-star category are down to around $119 a night, a drop of 32 per cent from June, 2008.

As for Toronto, they said a 4-star property is $77 this month, a 23 per cent decline from a year ago.

Here's the list of the top 10 price drops, with examples of current deals in U.S. dollars:

1. Vancouver        38%     3-star property $70

2. New York         32%     3-star property $119

3. San Diego        29%     3-star property $72

4. Tampa             26%     3-star property $71

5. Montreal          23%     4-star property $97

6. Las Vegas       23%     4-star property $76

7. Toronto            23%     4-star property $77

8. Oahu, Hawaii   22%     3-star property $77

9. Orlando           22%     4-star property $69

10. Los Angeles   21%    3-star property $74

For more information, go to hotwire.com/hotelratereport

CARIBBEAN DEALS (THERE"S NEVER BEEN A BETTER TIME TO VISIT, PART 6)

You can scan a list of travel deals all over the world and probably find 1,000 press releases every day that talk about how there's never been a better time to visit such and such a place. They're mostly true, as it turns out, as there are some remarkable buys out there.

John Israel, Caribbean regional director for Orbitz.com, tells cnn.com he's seeing deals of 65 to 70 per cent off hotels in the Caribbean and that families can "save bundles" by buying a package deal.

Gabe Saglie of travelzoo.com says folks should seek out new resorts who might be looking to fill empty beds.

WHAT'S WRONG WITH PAPER?

Spotted an item on newsweek's site talking about how more and more airports and airlines are letting folks use their cell phone as a boarding pass. Apparently the airlines, Delta among them, will send you a text message with a barcode in it and you just open the message and show your phone to the security/desk person and on you go.

Call me old-fashioned, but is it really that much of a hassle to carry a paper boarding pass?

MAINE WANTS YOU

USAToday also reports that the company operating the ferry that goes from Nova Scotia to Maine is changing its marketing to go after Canadians and try to get them to go to Maine.

"In past years, Bay Ferries has focused mostly on getting Americans to use The Cat to get from Maine to Nova Scotia. But the relatively strong Canadian dollar is causing the company to shift some of its ad dollars to the Canadian market," the paper said.

 

 

 

HAWAII PRICES & TWITTER...NIAGARA TOWER, HOLLAND AND TAHITI

Hey, this Twitter thing is getting some solid attention.

I posted a "tweet" the other day after reading an American Automobile Association study that said the average accomodation cost in Hawaii was $675 U.S. I didn't realize it was a 2008 study, not a 2009 report, so mea culpa on that one. But the numbers still made no sense to me.

Anyway, my Twitter comments got picked up by the AAA folks, and PR Manager Heather Hunter called me about it. I'm looking at her comments now, and she says the 2008 Vacation Costs Survey had been done every year since 1950 and that the numbers were based on rates supplied by AAA Approved lodgings, covering a full year of standard, two-person occupancy room rates or "rack" rates, and didn't include special deals. I still find the numbers hard to believe, but the point really is what prices are like today, not in 2008.

Hunter says they now put together a "Leisure Travel Index" to reflect current rates in the marketplace, which sounds a lot more accurate. According to AAA's queries for five Fridays in July for AAA Three-Diamond properties in Hawaii, the average in Honolulu was $241 per night and on Maui it was $254. That's a lot closer to reality, but still seems to be skewed by high-cost resorts. If you go onto a site such as expedia.ca, you can find Honolulu hotels close to Waikiki Beach that are more than adequate for less than $100 per night. And you can find condos in desirable Maui regions such as Kahana or Kihei for $125 U.S. or even less. On the other hand, you'll have to pay a lot more for the big resorts in Kapalua or Wailea.

AAA says it's offering three-night Hawaii vacations from Pleasant Holidays starting at $114 for accomodations in Honolulu, $152 on Maui, $155 on the Big Island and $169 on Kauai, which might be the prettiest island of them all.

