Toronto's record tourism numbers: increased luxury trips, more from India, China

Last year was a pretty good year for tourism around the world.

New York City eclipsed the 50 million mark for the first time ever, luring 50.5 million visitors. Los Angeles also set a record, with more than 27 million. Hawaii attracted 7.3 million visitors, shy of their 2006 record but a solid four percentage points higher than 2010.

So it's probably no surprise that The Big Smoke sold more than 9 million hotel rooms for the first time ever. Our actual tourism numbers - roughly 10 million - were about the same, rising 1.8 per cent from 9,655,297 in 2010 to an estimated 9,827,318 last year.

(Officials explained that they only have the first half of 2011 figures from StatsCan, so they have to estimate the numbers. Because the media likes to analyze things quickly, they release estimates in January versus waiting months and months for true year-end numbers. In fact, I was told they only got the final 2010 numbers a couple weeks ago).

The good thing is that more folks stayed overnight and pumped money into our tourism industry than before. Tourism Toronto statistics show 6.4 million of our 10 million visitors were Canadians, an increase of about 0.6 per cent from 2010. Almost 80 per cent of those are from Ontario. Quebec accounted for 10.2 per cent of Canadian visits, while Alberta was at 3.3 per cent. You'd think B.C. might equal Alberta but Alberta folks likely are here more for business.

Toronto saw a 2.7 per cent increase in overnight visitors from the U.S. last year, despite the Canadian dollar being roughly at par. That's pretty good, when you consider we used to sell the city and our 80 cent dollar as a big advantage.

But those days are long gone. Toronto  now sells itself as an urban destination on its own, with remarkably restaurants, cutting-edge bars, increasingly stylish architecture (about time) and tons of sleek, new hotel rooms - including the about to open Trump tower as well as the Ritz Carlton and the soon-to-open Shangri-La.

"Toronto has a new lustre among sophisticated U.S. travellers, illustrated by its inclusion as one of Travel + Leisure magazine's 'Hottest Destinations in 2012," said David Whitaker, President and CEO of Tourism Toronto.

The 2.7 per cent hike in overnight U.S. visitors marks the first time that number has risen since 2006.

We used to get a lot of families coming over from Cleveland or Buffalo. We still do, but last year the number of air arrivals to Toronto from the U.S. grew 6.7 per cent. That means urban types are coming, and they tend to stay longer and spend more when they're here. Which is good for the local economy.

It looks to me like Toronto has dropped in the number of daytime visitors from the U.S. Stats show arrivals to Ontario by car are down about five per cent, but nobody keeps track of how many cars are headed for Toronto specifically. Giving up daytimers for overnight stays is a good trade off , although tourism folks obviously would like ALL numbers to increase.

The U.S. accounted for just more than 2 million visitors in 2011, officials said. Next on the list of international visitors was the U.K, with 191,300 visits. That's down 2.6 per cent.

But Chinese visitors jumped 34.5 per cent to 154,100. Another year like that and China could eclipse the UK as Toronto's second biggest foreign market. And wouldn't THAT be an interesting development.

"They probably will (surpass the UK)," Tourism Toronto spokesperson Andrew Weir told me today. "It's amazing."

One other tidbit I'll try to examine later shows that more folks are arriving from California than ever before. Weir said California has overtaken all states but New York in terms of air arrivals into Toronto. We still get a lot of day trips from Buffalo, and Weir said that's great. But he also said more folks are arriving by air from Manhattan, which probably means they have a bit more jingle in their pockets.

Fourth on the international visiting list (after the U.S., the UK and China) was India at 75,200, an increase of 13.2 per cent. After that came Germany (down slightly), France (up 1.3 per cent), Japan (down a touch), Italy (up 9.3 per cent), Brazil (up 9.2 per cent) and South Korea (down just a hair).

Overseas visitors now account for 14 per cent of all visits to Toronto, officials said.

Toronto sold 9,181,769 hotel room-nights last year, up from 8,928,958 in 2010. That's a 2.8 per cent increase.

Hotel room supply in town jumped by 1,118 last year, giving the city more than 37,000 rooms in total. The growth rate in Toronto in 2011 was third-highest in North America, being eclipsed only by New York (which is going gangbusters) and Nashville.

New luxury hotels are sprouting up all over Toronto, with representation from the likes of Thompson, Le Germain Maple Leaf Square and the aforementioned Trump, Ritz-Carlton and Shangri-La properties. The new Four Seasons in Yorkville also is being built, and those hotels will continue to attract tourists with money to spend on theatre tickets, sporting events, restaurants, bars, clothing shops and even hot dog stands and Dairy Queen's.

 

 

 

 

Maui not resting on its tourism laurels ...Neither is Bal Harbour, Florida

It's almost always named top island in the world by the big tourist magazines. But Maui isn't letting the attention get to its head.

The Hawaiian island continues to make improvements; adding wine and food festivals, upgrading hotels, and adding new cultural attractions or romance packages.

The Maui tourism folks say the number of Canadian visitors were up 15.2 per cent in the first 11 months of 2011, to nearly 196,000 people. Nice.

Before I go any further on Maui, I should offer a disclaimer. I've been going on a regular basis since I was a little kid, and I absolutely love the place. I love the people. I love the Hawaiian culture. I'm a sucker for Hawaiian music, even when I can't understand the words. I love the beaches. I love the fresh fish. I love the golf. I love the fact you can drive to the top of an enormous volcano and drive through desert-like conditions and two hours later - if not less - be in the middle of a jungle with towering, orange African tulip trees dripping with moisture and the sound of waterfalls outside your car window. You can be at a perfect, tropical beach and, 20 minutes later be "upcountry" in Makawao, eating a Portuguese pastry and walking streets filled with cowboys and stores selling giant belt buckles and rich-looking saddles.

