American Graffiti flashback ... China conquering tourism world ... Deal of Day

I try to stick to travel themes and news in this blog. But occasionally travel can take you to a rather personal space, so allow me a small indulgence today.

To set up the story, I've got to go back in time a bit. I grew up in a small town outside San Francisco called Castro Valley; a semi-rural (at the time) township where former Blue Jays General Manager Pat Gillick once worked on a chicken farm that was either owned by my Uncle Jerry or was right across the street (neither of us could quite figure it out last time we talked).

It was so traditionally American that it's to laugh; mostly white, fairly conservative, with jocks occupying the top of the social ladder and a main drag where folks would actually cruise on a Friday night in 1974. Much like they do in Modesto, California in American Graffiti, which I watched Thursday night on a flight from Toronto to San Francisco, which is kinda the theme to my Friday posting.

The movie, a masterpiece in my humble opinion, came out in the early 1970's. And it was hugely popular at my high school, where I was (sorry if this sounds like bragging) senior class president and reasonably well known if not top of the social scene. I was getting ready to head out of town to go to university in Los Angeles. A few kids in my high school were going to university in the Bay Area, but only a few of us were venturing so far away.

It's not quite like American Graffiti, where two of the four main male characters are spending their last night in Modesto before (they think) heading East to college. But it's similar.

The joke in my high school, I guess, is that I was something of a Ron Howard (see photo above) kind of guy. Pretty straight, involved in student council, all that. I didn't date the head cheerleader like Howard's character, Steve Bolander. A shame, that.

At the end of the film, Steve reverses the course he talks about all movie long and decides to stay with his pretty girlfriend in Modesto. His buddy, Curt, played marvellously by Richard Dreyfuss, opts to ignore his previous instincts and fly east to explore the world.

The similarities between Bolander/Howard and I were strong enough that when the time came for my high school paper to put out an end-of-term, pretend look at where various Castro Valley High students would be in ten years, some smart-ass dplace me in the same spot as Bolander. The school paper story mirrored the end of the movie by stating that 10 years after graduation I'd be the same as Ron Howard's character, namely "Insurance Salesman, Modesto, California."

It was pretty funny, I gotta admit. And I've laughed about it over the years whenever I've thought of the movie or of Modesto or my semi-awkward days in high school, where I really wanted to be the cool football player and not a student council geek.

I got on the plane on Thursday night to fly back to my childhood home to visit my Dad in the San Francisco Bay Area. I scanned the movie list on Air Canada and, lo and behold, found American Graffiti. I watched it and smiled and laughed and thoroughly enjoyed every minute of a marvellous, marvellous movie that's touching and ironic and interesting and fun and wonderful in every way.

I've thought about the movie a lot over the years. I had a great time at UCLA and took a trip to Europe after I graduated. In Italy I met a wonderful girl from Don Mills who I ultimately fell in love with. I ended up moving to Toronto in 1981, where I've been working in journalism (32 years at the Star come August) ever since.

Anyway, as the movie ends, they flash up the main characters and explain where they were later in their pretend lives. I laughed when I saw the bit about Steve Bolander being an insurance guy in his hometown. But what slew me was the next part, which I'd completely forgotten about. The next sequence in the bit about "where are they now" is an update on what happens to Curt (see photo), the Richard Dreyfuss character who left the clutches of his small town home for a college life back east. What do they have him doing? "A writer living in Canada."

Wow. All these years I've laughed about being pegged as the insurance guy, played by Ron Howard. Instead, my life arc took me in the direction of Richard Dreyfuss, who became a writer living in Canada.

I was freaked out. I mean, what are the odds of a movie that takes place in a town so similar to where I grew up plays out so much like my life, and then my watching it for the first time in years on a plane from Canada, where I work in journalism, back to my Modesto-like home town in California? It was so bizarre. I was gobsmacked and had to get up and shake out the cobwebs. One of the flight attendants asked me what was wrong, so I guess I was either white as a ghost or talking to myself. Or both.

I explained the whole movie/life thing to her. I think she thought I was nuts. And maybe I am. But it just slays me. I mean, whoever wrote that high school story and put me as Steve Bolander had the right movie, just the wrong guy. I was Curt, Steve's best friend. But I guess I could easily have been Steve if I hadn't wanted to see the world a bit. Or maybe if a cute cheerleader had thrown her arms around me after a drag race crash and begged me not to leave my hometown for the lights of L.A.

Life is like that. You take a left turn walking down the street in Barcelona and in seconds you find something that changes your life. In my case, I was in Rome in 1979 with some girls who I liked a bit but not a lot. We were supposed to meet at the main train station in Rome one morning and travel together to Florence. I couldn't find them so I hopped on the train and started chatting with one of several girls travelling together. One of them ended up being my wife of nearly 32 years, bless her patient soul.