So that sets the record straight, at least for now.

TOWERING NIAGARA

They like to do things big down in Niagara Falls, and now comes what's said to be the tallest hotel tower in Canada. The Hilton Hotel and Suites Niagara Falls is a whopping 53 storeys and boasts 500 suites, which is a nice feature for families.

They also have a presidential suite, which sounds pretty spiffy with a living room, fireplace and refreshment bar. (It's not opening until July).

The 53 storeys, officials said, makes it the 10th tallest hotel in North America.

Like to impress your girlfriend or significant other with a stay? Go to www.53floors.com for a chance to win a night in the presidential suite or a gift certificate for $200 for dinner at one of the hotel restaurants.

TORONTO COSMOPOLITAN SPA

Can't make it to the Falls? The Cosmopolitan Hotel in downtown Toronto is hyping their "five-star Shizen Spa," which they say offers floors of Brazilian walnut, plenty of foliage and an eastern/Japanese influence.

(Why is that people in North America always seem to like spas with a Japanese influence? When my back's bothering me and I go for a medical massage in Don Mills, they often play Japanese-sounding music and it seems peaceful and kind of exotic. If I went for a massage in Japan would they play The Tragically Hip or Gordon Lightfoot so patrons can relax? Probably not. But Diana Krall would work.)

Anyway, the Shizen Spa sounds pretty good and they offer a wide variety of treatments. Go to www.shizen.ca for information. And listen for those Japanese CD's in the treatment rooms.

DUTCH DOINGS

I missed the performance of the Netherlands Dance Theatre, but I did make it to a nice cocktail reception at the Rosedale home of the Dutch consul-general on Thursday night. There was lovely food and champagne, and lots of news about happenings in Holland this summer.

I hadn't heard, but the Dutch Queen and the president of Russia will attend opening celebrations of the Hermitage Amsterdam Museum on Friday, June 19, the day before the public opening of the museum. The Hermitage Amsterdam is the first branch of the Russian State Museum Hermitage in St. Petersburg.

The Amsterdam version will organize temporary exhibitions chose from the collections of the Hermitage and other Russian museums, thus giving more artistic options in a city that already has the Van Gogh museum and the famous Rijksmuseum. The opening exhibition at the Hermitage Amsterdam will feature more than 1,800 objects telling the story of the court life of Russian tsars, including the Romanov throne, Faberge jewelry, gala dresses and the last tsarian's grand piano.

Go to www.hermitage.nl for more information.

There also are other art happenings across Holland this summer. Check www.hollandartcities.com for more details.

Speaking at the reception on Thursday, the director of North America's Netherlands Board of Tourism and Conventions, Conrad van Tiggelen, said visitors to Holland might want to visit The Hague, which is home to the Dance Theatre, the International Court of Justice and the Dutch Parliament. There's also antique shopping and fine dining, he said.

"The Hague is like Ottawa," he explained, "but with the flair and chic of Oakville."

The room positively erupted with laughter.

Nice line, sir.

TAHITI TOURISM

The polls are now open for the first round of Tahiti Tourisme's "Invest in Your Love" video contest, which will award the first of six trips to the south Pacific. The contest launched in April, with more than 25 folks sending in original videos on why they deserve the trip of a lifetime.

Folks can now check out the videos and vote on them at www.investinyourlove.com.

Voting is open until June 25. Videos that get the most votes will move on as finalists and an expert panel will select a winner.

There are still five more contest periods for people to enter their videos, so check the web site for details. And you can check the site for special deals and packages for ordinary travellers who don't want to submit a video.

 

SWINE FLU TRAVEL IMPLICATIONS

Political troubles in India and Thailand. Surging oil prices. Drug issues in a few Mexican cities. And, now, as if the worldwide travel industry wasn't under enough strain, the World Health Organization has declared a global swine flu pandemic; the first of its kind in 41 years.