I've always been a bit of a Maui nut, which is probably why the tourism bureau took pity on me and gave me their annual Kalama award last week for helping talk about their culture and way of life. It IS a tremendous culture, that of Hawaii and Maui. There's rich history, with epic battles and fierce kings and kindness to strangers intent on stealing their land. There's a wonderful story-telling tradition that goes back centures. There are hugely colourful people; folks like Grammy-award-winning singer George Kahumoku Jr. and singer-songwriter Cody Pueo Pata.

Cody is a bit of a travelling ambassador for Maui. He started a tourism board meeting in Toronto last week with a deep, booming welcome chant and then sang a song about ice hockey that he'd written especially for the occasion. And that's not something you're likely to hear when the folks from, say, Slovakia or Burma come to town.

Anyway, it was quite something. The information passed along to journalists at the session is far too meaty to fit into a travel blog, but here are some highlights I took away:

The Sea House restaurant at the wonderful Napili Kai Beach Resort (that's it in the photo above left), which is on perhaps the best beach in the world, Napili, was given the award last year for the best breakfasts on the entire island. Not only is the food great all day long, it's perhaps the only restaurant/bar on Maui that fronts directly onto the beach. You can sit at a beachside table and the silky waters of the Pacific are perhaps 20 feet away. Sheer perfection, with great snorkeling, swimming and body-surfing and killer sunsets. Wednesday nights they do a Masters of Slack Key guitar, with folks like the remarkable George Kahumoku on stage for singing and storytelling. Don't miss it.

Ka'anapali Beach not only has great shopping, food and hotels (I love the very Hawaiian Ka'anapali Beach Hotel but the Westin and Hyatt also get great reviews), but they have a number of events that are free or cost less than $25. They do nightly torch-lighting along the beach, and there's also cliff-diving (which I've somehow never seen) and more. At the Hyatt, they'll take you up on the roof for a "couples stargazing" event, complete with chocolate-covered strawberries and champagne.  The first-ever Ka'anapali food and wine festival, called Ka'anapali Fresh, will take place around Labour Day weekend this year. The Westin at Ka'anapali has added outrigger canoe rides, which I highly recommend. They also have Hatha Yoga and even belly-dancing lessons for teenagers. And, on Fourth of July, instead of shooting off fireworks they have a helicopter hover overhead and drop 50,000 orchids on the property and the pool area, and how romantic is that?

Down in Wailea, they have an outdoor film festival on the driving range, and they'll be doing a restaurant week in May and November with specially-priced meals. Proceeds will help a local food bank, which is terrific. And they'll have a wine and food festival of their own later this year. They're also big on civil unions for the LGBT crowd down at the Grand Wailea, a fabulous resort with a great pool (see photo at right) that features waterslides and rope swings and incredibly luscious grounds, right on a great stretch of beach. They've beefed up the spa as well and, in honour of their 20th anniversary, have a 20-hands massage treatment that sounds out of this world. Add in the new Amasia restaurant by Alan Wong, reportedly President Obama's favourite chef, and there's lots of reasons to check out Wailea.

Just a minute or two down the road is the lovely Makena resort area, a tad quieter and a little less brash than Wailea. The Makena Beach and Golf Resort has packages with free breakfast, free parking and no resort fees. They do wedding packages and have free bikes you can use. They even have a constellation night with campfires and iPads so you can learn about the stars.

Maui's tourism board also include the neighbouring islands of Moloka'i and Lana'i. Moloka'i has the only fringe reef in the United States, a massive, 28-mile long affair that stretches along a wide part of the island. There are no traffic lights and only a couple resorts on the island, which is a real throwback to a simpler way of life. Definitely worth checking out. It's the site of the famous leper colony where Father Damien did such remarkable work. They're adding new flights to the Kalaupapa peninsula, too, so it'll be easier to get there in the future. It's a stunning piece of greenery that lies alongside massive sea cliffs, with pounding surf and a real South Pacific feel to it.

Over on Lanai, things are a little more fancy. There's a small hotel in the tiny town of Lana'i (the Hotel Lana'i) that's quite charming, but most folks stay at the Four Seasons Lodge at Koele, an English-style getaway nestled in the cooler hillsides and surrounded by towering trees, or at the beachside Four Seasons Manele Bay, where you can dine on incredible Asian cuisine and swim in a quiet bay with a pack of wild dolphins. A simply magical experience. You also can rent UTV (ultimate terrain vehicles) or hike or cycle or go horseback riding or even hunting. And the golf courses at both Four Seasons resorts are among the best on Hawaii.

BAL HARBOUR BOOST

The new St. Regis Bal Harbour resort in Bal Harbour, Fla. is drawing attention to this enclave just north of Miami Beach. The property is a stunner that's right on the beach and right across the street from the glitzy Bal Harbour shops.

The hotel (see photo) features a Jean-Georges restaurant and all 243 rooms feature glass-enclosed balconies with "floor to ceiling panoramic ocean views and the brand's signature white-glove butler service."

The waterfront Bal Harbour Quarzo is a boutique hotel that opened just a year ago, with 29 condo-sized suites with full kitchens. There's also The Sea View Hotel for families or the ONE Bal Harbour Resort and Spa, which opened in 2009.