Typing up this blog on Friday I'm still shaking my head over the movie and how it intertwines with my life. And I'm glad I wasn't one of the other main male characters in the film. John Milner, the tough guy/racer with a heart of gold, ends up being killed by a drunk driver. Terry, the nerd who dates the goofy, ditzy blonde, ends up dying in Vietnam.

I got to be the writer living my dream job in a great country like Canada. How lucky is that?

CHINA ON THE MOVE

I wrote the other day about how China has become the number two source of tourists for Canada, surpassed only by the United States. Now I see there's a United Nations World Tourism Organization report that saw CHina is the top tourist source market IN THE WORLD.

I guess it was only a matter of time, but in 2012 Chinese folks spent $102 billion abroad.

Back in 2000, only 10 million Chinese went abroad. Last year? Try 83 million.

In 2011, Chinese tourists spent 73 billion dollars abroad. Last year it was $102 billion, an increase of 40 per cent, said Xinhua news agency in China.

Amazing.

Back in 2005, China was seventh in terms of international tourism spending. Now they're on the top of the heap. And I can't see them giving up the title any time soon.

Also rising up are Brazil, wiith $22 billion in spending, and Russia, which saw international spending jump 32 per cent last year, according to Xinhua.

No wonder every tourism board in the world is chasing the Chinese, Russians and Brazilians.

JAUNT.CA DEAL OF THE DAY

Jaunt.ca, a division of Torstar, has a deal on tap for a crazily priced Sunwing flight from Toronto to Amsterdam, set at just $599 all in. That's less than a flight to Vancouver a lot of days.

Jaunt Highlights

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World's least visited countries/A Barenaked Lady does travel TV/Deal of Day

We all know about the countries that get the most tourists: Italy and France and the U.S. and all that. France had 79.5 million visitors a year, which is tops on the planet. But what about the places that see the least number of visitors?

 I ran across a great list the other day, from the United Nations World Tourism Organization and blogger Gunnar Garfors. These are all countries that contrast - just a bit - to France's numbers, with visitations ranging from 73,000 down to a mere 200. Most are in the poorest parts of Africa or scattered across the Pacific Ocean.

Here's the list.

25. Dominica, 73,000. Pretty Caribbean country (see rainforest photo at right) but small.

24. Chad, 71,000. Not so many tourists given political unrest in this part of Africa.

23. Central African Republic, 54,000. One of the poorest countries in Africa, but apparently there are nice river trips you can take.

22. Liechtenstein, 53,000. Sandwiched between Switzerland and Austria, it's a country I actually drove through once. Pretty spot. I think I stopped. For a minute. I don't remember.

21. Djibouti, 53,000. Said to have great diving. And a great, great name.

20. Sierra Leone, 52,000. Great beaches, Garfors said.

19. Tonga, 45,000. One of those tiny Pacific countries, with fab coral reefs but few tourists.

18. East Timor, 40,000. Political issies keep folks from visiting what's said to be a pretty country connected to Indonesia.

17. Bhutan, 37,000. I keep reading this spot in the Himalayas is the happiest country on earth. Maybe because they don't get many annoying tourists.

16. North Korea, 35,000. Safe to visit. Unless you run into Dennis Rodman.

15. Libya, 34,000. Do I really need to write anything for this entry? I didn't think so.

14. Guinea-Bissau, 30,000. Another poor Afircan country.

13. Mauritania, 29,000. Not much to see in this part of west Africa. Nice camels, though (see pic below).

12. Federated States of Micronesia, 26,000. Hard to get to, but beautiful.

11. Solomon Islands, 23,000. More beautiful South Pacific scenery but not a lot of flights in. Country includes Guadalcanal, site of one of the worst battles of World War II.

10. Afghanistan, 17,500. I'm shocked that many people go, to be honest. Looks beautiful in photos but way too many other things going on.

9. Comoros, 15,000. Garfors says great seafood in this island spot north of Madagascar, and mosquitoes not as bad as folks think. Still, I'll take a pass.

8. Sao Tome and Principe, 8,000. This island spot is said off the coast of west Africa is said to be the smallest nation on (or near) the continent.

7. Turkmenistan, 7,000. I can't think of anything to say about this central Asian country. Not quite as crazy as North Korea, says Garfors.

6. Equatorial Guinea, 6,000. I think there are too many countries in the world with Guinea in the name.

5. Marshall Islands, 5,000. Fab diving but even I, a map freak, couldn't find them on the globe without some help.

4. Kiribati, 4,700. Wikitravel says this nation of Pacific atolls is friendly but that "South Tarawa is one of the most densely populated, severely poverty-stricken places in the world."

3. Tuvalu, 1,200. Rising tides could make this Pacific nation disappear. So boogie on down to Tuvalu while you still can. Said to be the third least populous nation on earth, smaller only than Nauru and Vatican City.