No one at WHO is suggesting people stay home, at least not to my knowledge. But there are some disturbing signs of panic in various parts of the world, including South America, where numbers are starting to rise, and in Australia and China.

There are reports of near panic in Argentina. According to Associated Press, so many people are worried about swine flu in Buenos Aires that they've flooded into local hospitals, causing emergency health services to collapse. AP said a bus arriving in Argentina from Chile last month was stoned by people who thought someone on board had swine flu. Chile is said to have the most listed cases of swine flu in South America.

There also are concerns in Canada's First Nations community and in China. Because it's winter in the southern hemisphere and flu season is normally in winter, we could see some serious issues arising in South America and other southern destinations in the coming weeks.

The main concern is for victims, of course, and officials seem to suggest that most cases so far are relatively mild and that there shouldn't be any panic. But funny things happen in situations like these, and it's exactly what people in the travel industry don't need right now.

And it's not just a few vacationers who might end up suffering. Tourism is a massive industry worldwide, and for every person that stays home it means less meals cooked by a kitchen worker in Buenos Aires or less beds to make for a hotel worker in Adelaide.

Let's hope this gets under control. Quickly. For everyone's sake.

COOL AEROPLAN REWARDS ...KING EDDY DEALS...AIR CANADA NEWS

I've had my issues with Aeroplan in the past, but I gotta say the rewards program has done a good job of branching out beyond free airline tickets.

They did a showing of various Aeroplan reward possibilities in a stunning, sixth floor loft on Queen West Wednesday afternoon to celebrate Aeroplan's 25th anniversary, displaying everything from barbeques that look ready for liftoff to wine-tastings, sleek handbags, digital cameras and Callaway golf clubs.

General Manager of Rewards Management Nathalie Belanger explained that a few years ago only about 1 per cent of rewards people asked for were merchandise and that 99 per cent of requests were for travel. Now, non-travel merchandise requests account for about 20 per cent of rewards.

"We've got more choice and more options. A lot of frequent flyers, the last thing they want to do is get back on a plane."

Among the unusual offerings on display Wednesday were wine tastings, a deal where you can buy into an olive tree in Italy and get a two-litre can of oil from the tree at the end of the the year, powerful Bushnell telescopes (only 13,000 points), Home Hardware garden products, Heys luggage, Dolce and Gabbana watches, Dr. Seuss prints, wine coolers, a portable, Panasonic blu-ray DVD player (112,000 points) and a deal where you can make your own chocolates at a place in Vancouver called Schokolade and then take them home (5,000 points; pretty sweet). Belanger said a Vespa will set you back 600,000 points but we couldn't one on the web site. Damn.

"Electronics are probably tops, followed by gift cards for places such as Esso or Home Hardware. Jewellery is popular at Christmas."

Belanger says Aeroplan carries 700-800 items at a time, varying them by the season so that you can buy more hockey stuff in winter and more golf stuff in summer, naturally.

Many carriers in the U.S. have points programs that only allow travel purchases, so that makes Aeroplan a little unique, she explains.

Folks love to complain (guilty as charged) that there aren't enough Aeroplan seats available on Air Canada flights, but Belanger says that, in fact, eight per cent of all capacity on Air Canada and Air Canada Jazz flights are set aside for reward plan redemption. That would be 24 seats on a 300-passenger plane, which is far more than some people might think.

Still, she concedes folks should book well in advance if they want to redeem their points for flights, which can cost as little at 15,000 points for shorter haul, roundtrip flights from Toronto to Montreal or New York.

"If you want to go to Florida in March you might need to book six months in advance. It's not like that for flights to Milwaukee in December, not that there's anything wrong with Milwaukee."

West Jet has talked about a rewards program but has had trouble getting it off the ground, so to speak.

KING EDDY...AND A ROYAL TOUR

The folks at Le Meridien King Edward, "Toronto's oldest luxury hotel," have announced a historical tour and afternoon tea package. With rates starting at $279 double occupancy, you get a night at the hotel  plus afternoon tea for two, valet parking, a 3 p.m. checkout and a two-hour walking tour with Bruce Bell.