Top dining options include Makot by Stephen Starr, Mister Collins for oceanfront dining, a caviar and French wine bar called Savarin and the J and G Grill, which is the Jean-Georges restaurant.

They have an expansive cultural program, including fitness classes on the beach, a beach camp for kids and even movies on the beach, featuring the likes of Harry Potter, Casablanca, Indiana Jones and Midnight in Paris.

 

 

 

 

 

Toronto-NewYork airline wars: fun to see but how much will consumers benefit?

The fight for the Big Apple is on.

The smackdown started Wednesday when Air Canada announced it was launching three-times daily, non-stop folights between Toronto Pearson and John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, starting May 3. It also said it was increasing to every hour (14 in all, actually) its flights from YYZ to LaGuardia Airport in New York.

Friday morning, WestJet upped the ante - big time - when it announced that all eight of the landing/takeoff slots it won late last year at LaGuardia (and paid dearly for) would be used for flights in and out of Toronto Pearson. They'll start with seven flights a day on June 4 and add an eighth non-stop on July 12.

A few hours after that missive came a "watch this" note from Porter Airlines, saying they were adding two more flights a day between the Toronto Island Airport and Newark International in New Jersey, a short Metro/tram/train ride from Manhattan. That brings the number of daily flights from the island to Newark to 13. Porter also said it's providing more convenient morning, afternoon and evening departure times, although I haven't seen details.

The first new Porter flight starts March 26, with a second flight beginning April 16. They also said they'll have additional weekend options as of March 25 but, again, no details were provided.

New York, of course, is a huge business market. As is Toronto. And WestJet has been carefully cultivating business travelers. In addition to the New York flights, they've increased service between Toronto-Montreal and Toronto-Ottawa. Air Canada, of course, now flies to Montreal out of the island airport in Toronto and has been offering some of the same freebies that made Porter's name, including free alcoholic drinks on board those flights.

It's terribly fun to watch. And certainly it's going to make New York even more attractive and convenient. Hotwire.com did a study (see Saturday's Travel section for details) recently and found that Canadians were searching for great Family Day deals for New York more than they were for any other city. New YOrk City's tourism folks just announced this week that they exceeded expectations and drew 50.5 million visitors last year; the highest mark ever.

As I said, these extra flights certainly make it even easier to get to the New York area. Air Canada's peak schedule (as of May 3) will have 14 flights a day from Toronto to LaGuardia, six a day to Newark and three daily to JFK for 23 in all. WestJet is adding eight Toronto-LaGuardia flights, while Porter announced 13 daily flights are coming soon.

That means a total of 44 flights a day from the Big Smoke to the Big Apple, or nearby airports. And that's just on the Canadian-based airlines. You also can use the likes of United, Continental, American and Delta to get to the New York area from Toronto.

It's amusing to read how the three Canadian airlines try to distinguish themselves pat themselves on the back.

Air Canada says it's "strengthening (its) leading position in New York City" and points out that its hourly New York flights are "ideally-suited for business travelers." They also point out folks can access Maple Leaf or Star Alliance lounges and note that the flights from Toronto to LaGuardia and Newark feature Executive Class "the only Canadian airline offering business class service."

WestJet isn't letting the challenge go unheeded. They call themselves "Canada's favourite airline" and says the new Toronto-New York flights "will offer business and leisure travelers alike the convenience, comfort and affordability they've been looking for."

WestJet says fares starting at $49 (plus taxes and fees) will be available starting Monday, Jan. 30 at www.westjet.com or by calling 1-888-WESTJET or talking to your travel agent. With taxes and fees, WestJet's Robert Palmer said, it would be $136 each way, or $272 round trip. That's an excellent price. I checked on Air Canada and it was about $385 return in late June. Porter, without any promotion codes, was about $475 return.

For its part, Porter trumpets that it has "the fastest available travel time between downtown Toronto and downtown Manhattan." They also say their service from Toronto Island to Newark "provides the most convenient access to New York's financial district," which I'm not quite sure about. Then again, it's vague enough that it would be hard to dispute.

Porter also brags about its "luxurious airport lounges" (they ARE quite nice), Starbucks coffee, premium snacks (the shortbreads and oatmeal cookies are quite good at the Island Airport) and wine or beer on board.

I'm not sure Air Canada or Porter will match the WestJet $49 fare. I got a note shortly before noon from Peter Fitzpatrick at Air Canada and was rather vague, which makes me think they're not going to try to match the fare, at least not at this point.

"As you know our policy is to be competitive in every market we serve but I cannot get into details about possible future pricing," he wrote in an email. "It is worth noting that price is not the only consideration, for example, for a business traveler schedule is very important, and we have the best schedule with the most flights and options for NYC. There are other factors too, such as the availability of executive class and related services, lounges, flight passes, Aeroplan and our Star Alliance partners for connections etc...."

 

New York tourism just keeps growing, but 2011 also a record year for L.A.

The folks in New York tourism oughta be embarrassed.

Here they were, back in early December of last year, announcing to the world that they almost certainly would finish 2011 with visits from 50.2 million visitors. So what happened? Ha! NYC and Company, the official marketing and tourism group, goofed up. In fact, they attracted 50.5 million - 300,000 more camera-toting, hotel-staying, drink-guzzling, taxi-taking and museum-going tourists than they had thought.