2. Somalia, 500. See entry for Libya.

1. Nauru, 200. Not far from Kiribati (hey, a new tourism slogan!). The smallest nation on earth, just 21 square kilometers and just under 10,000 residents. If it was downtown Toronto it would, of course, have 1.6 million inhabitants in 86 storey condos with shards of broken glass littering the sidewalk. A troubled economy and a fair bit of poverty, apparently (see photo at left). Garfors calls it the only country in the world with a capital but I don't know if that's true. Lots of phosphate mining and some beautiful water.

BARENAKED LADY ON TV

Travel+Escape and Farpoint Films say they'll begin production on a new TV series called The Illegal Eater, and that former Barenaked Ladies frontman Steven Page (remember him?) will star.

The 13-episode series will debut this fall and feature Page "on a mission to hunt down clandestine dining experiences as he explores the tastiest, creative, underground and often illegal spaces that chefs around North America have to offer."

"My passion on the road has always been to obsessively research the foods, restaurants and markets that make each place I've played different," said Page. "Often, newer trends start underground before breaking through on the public's palate, so I can't wait to explore everything from fancy, underground supper clubs to hole-in-the-walls."

JAUNT.CA DEAL OF THE DAY

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Jaunt Highlights

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Drive without fear in Florida, folks: International Driving Permit law repealed

That sure took a while. But it's a big development for Canadians and others who enjoy the Sunshine State.

Florida Governor Rick Scott on Tuesday signed the repeal of a bill that required non-American drivers to have an International Driving Permit. The repeal of Bill HB 7059 ended weeks of uncertainty for Canadians and other non-American drivers.

The Star broke a story on Feb. 14 after it was discovered that Florida legislators had passed a law requiring non-American drivers to have an International Driving Permit as of Jan. 1, 2013. For Canadians, that meant a $25 permit through an office of the Canadian Automobile Association.

Some law enforcement officials quickly backed off, saying they wouldn't enforce the rules. But word of the law caused big lineups at CAA offices from Canadians worried about getting tickets during trips south in the winter or during March break.

State officials said the law was aimed at folks who don't have driver's licenses printed in English, not at Canadians. But Canada still was swept up under the legislation, at least technically, and there were reports that some car rental agencies were insisting Canadians have the permit before they could drive away in their rental vehicles.

One Florida paper even quoted a frightened (and very law abiding) Canadian couple living in the state as saying they'd abandoned their car for fear of arrest and were virtually house-bound.

Embarrassed tourism officials distanced themselves from the rule and encouraged Canadians to come. The House of Representatives in the state voted to repeal the law a couple weeks ago and the Senate followed suit a few days back. Governor Rick Scott signed the repeal into law in Tallahassee, the state capital, today.

International visitors still must have a valid license from their country of residence to drive. But they don't need International Driving Permits.

Scott said his state is "committee to being the number one tourist destination in the world, and signing this bill into law will ensure that our international visitors continue to come to Florida. Florida has had two consecutive years of record visitation to Florida, which has created thousands of jobs for Florida families."

“Effective immediately, Canadians in Florida can go back to doing what they have always been able to do – drive with peace of mind in the Sunshine State using their provincial driver’s license,” said Jeff Walker, CAA Vice President of Public Affairs. “CAA is pleased that the voices of its members and others were listened to by state officials, and that the state of Florida has removed any uncertainty.”

Will Seccombe, President and CEO of VISIT FLORIDA said, “Last year, the Florida tourism industry welcomed nearly 14 million visitors from 181 countries who spent $15 billion. We thank Governor Scott and the Florida Legislature for taking quick action to ensure our vital international visitors continue to feel welcome in the Sunshine State.”

UK, Italian and German officials also applauded the move.

It's great the law was repealed, but you still have to wonder how anyone in a state so dependent on tourism allowed such legislation to be passed in the first place.

ISLAND AIRPORT GROWS

The Toronto Island Airport (also known as YTZ and, more formally, Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport), brought in 23 per cent more travelers in 2012 than the previous year. Toronto Port Authority officials said they welcomed 1.9 million passengers, passing the previous high of 1.5 million in 2011.

CANADIAN AIRLINE NUMBERS

A very mixed bag for Canada's airlines today. WestJet today reported an impressive March load factor of 86.1 per cent, up 8.2 per cent year over year. The airline flew 1.6 million guests in March, a year-over-year increase of 6.7 per cent.

"I am pleased to report a record first quarter load factor of 84.3 per cent, up from last year's record of 83.0 per cent, and our third strongest March in WestJet history," said WestJet President and CEO Gregg Saretsky. "Our airline partnership strategy continues to contribute to our traffic and in March we added Air France as our ninth code-share partner."

Air Canada later in the day reported a record March 2013 load factor of 83.5 per cent, versus 81.5 per cent in March 2012, an increase of 2.0 percentage points.