I recall the afternoon tea being pretty good from a long time back and I had a great, just wonderful, tour with Bruce Bell last year. Bell is racy and informative and colourful and interesting and he knows more about the city of Toronto, especially the old city in and around St. Lawrence Market, than just about anyone. He'll regale you with great stories and tell you things you simply never knew before. Highly recommended.

Go to www.lemeridien.com/kingedward or call 416-863-9700.

AIR CANADA STABILIZING?

Good for Canadian travellers to see that three unions that represent about 60 per cent of Air Canada's unionized workers have agreed to a no-strike, no-lockout deal. Air Canada chief executive Calin Rovinescu called it a "milestone" deal.

The last thing any of us in the travel biz need is Air Canada having labour troubles. Still, there's more work to do, including nailing down an agreement on pension plans with pilots and flight attendants.

I DO...I REALLY DO

The Sonesta Maho Beach resort & Casino in St. Maarten has a new "Free Wedding Package" that's valid through 2010. Brides and grooms who book at least 10 rooms on the resort's all-inclusive plan get a free wedding with the works, including a wedding consultant, a customized cocktail reception and celebration dinner, the reception and dinner venues, a marriage license (always a good idea), plus an open bar (woo-hoo!) during the event, a custom wedding cake, sparkling wine for the toasts and more.

All-inclusive rates start at $174 U.S. per person per night, based on double occupancy and not including service charges and taxes. Email Sonesta at weddings@mahobeach.com or telephone 602-904-5584.

OIL PRICES RISING AGAIN...AND NIA VARDALOS' TIPS FOR GREECE

Sheesh. Just when we thought it was safe to go back to the airport, here comes another rise in fuel prices. The price of oil jumped three per cent today and is now at a seven-month high of $70 U.S. a barrel.

Which can only mean higher prices at the pump (getting expensive to fill up again, isn't it ,folks?) and perhaps higher airline costs. This likely is good news for southern Ontario tourism people, who might find the locals are re-thinking big trips and focussing instead on using less precious gasoline.

Lord knows there are enough places near Toronto for most of us to find something we like; everything from quiet brooks and lovely golf courses to luscious spas and sparkling beaches. With that in mind, look to thestar.com/travel starting next week for more stories on vacationing or day tripping in and around southern Ontario.

We'll also be adding other features, including some interesting and fun top-10 travel lists. Stay tuned to thestar.com/travel next week for more.

MY BIG, FAT GREEK GUIDEBOOK

Okay, it wasn't all that fat and it's not really a guidebook. But Canada's Nia Vardalos was kind enough to offer up some of her thoughts on Greek tourism to USA Today the other day.

Vardalos, who plays an American tour guide in the romantic comedy My Life in Ruins, has made some 15 trips to Greece over the years. Much of the new film takes place in Delphi, Athens and Olympia, which she says (I never heard this) form an ancient triangle, with each being 121 kilometres from one another.

Anyway, here's what she said:

Delphi: "I love Delphi, It's the birthplace of the hippie, of celebrating, drinking and dancing. I am a bit of a hippie. I love the hills of it and the quiet and the solitude. I love how hushed the tourists are when they're walking through there. Very reverential."

Olympia: "What I love about Olympia is the reverence for the human body. It was the first celebration of your personal best."

Athens: "Acropolis for me is the impossible, built there at the top of the hill. They lugged those beautiful pieces up and erected the columns. Each of the columns curves just slightly, so when you look at it's straight. It's a mathematical miracle."

Plaka: "Plaka is shoes, coffee and flirting."

All of which makes me wonder how things are going over in Athens. I enjoyed the Olympics a lot but 2004 was an awfully long time ago and I haven't been back since. You can't beat the Plaka, and I really enjoyed a couple hours in the hills of the city in one of those slightly tony neighborhoods: I think it was Kifissia.