Naturally, this is a good problem to have. The 50.5 (NOT 50.2) million figure included 40.2 million domestic visitors and 10.3 million folks from outside the U.S. - most impressive. Overall, it's a 3.5 per cent hike over the 48.8 million visitors in 2010.

Warm weather at the end of December (no kidding) is being cited as one reason for an influx of folks at the end of 2011.

If you haven't been in a while, it's quite something to see New York these days. The hotel scene has exploded, the food and drink scene is livelier than ever, and there are new attractions opening all the time.

Things aren't quite as numerically impressive on the west coast. Still, the Los Angeles Convention and Visitors Bureau says the city attracted 26. 9 million visitors in 2011, an increase of 4.2 per cent from the year before. The actual number is barely half of New York,but the percentage increase from the previous year was higher, which is something of a bragging point, I suppose.

International visitors made up 5.9 per cent of visits; a seven per cent hike from 2010. International visitor spending, however, was up 12 per cent from 2010. Which possibly is why President Barack Obama is trying to loosen tourist visa rules and get even more folks into the U.S., especially wealthy tourists from Brazil and China.

Australia is the leading overseas market for L.A., but business from China jumped 25 per cent (although probably on a low base of actual visitors).

Visits from Canada to L.A. were up 13 per cent, which is quite significant.

Personally, I love Los Angeles. It helps that I went to university there way back when Roots was just starting its U.S. expansion (they were selling those reverse-hell, I think, shoes in Westwood Village in the mid 1970's). But I really think it gets a bad wrap. I read all these stupid stories from people about plastic surgery and movie stars, but I don't remember seeing a single movie star when I was in school.

Millions of Angelenos work and play golf and shop and go to the opera and, yes, go to the beach every day or go hiking in the mountains and don't give a rat's ass about celebrities or movie stars. L.A. is home, but they don't spend any more time lounging about the Beverly Hills Hotel looking for George Clooney than you or I do.

There are fantastic neighbourhoods, including Echo Park and Santa Monica and Manhattan Beach and Brentwood and more. There's also nearby communties such as Pasadena and lovely Laguna Beach to brag about. Not to mention incredible food, great weather (most of the time) and fine museums and art and concert halls and much more....

 

 

Canada-New York airline wars/Fewer Pearson screeners/Oscars and travel

Hoo,boy. This is gonna be fun.

Air Canada today announced it will launch three-times daily, non-stop flights between Toronto Pearson and New York City's John F. Kennedy International Airport, starting May 3, and that it will increase its flights from YYZ to LaGuardia in New York so they run on an hourly basis.

Air Canada trumpeted the moves in a press release this morning, saying that "the new services further secure Air Canada's position as the leading airline serving New York City and makes it the only carrier that operates to all three major New York City area airports: John F. Kennedy International Airport, LaGuardia Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport. Air Canada, which began flying to New York 71 years ago, will operate up to 38 non-stop return flights a day between Canada and New York City this summer."

That's a ton of folks heading to New York. But it's no surprise. I got a report from hotwire.com on Tuesday that showed the number one city Canadians were searching for family day getaways next month was New York.

For those who may have missed it, WestJet a while back was awarded the right to operate eight round-trips daily out of LaGuardia. WestJet is using those coveted slots, which it paid a bundle for, to increase its U.S. presence and to attract more business travellers. They already serve Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, as does Porter (from the Toronto Island airport). But LaGuardia is the biggest prize in the Big Apple, for sure.

It all makes for a very entertaining "air war" in the crucial Toronto-New York hub.

Air Canada's release today said that by adding JFK (albeit on 50-seat aircraft), "Air Canada will provide customers with the most frequencies, widest choice of airports and greatest convenience of all airlines flying between New York and Canada. The flights are timed so customers can easily connect at our Toronto hub to other destinations in our extensive domestic and international network, such as Tokyo, Shanghai and Beijing. All eligible customers will also be able to collect and redeem Aeroplan miles," said Ben Smith, Executive Vice-President and Chief Commercial Officer at Air Canada.

"Air Canada's New York service, with hourly flights, is ideally-suited for business travelers. Customers will have a choice of three airports across the New York City region, the option to purchase flight passes, access to Maple Leaf or Star Alliance partner lounges at all airports with priority ground services where applicable. In addition, Air Canada flights to LaGuardia and Newark feature Executive Class; the only Canadian airline offering business class service," officials boasted.

"Beginning May 1, 2012, Air Canada will add an additional daily return flight between Toronto and LaGuardia, providing customers convenient hourly service each business day. The new Toronto-JFK service will be operated by Air Canada Express using a 50-seat CRJ regional jet. The JFK flights will have early morning, afternoon and evening arrivals and departures," officials said.

With the new services, Air Canada will operate a total of up to 38 return flights a day to the New York metropolitan area from Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Calgary and Vancouver. Any way you look at it,that's a TON of folks. If New York doesn't boost its tourism numbers again in 2012, at least they won't have Canada to blame.

COMING SOON TO PEARSON - FEWER SCREENERS!

Unbelievable.

The folks at the Greater Toronto Airports Authority are constantly trying to make Pearson a better place. I think they've made some bad moves in the past, including building terminals where there's almost NOTHING for folks to do while they wait for friends and family to arrive. And don't get me started on baggage wait times.

But they've added free wi-fi and, just the other day, a couple new restaurants, including a Thai place (about time). Things are improving, for sure.

So now comes word that the number of screeners is going to be cut by 20 per cent. Yeah, that's right. CUT by 20 per cent.