Over at Porter, however, the news wasn't so hot. The Toronto-based airline reported a load factor of 58.1 per cent in March, representing a decline of 1.7 points compared to 2012.

Air Canada numbers usually come out later in the day, so I'll have a look if and when I get them.

CARIBBEAN UPSWING

More than 15 million people visited the Caribbean region in 2012. Some 4.56 million hit the beach in the Dominican Republic (see photo), followed by Cuba with 2.8 million and Jamaica (just under 2 million). The Bahamas was fourth (1.26 million) and then Puerto Rico (1.1 million). Montserrat apparently had less than 5,000 visitors. Maybe I should go sometime?

UAE VISA ISSUE RESOLVED

The UAE, which includes Abu Dhabi and Dubai, says it will no longer charge Canadians for a Visa. The issue became an acrimonious once a couple years ago when Ottawa and the UAE were fighting over how many slots the Canadian government would provide for Etihad and Emirates airlines looking for landing places in Canada.

The CBC reports that visitors from most European countries, Australia and the U.S.didn't need visas for the U.A.E. Canadians, however, had to pay $165 for a single-entry, 30-day visa; $330 for a single-entry 60-day visa; and $660 for a six-month, multiple-entry visa.

It was a thorny issue, but Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird met with UAE officials at a Tim Hortons in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday and announced the visa rules have been lifted as part of a thaw in relations between the two nations. It remains to be seen if Baird will continue to protect Canadian airlines or if he'll relent and allow more landing spots for Etihad and Emirates. With WestJet and Air Canada looking stronger of late than any at time in the recent past, it's possible he'll relax the rules. Maybe.

READY FOR THAT DIET?

Funny to see Air Samoa charging folks by combined personal and baggage weight. I wrote about that extensively last week and got a lot of comments from folks, most of whom thought it was fair.

I still can't see other airlines doing the same though.

JAUNT.CA DEAL OF THE DAY

Jaunt.ca, a division of Torstar, has a deal on hand for seven nights on The Riviera Maya in Mexico (great area) for $1,147, including $308 in taxes.

Jaunt Highlights

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Bring on transit taxes; it's time to invest in our tourism future ... Deal of Day: Paris

I see in today's Star that Metrolinx is outlining a series of options to squeeze more money out of me. And I couldn't be happier.

Tess Kalinowski's story on page one discusses everything from a gas tax (hear, hear) to a regional sales tax (also a great idea, especially given the lunacy of the federal Conservatives lowering the GST for no good reason), not to mention highway tolls and parking levies and other tools that appear to have favour with Liberal Premier Kathleen Wynne.

Heck, even The Board of Trade, that bastion of conservatism that calls for lower taxes 367 days a year, is crying out for new spending to get us out of our morass. It's the only way to do it, and it would be best to bring in small to medium amounts of money from pretty much all the tools being discussed so we spread out the pain. But there has to be pain. I'm going to have to pay more. But that's how you build a city. And a tourism industry.

How did we build a good health care system? With taxes. How is it we have a relatively poor TTC product that's still the envy of many other cities? With taxes. You improve your city and country not by cutting spending, but by investing in your product.

As a veteran traveler and a guy who spent more than 15 years covering municipal politics in this town, I can tell you that going around cutting spending is precisely the wrong approach. Look at the great cities of the world. Look at Paris and London and Tokyo and New York and even Los Angeles of late. They invest massive amounts of money to keep their citizens – and tourists – moving. They understand you have to spend money to make it. You have to invest, just like the local shopkeeper has to keep improving his or her front windows and lighting and marketing.

This is a concept this city has failed to grasp – at a woeful cost. We could've spent relative pennies for 20 years and we wouldn't be facing this mess, but we did the wrong thing time and time again. A lack of foresight and lower than low property tax hikes for decades have forced us into this new tax grab.

Mel Lastman was a salesman/businessman but didn’t get it. David Miller wasn't a business guy so muich but seemed to get, although he didn't force the issue enough. Mayor Ford tells us he's got a business approach but he definitely doesn’t get it.

The great cities of the world aren’t defined by low taxes. I mean, did you ever hear anyone at your local Tim Hortons say to her husband, “Hey, honey, the municipal taxes are really low in Mississauga. Let’s go there for our next trip.”

No offence to Mississauga, but folks in Winnipeg and Moncton and Victoria dream of Paris and San Francisco and Sydney, places with culture and monuments and glittering waterfronts and museums and street art and bustling markets and cheap transit that blankets the city (unlike our paltry system) and  allows them to get around easily and see everything. Places that think big and spend money and bring in tourists who want an escape from their boring, cost-cutting hometowns. It makes tremendous business sense as tourism is one of the easiest industries to boost.