A couple of Star folks and I also took a great day-trip to Hydra to unwind after it was all over. But I wonder about the baseball stadium and the whitewater rafting course and the rowing course and what they're doing with those and other "improvements" made to the city to host the Games.

 

A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT...CARLA BRUNI...CRUISES ON REBOUND?

My Dad's looking for a reasonably-priced place to stay while in Vernon, B.C. in August. I told him that last year I stayed at the Best Western Vernon Lodge and Conference Centre, which has a really cool atrium with tropical plants from all over the world - even bananas - and an actual river running through the place.

There's a river/creek that runs from Swan Lake into Okanagan Lake and Kalamalka Lake and the hotel was built right over the top back in, I believe, the 1970s. Naturally, the river's encased in rock, but it flows with remarkable speed just a few feet outside the window of some of the rooms, and it's pretty unusual.

I told my Dad about the place but he didn't see the picture of the river on the website so sent me a note asking me, firmly but politely, if I was sure I had the right one. I told him you can see the atrium on the website but not the river and I think that he now believes me.

Maybe.

It IS fun to be in a position to travel a bit and to recommend places to people. You just pray that they like them as well as you do, which isn't always the case.

CRUISE NEWS

Cruise bookings are beginning to pick up and prices are starting to solidify, cruise executives said at the recent 27th Annual Travel Trade Show in New York, Travel Trade reports.

"Royal Caribbean ships are sailing full, though at low prices, but on board spending is strong," said RCI vice president of sales Ken Muskatup.

Carnival Northeast regional VP Kirk Neal said Carnival ships are sailing full though at low prices.

I've only taken one cruise; a family trip on Royal Caribbean a few years back. I was surprised how much I liked it, actually. It was a huge ship and our kids had a wonderful time and I didn't have to look at my maps everyday to find out where we were going (although I did).

QUEEN SOFIA ... AND CARLA BRUNI

Not sure I get all the cultural references, but writer Peter Preston had a wonderfully acerbic piece in the Guardian on the weekend, alternately admiring (kind of) and railing against Ryanair for its pay to pee idea and other policies.

He makes some pretty good points. But my favourite bit was about Queen Sofia of Spain flying on Ryanair to visit London.

After noodling around on the web for a second, I found that we here in North America (well, me anyway) missed a good story. It seems the wife of King Juan Carlos DID hop on board a 13-pound flight (about $20 Canadian; less than a taxi would cost you from downtown to Pearson Airport) from Spain to London to visit family.

It probably made the Spanish taxpayer feel pretty good about the royals' frugality, but it seems Ryanair took things a bit far and used Sofia's picture in one of their ads; without her permission. They've since apologized and apparently donated about $7,500 Cdn. to charity.

(Apparently Ryanair did something similar last year with French president Sarkozy and his wife, Carla Bruni; not that a picture of her would sell anything.)

The Spanish royal family says they try to fly on Spanish airlines but that Ryanair worked better for Queen Sofia on this occasion and that it was the first time they'd used Ryanair. Probably the last, too.

CHINA FLIGHTS CUT

US airlines are postponing or reducing services to China as air travel slumps due to the global economic slowdown, AFP reports.

Of the six non-stop China-US services approved in 2007, only Delta Air Lines' Atlanta-Shanghai route and Continental Airlines' Newark-Shanghai route are in operation, AFP said, quoting a story in the China Daily.

"All US carriers serving China have experienced much less favourable market conditions than were generally expected," said Delta in its request to cut the number of weekly flights between Atlanta and Shanghai, according to the report.

Northwest Airlines has delayed its Detroit-Shanghai service, while American Airlines has put off its Chicago-Beijing service until next year, it said.

NEWFOUNDLAND CALLING...AND PAY TO PEE ON RYANAIR?