In fairness, I would say that long lines at the screening stage aren't among the biggest problems at Pearson. Long lines at customs are another story, as are the aforementioned wait times for luggage. From what I've seen, the wait times for the screening process at Pearson aren't any worse than any other airport, and they're far shorter than, say, Los Angeles.

Still, it's pretty disturbing to see where Garda Security Solutions, a privately held company that supplies screeners at Pearson, is cutting back. A story in The Star's Greater Toronto section today by reporter Josh Tapper quotes an official with the Canadian Airport Workers Union as saying that 63 folks will be laid off permanently, and another 236 will get reduced hours.

It's a 20 per cent cut, Tapper wrote, at a time when business is on the upswing. And March break isn't far away.

In fairness, the GTAA isn't in charge of security. That headache falls to the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority, which handles such matters at all Canadian airports.

Folks from Garda weren't commenting yesterday. A spokesman for CATSA said it's not his company's role to advise or direct the way screening contractors manage their workforce.

Trinity-Spadina MP Olivia Chow said the layoffs will almost certainly affect security.

"There's absolutely no excuse to lay off airport screeners," she said.

OSCAR TRAVELS THE WORLD

A nice piece in USA Today this morning on how you can see the world through Oscar's eyes.

Two particular Oscar-nominated films come to my mind with real travel connections: The Descendants and Midnight in Paris.

The Descendants shows Hawaii in all her glory, especially the "Garden Isle" of Kauai. Most of the film takes place up near Hanalei Bay, a gorgeous stretch of beach that's backed by a verdant, impossibly green valley and a long, spiky ridge of deep-green mountains that pierce the sky in true South Pacific-looking fashion. It's a quiet spot but with elegant hotels, a fun little "town" and great golf at the Princeville Resort. There's also incredible hiking, great snorkeling and more.

Parts of the film also showcase Honolulu, although not as much as Kauai, and also show off a bit of the Big Island (ditto).

It's been in theatres a lot longer, but another travel-worthy film is Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris. It showcases the Paris of long ago, but it's quite easy to get in the mood in the Paris of today.

One great spot to check out is Le Bristol, a glorious hotel near the Champs Elysees where a good deal of the movie takes place. I had the good fortune of staying there a year and a bit ago and it was truly outstanding. Even if you can only afford a drink at the bar, and that'll cost a pretty Euro or two, it's worth checking out.

Also with travel connections is The Help, filmed in the Delta towns of Greenwood and Clarksdale and Jackson - where you can plot a driving tour of downtown and the city's historic Belhaven neighbourhood, USA Today explains.

And don't forget Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, which is centred on 9/11 in New York City. The National Sept. 11 Memorial opened in lower Manhattan last Sept. 12 and already has attracted more than a million visitors.

War Horse is attracting folks to Devon and Dartmoor in England, and they already have tours set up where you can see where some of the film was shot.

There's also Moneyball, but even a Toronto travel editor who was born in Oakland and raised watching the Oakland Raiders play football at the Oakland Coliseum wouldn't suggest a visit to such a dreary stadium. Unless the Blue Jays happen to be in town, that is, in which case you could probably get a ticket behind home plate and be one of maybe 5,000 fans in the ballpark.

 

 

One billion tourists around the world this year ... How many will Haiti get?

Two thought-provoking items landed in my in-box on Monday within minutes of each other. To be honest, I'm not sure I can do them justice.

The first story was an Al Jazeera piece about how the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) is predicting ONE BILLION international tourists across the globe this year.

That's absolutely stunning, isn't it? ONE BILLION PEOPLE in ONE YEAR ALONE, hopping into planes and trains and cars and buses and motorcycles and making international trips.

It wasn't that long ago that making a trip out of one's own province was a pretty big deal. Hard to imagine now, in an age where kids jet off to India or Sweden or England for months of university study, then backpack about the world without batting an eyelash.

The UNWTO report  says international tourist arrivals were up to 980 million last year, an increase from 939 million in 2010. They predict the 1 billion mark will be smashed by November as tourism is expected to slow a bit this year.

Europe was the best performer in 2011, growing by six per cent and luring a whopping 503 million visitors. The report said some growth in southern Europe came because folks were avoiding parts of the Middle East and North Africa, which were suffering political and social problems. The Middle East, not surprisingly, was down eight per cent in tourism.

Asia and the Pacific visits were up 11 per cent to 216 million international tourists, with the most growth seen in South-East Asia (cheap prices, great beaches and more).

The Americas overall were up four per cent, led by a 10 per cent hike (for the second straight year) for South America.

Receipts and spending in the U.S. were up 12 per cent for 2011, even before they launch their big, global campaign in March of this year to attract more overseas visitors. Hong Kong spending jumped 25 per cent, while Spain was up nine per cent and the UK up seven per cent, the report said.

Big spenders around the globe included visitors from China (up 38 per cent), Brazil (32 per cent increase), India (ditto) and Russia (21 per cent), which is why American President Barack Obama was at Disney World the other day talking about making it even easier for folks from China, Brazil and other countries to get tourist visas for U.S. visits.

I didn't spot any figures for Canada, sad to say ...

HAITI DREAMING OF TOURISTS

Good item in the Washington Post the other day on how folks in Haiti are, understandably, desperate for tourism dollars. They went so far tthe other day as to bring in New York fashion designer Donna Karan of DKNY.

"We're trying to rebrand Haiti," said tourism minister Stephanie Balmir Villedrouin. "We're trying to raise the bar a little bit, and so we're bringing Donna here to help us with our vision."