Just look at the massive investments by the U.S. with their Brand USA campaign, which I see on TV all the time and in print. Then look (if you must) at Canada’s plunging support for the tourism biz. And look at Toronto’s decades-long failure to wrestle the congestion monster to the ground.

It is to weep.

When Barcelona won the right to stage the 1992 Summer Olympics, city fathers and mothers invested huge amounts of money in waterfront restoration, parks and public art. And they went from Podunkville, Europe to one of the continent’s top destinations. Overnight. And they’re still riding high more than 20 years after the Games. And look at what Atlanta did for 1996, pinching pennies and hardly investing in the public good, all in the name of affordable Games. Yeah, affordable and almost useless.

If this town is every going to make it to the big leagues of tourism we have to dream big. And spend a little cash. To do nothing is to commit this city to commuter gridlock, and to tourism mediocity.

INDIA WOES

That horrific rape and murder of a woman in India a couple months ago is having a chilling effect on the country’s tourism sector. A study issued on Monday found that tourism is down 25 per cent in India since the incident. And it appears women are taking a pass on visits to this wonderful, majestic country with more than its share of societal woes, as one report I saw suggested visits by women were down 35 per cent.

According to a report on travelmole, incidents such as the horrific rape and murder in New Delhi in December have "raised concerns about the safety of female travellers to the country," said DS Rawat, secretary general at Assocham, which surveyed 1,200 tour operators from different cities.

JAUNT.CA DEAL OF THE DAY

Jaunt.ca, a division of Torstar, has a deal on tap for a nine-day visit to regal Paris, set at $2,312, including $514 in taxes.

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Hilton's new spa in Markham ... Forbes snubs Canada ... Deal of the Day: Miami

Hilton will soon open its first branded Canadian spa.

Called Eforea Spa at the Hilton, it will open at the Markham Suites Hilton on Highway 7 on April 8. They'll feature organic products and all the latest treatments, including a "men's journey" program designed for guys. 

"We've never had a spa brand," said John Forrest Ales, senior director – global brand public relations. "Increasingly, however, guests say a spa has an impact on their hotel decision."

It will be only the third branded spa by Hilton in Canada, which now has 15 Hiltons in total out of more than 550 worldwide. Hilton also operates Hampton Suites and other brands, including Waldorf Astoria, Conrad, Doubletree and Embassy Suites.

The hotel chain also is helping boost their bookings from Chinese visitors, who (I mentioned this last week) now make up the second largest group of visitors to Canada after Americans. They created a program called Huanying with 20 hotels, offering a Chinese speaker at the hotel when guests arrive, Chinese language tour guides, Chinese televisioin stations, in-room tea, slippers and a Chinese breakfast menu.

There are now 70 or so such programs at various Hilton properties, including the Hilton Toronto, the Hilton Vancouver Metrotown and the Hilton Vancouver Airport.

Hilton is, of course, growing in China, where they set up shop 25 years ago. They also are opening their second hotel in Colombia soon and their first in Peru and also their first all-inclusive property in Mexico, on the Pacific Coast in Puerto Vallarta. Other all-inclusive's are being set up in Costa Rica and Spain.

The chain is having a bit of fun with North Americans who don't take enough vacations, sending out office survival kits and telling folks about the symptoms of "vacation-itis." If you go on their web site - www.vacationcarecenter.hilton.com and type in your address and postal code you'll get various offers or suggestions. I plugged in my data and my typical workload this morning and was told I should come by the Hilton Toronto for an after-work cocktail and try the lobster mac and cheese at their Tundra restaurant, or perhaps take in a meal at Ruth's Chris Steak House, which I find horribly overrated and way too expensive.

Anyway, it's a fun site and it's interesting to see Hilton being a bit more edgy than I would've expected.

FORBES SNUBS CANADA

The latest Forbes' list of great hotels and restaurants is another in a long line of American-centric lists that drive me crazy. They recently came out with their five-star awards and managed to find 58 properties in the U.S. worthy of the designation. But nary a one in Canada.

Restaurants? Twenty eight five-star quality in the U.S. Canada? Zilch.

Utterly ridiculous.

For the record, they did list 13 four-star properties in the True North Strong and Free. Four are in Toronto: The Park Hyatt, The Hazelton, The Ritz-Carlton (see photo at left) and The Trump Tower. Likely they didn't have time to review the new Shangri-La or Four Seasons. Also on the list for Canada wwere the Four Seasons Vancouver, Four Seasons Whistler, Shangri-La Vancouver, Sutton Place Vancouver, The Wickaninnish Inn in Tofino B.C. (a personal fave), Hotel Le St. James in Montreal (a great spot), The Ritz Carlton Montreal and the Kingsbrae Arms in St. Andrews, New Brunswick.

Five Ontario restaurants got four-star ratings: Langdon Hall in Cambridge, One Restaurant, Splendido, Canoe and Scaramouche.

Still, gimme a break.