I admit it; I've got a real soft spot for Newfoundland.

I was invited to the Rock a couple years ago; mostly to see the Humber Valley Golf Resort (which, sadly, has gone under due to economic problems). I didn't want to go to Newfoundland (sorry, Newfoundland and Labrador) for the first time in my life and only see Humber Valley and the Deer Lake region, so I opted to fly into St. John's and rent a car and do some exploring and golfing along the way.

And you know all those things they say about Newfoundlanders being fun and easy and welcoming and delightful? They're all true. I remember going for a walk behind some typically ramshackle but lovely seaside homes near Twillingate and going up towards a beautiful hill bedecked with bright yellow flowers and tumbledown, grey fences and thinking, 'uh, oh, I'm trespassing.' A guy on a truck rolled by and I started to apologize. He looked at me like I was nuts and said something like, 'Walk wherever you like.'

I remember seeing a bunch of lawn ornaments at one particular home not far from Twillingate and being absolutely bowled over by the owner. He had a stunning garden with flowers of all kinds, but he'd also built wooden cutouts of Daffy Duck and Homer Simpson and all the Winnie the Pooh characters. He had built wooden figures of sawmill workers, and when the wind blew the figures moved back and forth like a lumberjack hewing through a huge maple or fir tree.

He wore a big old ballcap and had a great accent and proudly spoke of how he'd been featured in newspapers all over the world, "Including the Down 'omer." Can't remember his name, but somewhere at home on my computer I've got great photos of his yard.

I went for some glorious walks on Cape Spear and, especially, at a small park across the harbour from Twillingate near the Long Point lighthouse. Beautiful, breathtaking country.

Anyway, I mention this because the folks at Newfoundland tourism have got a few good deals they'd like to point out. Maxxim Vacations has a lighthouse tour that starts at 7 nights for $1,617, with unlimited car rental mileage (a good thing as Newfoundland is FAR larger than you might think and rentals are expensive). Also, CapeRace Cultural Adventures was recently singled out by National Geographic Traveler magazine as a great package. 10-day packages start at around $1,500 U.S. And Vision Atlantic has a six-night tour focussing on movies such as The Shipping News and Rare Birds, an unheralded but quite amusing flick with William Hurt.

You also can go to newfoundlandandlabrador.com for more information.

FROM TWILLINGATE TO TOILETGATE

Uh, oh. Seems like Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary might not have been joking when he floated a "pay to pee" project on his European aircraft.

The Guardian of London says O'Leary claims he's serious about charging customers one pound (about a buck-80 Canadian) to use the loo on Ryanair flights.

He says it could starts within two years and that he's asked Boeing to see if they could put machines on board so folks could use their credit cards instead of having to carry cash. Pretty thoughtful; and you get credit card points at the same time!

 

 

AIR CANADA-EMIRATES FIGHT, AUSSIE DEALS AND JAMAICA HOTEL

Probably they don't enjoy it much, but it's always amusing to see a good battle between the big airlines.

 

The head of the Air Canada Pilots Association was recently quoted as saying that allowing Emirates Airline to expand their operations in Canada might force Air Canada into bankruptcy. Emirates flies three times a week from Dubai to Toronto and wants to have daily flights. They also want to get

into Calgary and Vancouver.

 

“It's totally ludicrous to lay some of the blame at the door of Emirates. It's complete and utter nonsense,” Tim Clark, president of Emirates Airline, told the Globe and Mail.

 

Air Canada spokesman Peter Fitzpatrick said the issue with Emirates expansion is that there's "no reciprocal benefit to Canadian carriers or Canada."

 

DOWN UNDER DEALS

 

The Australian dollar is down to about 88 cents versus the suddenly-strong loonie. More important to Canadians is that resorts across Australia are offering discounts of around 30 per cent, which makes it a good time to travel to Oz.