There are plans to extend the main airport runway at Jacmel so they can get small jets in from Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Puerto Rico and Guadeloupe, the Post reported.

Jacmel (see photo) apparently was a pretty big deal in the late 1800s and some say the old town reminds them of the French Quarter in New Orleans.

Karan had her fall catalogue photos taken at the Hotel Florita in Jacmel. Manoir Alexandre, the most prominent building in town according to the Post, is being restored by an orthopedic surgeon from New York of Haitian descent.

It sounds promising. They certainly could use the help down there. But I've seen former U.S. President Bill Clinton arguing for more tourism in Haiti, too, and those arguments don't seem to have borne fruit.

 

Book your tickets six weeks ahead to save most ... Park Hyatt Wine/Food night

A very solid report from the Los Angeles Times today gives some very good advice on when we should be buying our airline tickets.

Passengers can get the lowest airfares if they buy six weeks before their flight, according to a study by Airlines Reporting Corp., an Arlington, Va., company that handles ticketing transactions between the nation's airlines and travel agents.

The study looked at millions of transactions for airline tickets over the last four years and found that passengers pay the lowest price, nearly 6 percent below the overall average fare, if they buy six weeks before their flight. That might not sound like a lot, but it would be $60 on a $1,000 flight. Multiply that by two people and it's a savings of $120.

The study also showed that ticket prices begin to soar dramatically about a week before the day of travel, and can rise nearly 40 percent above the average price if passengers buy the ticket on the day of the flight.

"We're not advising people to purchase tickets only at this time during the cycle as there is no guarantee they will receive the lowest price of the year," said Chuck Thackston, managing director of data and analytics for the firm. "It is just that the data indicates we have seen this pattern over the last four years."

PARK HYATT MASTERS OF FOOD AND WINE

Ever learned how to debone a Cornish hen? Spin sugar for a fancy dessert? Properly shuck an oyster or prepare rack of lamb? The Park Hyatt here in Toronto has something for you; a Masters of Food and Wine program that's a ton of fun - and educational, too.

For $125 per person, you get hands-on time in the Park Hyatt Hotel's kitchen up at Avenue Road and Bloor St. You'll learn all sorts of tricks from some of the city's top chefs; everything from stripping the "silverskin" off a rack of lamb (see photo; it's pretty tricky until you get used to it) to stuffing a cornish hen, depending on the menu. This comes while you nibble on yummy appetizers - and sip terrific sparkling wine provided by Chateau des Charmes.

Then comes a three-course dinner, complete with perfectly-matched wines, also from Chateau des Charmes. Folks last week were served smoked salmon, oysters Rockefeller (and regular style), crab cakes, stuffed Cornish hen and perfectly pink lamb, as well as other items and a trio of small desserts that inlcuded a thick, rich, molten chocolate cake. They served a brand-new Sauvignon Blanc, a 2007 Merlot and then a late harvest dessert wine.

"Park Hyatt’s Masters of Food and Wine is a series of sophisticated culinary and beverage experiences hosted at Park Hyatt locations around the world," said hotel GM Paul Verciglio. "Executive Chef Joan Monfaredi and her team here at the Park Hyatt Toronto enjoy providing this unique experience for our guests whereby they prepare intimate dinners and also become ‘masters’ of regional cuisine through engaging and interactive programming."

For more information, go to www.parkhyatttoronto.com.

 

 

Trip Advisor Canadian hotel rankings lean hard to B.C. - is something wrong?

I've always been leery of Trip Advisor ratings. Now I know why.

 

The Trip Advisor folks this week released a list of their top 25 hotels in Canada. No offence, but they're pretty wacky.

 

I'm not saying the properties they chose as the top three have anything wrong with them. Those, for the record, are L'Hermitage in Vancouver, Auberge Le Vincent in Quebec City and Echo Valley Ranch and Spa in Clifton, B.C..

 

No, nothing wrong with those as far as I know. It's just that, if you look down the list, it's incredibly skewed. Again, no offence, but eight of the top ten are in British Columbia; four of the top seven being in Vancouver. The only two in the top ten that aren't in B.C. are Quebec hotels. Number 11 is a Quebec hotel, then come two in Whistler, another in Vancouver and another in Whistler.

Not to be a homer, but it's not until you get to the 16th spot that you find the Harbour House Hotel in Niagara on the Lake - the first entry for the largest province in the country.

 

Toronto finally makes an appearance at #18, with Le Germain Maple Leaf Square. The other T.O. entries are the Cambridge Suites Hotel downtown at #21 and the new Ritz-Carlton on Wellington St. West at #22.

 

What's pretty obvious is that a lot of this is based either on folks from out west voting for their own, or folks from Ontario who tend not to stay in hotels in their own province and thus vote for properties out west.

 

It's also obvious that this is a popularity contest; much like the People's Choice awards. nothing wrong with that, I guess. But I'd rather hear from a panel of experts, personally.

 

If you ask the Canadian Automobile Association, which does a great job analyzing hotels across the country, there are only TWO five-diamond properties in Canada. One is the Ritz-Carlton, which came 22nd in the Trip Advisor list. The other is the Four Seasons in Whistler, which was #15 in Canada.