JAUNT.CA DEAL OF THE DAY

Jaunt.ca, a division of Torstar, has an excellent deal on tap for the beautiful Deauville Beach Resort in fabulous Miami . It's a seven-night package that includes air fare for just $718.

• Two travellers save up to $120 by booking with Jaunt.ca!
• 7-night stay at the Deauville Beach Resort in Miami Beach, Florida
• Includes return airfare from Toronto or Montreal to Miami
• Accommodations in a Double Guest Room, featuring 2 double beds or 1 king size bed, in-room wireless internet access and refrigerator. Max Occupancy: 4
  

• Only a 20 minute walk from the illustrious South Beach strip
• Prime shopping territory in the Art Deco district and at the Bal Harbour shops
• Why choose Air Canada Vacations?
  Earn & Redeem Aeroplan® Miles, in-flight seat-back entertainment on most flights, airline service and reliability of Air Canada, and more!

Offer Details

• Valid for travel on April 7, 2013
• Pricing (Rates are per person):
  
  Toronto:
  Double: $579 + tax
  Single: $956 + tax
  Triple: $482 + tax
  Quad: $435 + tax
  Child: $305 + tax
  Tax: $139
  
  Montreal:
  Double: $803 tax included
  Single: $1182 tax included
  Triple: $708 tax included
  Quad: $661 tax included
  Child: $551 tax included
  
  We also offer other DATES and GATEWAYS.
  Call us at 1-855-687-5925.  
  
  
  
• Valid passport required for travel from Canada
• This offer is 100% non-refundable at time of booking

 

 

 

 

 

China visitors spending up in Canada ... Pearson improvements ... Deal of day

So, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty makes headlines by tabling his budget and high-tailing it to Asia.

Good call. He’s following the money.

Yesterday in this space I talked about a VISA credit card study showing how China was leaping up the ranks of countries in terms of spending in the U.S. Today I can report similar findings for VISA spending in Canada; data surely Mr. Flaherty is aware of.

According to 2012 VisaVue Travel data, Visa account holders visiting Canada increased their travel-related spending from $6.6 billion in 2011 to $6.66 billion last year.

The U.S. remains number one by a huge margin, with more than half of that spending: $3.49 billion in all. But just as China jumped from fourth in the U.S. last year to second, so it did in Canada. Figures show Chinese visitors spent $379 million on their Visa accounts last year, up 15.2 per cent from the year before.

The Canadian Tourism Commission (as well as the province of Ontario and Toronto and other cities and just about every tourism board in the world with its salt) has been courting the Chinese market. Canada also introduced new visas to make traveling and staying in Canada easier, and it appears to be paying off.

No doubt the panda public relations could help, too, now that Toronto is home to a pair of beauties airlifted from China this week.

In a less than shocking result, Visa found most Canadians spend their money abroad in February, March and August, while visitors tend to come here between June and September. Smart visitors.

Here’s a look at the ten biggest contributors to inbound tourism spending in 2012 and the ten biggest outbound markets for Canadians, all based on Visa card spending. It’s not a perfect snapshot of overall trends, but it’s probably pretty close in terms of market share.

INBOUND

1. United States, $3.488 billion (-1.1 per cent)
2. China, $379 million (+ 15.2 per cent)
3. UK, $348 million (no change)
4. France, $343 million (-2.5 per cent)
5. Australia, $171 million (-7 per cent)
6. Japan, $144 million (+ 2 per cent)
7. Brazil, $141 million (+ 1 per cent)
8. Germany $123 million (no change)
9. South Korea, $121 million (- 11 per cent)
10. Hong Kong, $102 million (- 4 per cent)

 

OUTBOUND

1. USA, $11 billion (+ 4 per cent)
2. Mexico, $591 million (- 1 per cent)
3. UK, $477 million (- 5 per cent)
4. France, $400 million (- 4 per cent)
5. Italy, $281 million (- 9 per cent)
6. Australia, $234 million (- 3 per cent)
7. Germany, $161 million (- 2 per cent)
8. China, $151 million (- 2 per cent)
9. Spain, $145 million (- 4 per cent)
10. Thailand, $139 million (+ 7 per cent)

MAJOR PEARSON IMPROVEMENTS

In order to make connecting through Toronto Pearson easier, it will no longer be necessary for people arriving in Terminal 1 and connecting onward to the United States to collect their checked baggage.

Pearson Airport officials today said checked bags "will be directed to your onward flight to the United States without a requirement to claim your bag in Toronto before proceeding to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)."

Air Canada officials say it'll make the airline "an even more attractive option for travellers connecting to the U.S."

It's a definite improvement, as the "claim your bags and proceed through customs" bit was a real slog for folks on connecting flights.

HOTEL WORKERS GET EVEN

If you’ve ever been rude to a hotel worker, you know they have ways of getting even. But an interesting study by the University of British Columbia’s Sauder School of Business? shows that workers in different parts of the world react quite differently to hostile guests.