 

We don't see them up here (see above item), but an expansion of airlines serving Australia from North America also is helping make things more affordable. V Australia, a new airline from Richard Branson, has been flying between Sydney and Los Angeles since February, with return flights from $729 U.S.

 

“There will probably never be a better time to visit Australia in your lifetime,” said Robbert J. van Bloemendaal, president of the Travel Leaders office in Rowlett, Texas. “Last year, the best you could do, depending on the season, was about $900 U.S. with a normal discount economy fare, to

about $1,500” for a round-trip fare. This year, he said, he has seen one-way fares “as low as $299.’’

 

Qantas has been offering its Aussie AirPass, which includes an international round-trip ticket and three domestic Australian flights, for as low as $999 U.S. Virgin Blue also has air pass deals.

 

The cheapest ticket we could find on Air Canada for Toronto to Sydney on June 26 and returning July 6 was a whopping, $2,300 Canadian, including all taxes and fees. If you wanted to fly United and stop in both Chicago and L.A. on the way and way back you could buy a ticket on Expedia today for $1,510 Cdn., which is a lot better.

 

KINGSTON CHANGES

 

The Spanish Court Hotel is to open in Kingston, Jamaica on June 14. According to Travel Weekly, it's the first new hotel in the nation's capital in 40 long years.

 

The Spanish Court is said to have 107 rooms, with free wifi in the rooms, local furnshings, an infinity-edge lap pool, a cocktail bar, a gym and more.

 

The hotel is located on the site of the former Spanish Court shopping centre.

 

 

NEW PEARSON HOTEL, U.S. NATIONAL PARKS DEAL, MIDLAND FEST

Hotel Indigo today announced the opening of the Hotel Indigo Toronto Airport and plans for its third Canadian property in Vancouver, which will open just in time for the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Hotel Indigo Toronto features "plush bedding, hard-surface flooring with area rugs, a spa-inspired bath experience, and complimentary high-speed Internet access in guestrooms and public spaces.  Additionally, the hotel has almost 2,000 square feet of meeting space for business functions and special events, a 24-hour business center, a sauna and indoor swimming pool, and a well-equipped fitness studio," officials said.

Never seen one, but it's always good to have more options in T.O.

Hotel Indigo Ottawa was the first such property in Canada, opening in 2007.

AMERICAN TUNE

 

Good idea here: The U.S. National Park Service is waiving entrance fees at 147 national parks and monuments on three weekends this summer. The weekends are June 20-21, July 18-19 and August 15-16.

 

The deals count for everything from the big boys like the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone and Yosemite to smaller places, including former American presidents' home. Officials say the lost revenue will be offset by an increase in numbers of people spending on other items in the park or near it, in restaurants, gift shops, etc....

 

The waiver is only for entrance fees and doesn't mean free camping, concessions, tours or other items. Still, it's a welcome move and one that would be wise to follow up on here in Canada.

 

Just for the record, your crack Star travel team did a quick check on the U.S. national park service wwebsite today (www.nps.gov) and found hundreds of parks to choose from. The closest to us here in Toronto? Niagara Falls, (New York), naturally. There also are U.S. national parks in other parts of New York State (Erie Canal, Statue of Liberty, etc....), as well as Michigan, Ohio and other nearby states.

 

ABORIGINAL FEST IN MIDLAND

 

Sainte-Marie among the Hurons up Midland way will celebrate First Nations Heritage with its Aboriginal Festival Saturday and Sunday, June 13-14 and on National Aboriginal Day, Sunday June 21.

 

Among the First Nations performers and artists will be John Somosi, a singer and drummer from Hanover, the Red Spirit Drum and Dance Group and the Christian Island Hand Drum Group. Activities include lacrosse, basket-making, historic fire-starting and cooking. Call (705) 526-7838.

 

 

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BIG BEN

 

No idea Sunday was the 150th birthday of London's Big Ben, which has to be the most photographed clock tower in the world. AP has a video on the old girl (guy, we suppose, if you want to get technical).