Another weird thing I noticed is the list of top 25 luxury hotels in the country. Shangri-La in Vancouver (a lovely spot) was first, followed a personal fave, Hotel Le St. James in Montreal (most attractive dining room in the country, hands down). The Fairmont Pacific Rim in Vancouver was third, followed by The Hazelton Hotel in Toronto. The Four Seasons, long considered tops in Canada, was number six. The Ritz-Carlton in Toronto didn't even make the top 25, however. And that's nuts.

 

It's somewhat understandable. The Ritz is pretty new. And most folks in Canada - or the U.S. for that matter - probably can't afford to spend hundreds of dollars a night at a five-diamond property. therefore, they aren't exposed to those hotels and, therefore, those hotels don't get many votes.

 

That explains how something like Le Germain Maple Leaf Square (see photo at right), which is fun and undoubtedly popular with hockey and basketball or concert fans owing to its direct access to the Air Canada Centre, comes out tops in Toronto. It's a fine hotel, with lots of gizmos in the rooms and a great bar and a terrific ambience. But it's not as nice as the original Le Germain on Mercer Street. Nor is it in the class of the Ritz-Carlton, which has earned raves around the world.

 

An even stronger example is the Cambridge Suites down on Richmond St.. I've been in one of the rooms as my dad stayed there a couple years ago. It was a good-sized room with a sitting area and a small cafe on the main floor. Lots of space, which is important to me when I travel. I don't care that much about luxury if I'm in town on business; I'd rather have room. The Cambridge Suites provides that, and it's affordable, so it makes sense that it's on the list. (Incidentally, they were listing a room for next Friday night the 27th for $169; very nice for a king-bed and an added sofa bed in the extra room. And it includes free wi-fi).

 

I suppose the lesson is that this is a narrow group of voters and that they're probably talking about value as much as stand-alone greatness. Which is fair enough. It doesn't matter how great the steak is at a Daniel Boulud restaurant, I'm not paying that kind of money for something I can make pretty well at home myself. And I don't care how nice the spa might be at the Ritz if I'm a $50,000 wage earner from Walkerton, I guess.

 

Anyway, I'm sure the folks out in B.C. can use the boost of having 15 of the top 25 hotels in Canada.

"I tripped into lifeboat" will go down in history, & Cheeseburger invented Pasadena?

It's a little funny. And quite tragic/sad, too.

First, the captain of the ill-fated Costa Cruise ship that ran aground in Italy said he ran over rocks that weren't on his chart. Then he finally admitted he had gone off course on purpose but thought it would be okay.

Now, which you must have heard by now, comes the clincher: "I tripped and fell into the lifeboat."

Really? Can't you just see it? There he is, sweat pouring down his cheeks as he lifts up old men in wheelchairs and hands them over the railing, gently placing them in the bow of the lifeboat, when, wham, the boat tilts and there he is, nestled into a comfy corner of a boat. I mean, he's right. What could he do? Clamber back onto his ship? No, the lifeboat was heading to the safety of shore - damn it - and he simply had to make the sacrifice.

Admirable, really. Quite admirable.

I could sit around for four days dreaming up excuses for abandoning ship and come up with at 1,473 better things to say than that. I mean, really. He'd have been better off saying, "I found this really hot chick in line for the lifeboats and I couldn't resist hopping into the sack, I mean, the raft, with her." Shoot, that's what Silvio Berlusconi, the former Italian Prime Minister, would've said. Right?

If David Letterman didn't do his top 10 reasons last night on the captain's lame excuses, I'd be shocked. By tonight, at worst. It's just too good to pass up...

My heart goes out to the victims. Nobody deserves a clown like this in charge of a ferry boat to Toronto Island, let alone having him at the helm of a ship darting through rock-strewn waters in the Mediterranean.

THE LITTLE OLD CHEESEBURGER FROM PASADENA?

I grew up in California and went to university in L.A.. And, until yesterday, I don't remember ever hearing that the most famous food in all of the United States of America, the humble cheeseburger, was invented in Pasadena.

But there it was on Wednesday; an email in my inbox from the folks at Visit California telling me that this is Pasadena Cheeseburger Week.

The Internet is replete with stories about the invention of the hamburger. It could've been a guy in Wisconsin or maybe Ohio. Perhaps Texas, but they say they invented everything. The mystery around the cheesburger is just as thick - and tasty. The story out of Pasadena is that Sternberger was working at his family's shop, The Rite Spot, in the mid-1920's and either by accident (???) or, just for kicks (there wasn't much to do in Pasadena in those days) dropped a slice of American (ugh) cheese on a sizzling patty.

Voila!

I went on Wikipedia, of course, as today that's allowed. (In case you missed it, Wikipedia was protesting yesterday about U.S. anti-piracy laws and apparently was dark for much of the day. I posted a note on Twitter to suggest that 8.5 million high school assignments were thus unavoidably delayed, but I was probably erring on the low side). Anyway, wikipedia suggests that topping a hamburger with cheese "became popular in the mid-1920s to mid-1930s."

They cite Sternberger ("Sternberger-cheeseburger" - sounds like a Letterman Academy Awards monologue) as one of several folks with claims to inventing the American national dish. "Other restaurants say they invented the cheeseburger. For example, Kaelin's Restaurant in Louisville, Kentucky, says they made up the first one in 1934. A year later, apparently, a trademark for the word "cheeseburger" was awarded to one Louis Ballast (fitting name for a guy eating cheeseburgers) of the Humpty Dumpty Drive-In in Denver, Colorado.