The study found that North American service workers are more likely to sabotage rude customers, while Chinese react by disengaging from customer service altogether.

“Our research shows that culture plays a significant role in how frontline workers deal with customer abuse,” says UBC Sauder School of Business Professor Daniel Skarlicki, a co-author of the study.

“In North America, employees tend to retaliate against offensive customers – doing things like giving bad directions or serving cold food. In China, workers are more likely to reduce the general quality of service they provide to all customers – nasty or nice.”

In their paper, to be published in the journal Personnel Psychology, Skarlicki and former Sauder PhD student Ruodan Shao studied how frontline employees at a luxury hotel with locations in Vancouver and Beijing reacted to customer mistreatment.

Although the level of abuse was consistent in both locations, North Americans resorted 20 per cent more often to sabotage to get revenge. Abused Chinese workers were 19 per cent more likely to feel a lack of enthusiasm in their jobs, responding negatively to statements like, “I voluntarily assist guests even if it means going beyond job requirements.”

“North Americans take a surgical approach to abuse, zeroing in on individuals who mistreated them,” says Skarlicki, noting that managers must be mindful of these cultural differences when expanding operations across the Pacific. “Chinese don’t blame the transgressor. They blame the system – the company or customers they serve.” 

Skarlicki says the implications are clear.  “When service-oriented companies go global, they need to heighten their sensitivity to how culture in a new market can influence the performance of frontline staff and tailor their customer service operations accordingly.”

FREE INTERNET FOR IHG LOYALTY MEMBERS

IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) announced today that it will be providing free internet to all its 71m loyalty program members, worldwide. The announcement comes as IHG reveals the results of a global online survey which show that nearly half of adults (43%) would choose not to stay in a hotel that charged for internet.

IHG also is renaming its loyalty program from Priority Club Rewards to IHG Rewards Club and introducing new benefits.

It's a smart move in a very competitive environment for hotel operators. The rewards program is free to join, so there's no reason not to set up a membership.

IHG said it's "the first and only hotel group to offer free internet in all hotels to all loyalty programme members." But that doesn't seem to be true.

Fairmont has been offering free Internet to its Presidents Club members for years. Kimpton, not as big a chain but still a player, has free Wi-Fi in all rooms and the lobby for loyalty program members. I suspect a few other groups, too.

Not to take away from a good move by IHG. But they're clearly not alone.

JAUNT.CA DEAL OF THE DAY

Jaunt.ca, a division of Torstar, has a deal on tap for a 15-day river cruise across Europe for $5,883, including all taxes.

EXCLUSIVE SAVINGS: Save $1,000 per couple! (reflected in pricing)

• BONUS: No Single Supplement!
• 15-Day Magnificent Europe River Cruise onboard the Avalon Tranquility, Panorama or Expression sailing from Budapest to Amsterdam (or vice versa depending on the sail date. See Offer Details for more information)
• Includes guided sightseeing programs in the following cities and/or ports of call:
  Amsterdam, Holland; Cologne, Germany; Rhine Gorge–Rüdesheim, Germany; Miltenberg, Germany; Würzburg, Germany; Bamberg, Germany; Nuremberg, Germany; Regensburg, Germany; Passau–Linz, Austria; Melk, Austria; Dürnstein, Austria; Vienna, Austria; Bratislava, Slovakia; and Budapest, Hungary.
• Accommodations in an upgraded Avalon Deluxe Stateroom:
  Category P - Located on the Royal (highest stateroom) Deck
  Category A - Located on the Sapphire (middle) Deck
• Includes all meals on the ship, complimentary sparkling wine with breakfast, soft drinks with lunch, and wine, beer, or soft drinks with dinner and a welcome reception, Captain’s reception, and farewell dinner

• A whole list of excursions are included in your itinerary without any extra cost
• Avalon cruises offer the best in all categories: views, food, entertainment and experiences

Offer Details

• Valid for travel on October 12, 16 & 23, 2013
• Pricing (Rates are per person, including tax):
  
  October 12, 2013 sailing on the Avalon Tranquility (Amsterdam to Budapest):
  Avalon Deluxe Stateroom (Cat. P): $6707
  
  October 16, 2013 sailing on the Avalon Panorama (Budapest to Amsterdam):
  Avalon Deluxe Stateroom (Cat. P): $6295
  
  October 23, 2013 sailing on the Avalon Expression (Budapest to Amsterdam):
  Avalon Deluxe Stateroom (Cat. A): $5883
  
  NO SINGLE SUPPLEMENT
  
  For ways to SAVE MORE, Other DATES and FLIGHTS call us at 1-855-687-5925.
• Valid passport required for travel from Canada
• This offer is refundable until 100% non-refundable at time of booking

 

 

 

Make air passengers pay by weight? ... China eclipses UK ... Deal of the day

If we buy meat at the supermarket, we pay by weight. If we ship a box to cousin Joe in Saskatoon we pay more for heavier items. So why not make heavier folks pay more for airline seats?