It's all a lot of hooey, if you ask me. Surely, some person SOMEWHERE in the world, perhaps at a cafe or maybe in the privacy of their own home, took a slice of American cheese or brie or havarti and dropped into some meat and stuck it between two slices of bread. Then again, one can never know these things. And the history of business is replete with folks who've gotten onto a good thing faster than the next guy. It's the American way.

Two towns in California for years were fighting it out over which one could be called "Surf City, USA." Santa Cruz, an hour or so south of San Francisco on the north shore of Monterey Bay and a personal favourite of mine, was called "Surf City" for years.

Then, the folks from Huntington Beach, also a great town but down in southern California, took out a patent, as I recall, for the words "Surf City USA."

(The resentment continues up in Santa Cruz, but northern California has had it in for folks down L.A. way for years, mostly owing to their continuing use of northern Cal's precious water supplies.)

As for cheeseburgers, I guess SOMEONE has to claim the invention of something this famous. May as well be Pasadena, although you'd think that having the Rose Bowl and that great weather and classic shops and outdoor cafes in January and towering palm trees and views of the mighty San Gabriel Mountains would be enough for one city.

JAUNT.CA DEAL OF DAY FOR NEW YORK CITY

Here's an intriguing deal from www.jaunt.ca - a shopaholic bus tour in the Big Apple. For $389, including taxes, you get:

• A February long weekend in New York City with travel to New York via Deluxe Motorcoach departing from Vaughan, Ontario Friday February 17, 2012 returning Monday February 20, 2012
• Note: Other pick-ups available at Scarborough Town Centre (7pm), Square One (8:45pm), Stoney Creek (9:45pm)
• 2 night’s accommodation at the Holiday Inn Newark Airport
• Includes 2 Breakfasts and 1 Dinner
• Professionally guided tour of New York City – stopping at many of the popular city sights and attractions!
• Includes complimentary parking at Sarracini Travel, located at Vaughan Mills Shopping Centre
• $25 Future Travel Voucher for Omega Tours from Target Vacations
• Prices include all taxes.

Some conditions apply, but it's worth checking out if you're a Big Apple fan on a budget.

 

 

 

Cruise disaster fallout ... "Passengers, the plane is going to crash. No, wait."

It's only a matter of degree, but the fallout is coming.

The Costa Cruise ship tragedy off the coast of Italy last Friday will almost certainly take a major toll on the cruise industry, just as an airline strike hurts or a major air accident affects passenger volume.

Of course, the worst thing about the accident obviously is the loss of life. That goes without saying. But many lives could be affected in small, unforeseen ways as this tragedy continues to unfold.

In a story in USA Today, cruise expert Gene Sloan says travel agents and industry watchers expect at least a short-term slump.

"With the tragedy still fresh, it is difficult to know what the impact on future bookings may be," said UBS analyst Robin Farley. "There are not many examples of incidents comparable to this."

Thankfully, that's true.

Sloan makes a number of good points in his story. In one section, he quotes the editor of Cruise Week, Mike Driscoll, as saying that first-hand accounts of crew members acting "poorly or even irresponsibly during the event (is) not the sort of image that builds confidence among consumers."

Nor is the notion of a captain so willing to flaunt the orders that every school kid in the world understands - the idea of the guy in charge sticking with his ship.

Tim Conder, an analyst at Wells Fargo, points out that the accident comes at an important time for cruise ship bookings.

Any downtown in bookings could result in some serious damage to companies' bottom lines. Not to be macabre about it, but it likely will mean deals for anyone willing to put the Costa accident out of their minds. Obviously, every captain and every ship crew around the world will be on super high alert in the coming weeks, making a cruise probably safer today than last week - by a long shot.

Sloan points out that Carnival, which owns the Costa Cruise line, reacted well when the Carnival Splendor had a fire on board in 2010, leaving the ship adrift.

Driscoll told USA Today that in the case of the Splendor, passengers getting off the ship were thanking Carnival for the way they handled the incident. I saw a report this morning, however, that said the head of Carnival hasn't set foot in Italy since the Costa accident, which makes it sound like the George W. Bush approach that worked so well after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans.

Yeah, just pretend it's not your issue and it'll all just go away. Good call, guys.

WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE ... NO, WAIT....

Unbelievable. Last Friday, the same day as the Costa Cruise accident, it seems a British Airways flight was over the Atlantic Ocean about 3 a.m. Suddenly, an announcement came blaring over the public address system, warning passengers the flight was about to crash into the sea.

Of course, panic ensued.

"I thought we were going to die," one passenger told The Telegraph in England. "My wife was crying and passengers were screaming."

Just as suddenly as the first announcement, however, came another one.

"Pay no attention to that previous announcement - everything's great."

Wow.

The flight, British Airways 206, was en route from Miami to London Heathrow. A BA spokesperson apologized (no kidding) for the mistake.

"The cabin crew cancelled the announcement immediately and sought to reassure customers that the flight was operating normally. We apologize to customers for causing them undue concern."

Apology? That's it? I can't believe they didn't give everyone a free ticket for whatever British Airways flight they wanted. Or, better yet, KLM or Air France or someplace where they don't emply dolts who push the wrong button.

And raise your hand if you knew there was a bright red "Tell people we're all going to die" button on an airplane? I sure as hell didn't. But it makes sense, I guess. I saw one report today quoting a BA official as saying they use a pre-recorded message as cabin crew need to do other things in a real emergency.

Still, it seems this happened on ANOTHER British Airways flight in August of 2010, this one a trip from London to Hong Kong. Maybe it's time for a little on-the-job training, folks.