It's almost certainly never going to fly, pardon the pun, but a professor in Norway is making the point.

Writing in this month's Journal of Revenue and Pricing Management (I get it at home but only for the articles), Dr. Bharat P. Bhatta of Sognog Fjordane University College in Norway said weight and space need to be taken into account when airline tickets are priced.

"Charging according to weight and space is a universally accepted principle, not only in transportation, but also in other services," he noted in a story I spotted on travelmole.com.

Yeah, I want to be the Air Canada worker who says, "Excuse me, ma'am, I have to price your ticket. Can you please go over and step on that scale for me?"

There is a certain fairness in the idea of a basic price for everyone and then perhaps a surcharge if you're making the airline burn way more fuel. But it'll never happen.

CHINA SPENDING IN U.S. ECLIPSES UK NUMBERS

It had to happen sooner or later. I read the other day that China now sends more tourists to Los Angeles in a year than any other country outside North America. Now I see a VISA study that spending by visitors from China grew by a whopping 30 per cent last year, putting the Chinese in third spot in terms of spending by inbound markets in the U.S.

Tops, of course, was Canada, and then Brazil. Canadian spending last year was up 4 per cent from 2011, while Brazil spending went up 6 per cent. The UK is now fourth overall in spending in the U.S., followed by Mexico, Japan, Australia, France, Puerto Rico (counted here even though it's part of the U.S.) and Germany.

The study said more than one-half of all VISA spending took place in Florida (up 10 per cent overall from 2011), California and New York. States with high VISA spending growth included Wisconsin (31 per cent), Hawaii (14) and Washington (12).

The study also lists top places Americans spend their VISA money. Number one was Mexico, followed by Canada, the UK, Italy, France, Germany, Puerto Rico, China, Japan and Spain.

JAUNT.CA DEAL OF THE DAY

Jaunt.ca, a division of Torstar, has a deal on tap for a great cruise of the eastern Mediterranean and a visit to Rome on top of that, priced at $2,025 (including $676 in taxes).

• XCLUSIVE SAVINGS: Save $700 per couple by booking with Jaunt.ca
• 11-Day/9-Vight vacation including a 7-night Eastern Mediterranean Cruise sailing aboard the MSC Divina, followed by 4-star accommodations for 2 nights in Rome
• Cruise departs from and returns to Venice, Italy. Ports of call include: Venice, Italy; Bari, Italy; Katakolon (Olympia), Greece; Izmire, Turkey; Istanbul, Turkey and Dubrovnik, Croatia
• Flights with Alitalia:  Departure flight from Toronto to Venice (via Rome), and return flight from Rome to Toronto
• Includes accommodations, dining and entertainment aboard MSC Divina. Accommodations available in Oceanview (Cat. 4/5), Standard Balcony Oceanview (Cat. 7/8/9) or Superior Balcony Oceanview (Cat. 10/11/12).
• All transfers between airport, hotels, and piers included
• Post cruise enjoy hotel accommodations in the 4-Star Grand Hotel Beverly Hills in Rome, a 2-hour guided coach tour in Venice and a 3-hour guided tour by coach and on foot in Rome.

• The diversity of the ports of call in four incredible countries
• Accommodations on land in 4-Star hotels
• Experience Venice and Rome on foot and in a coach during your last two days

Offer Details

• Valid for travel on May 10 or 17, 2013
• Pricing (Rates are per person, plus tax):
  
  Outside (cat. 4/5): $1349
  Balcony Ocean View (cat. 7/8/9): $1499
  Balcony Ocean View (cat. 10/11/12): $1649
  Tax: $676
  
  For CRUISE ONLY option, Other DATES and GATEWAYS
  Call us at 1-855-687-5925.
  
  
• Valid passport required for travel from Canada
• This offer is 100% non-refundable at time of booking

View the terms that apply to all Jaunt Vacations offers

More about your Jaunt

A cruise adventure with extra gumption, your time on the MSC Divina will float you toward some of the Mediterranean's most dazzling ports. Once you disembark in Venice, you'll be whisked off to Rome to enjoy more of Italy's effervescent sights with a land tour and luxury hotel stay.

Day 1: Venice, Italy, Depart 4:30 pm

Day 2: Bari, Italy, 10 am - 3:30 pm

Day 3: Katakolon (Olympia), Greece, 8 am - 1 pm

Day 4: Izmir, Turkey, 8:30 am - 3 pm

Day 5: Istanbul, Turkey, 7:30 am - 5 pm

Day 6: At Sea

Day 7: Dubrovnik, Croatia, 11:30 am - 5 pm

Day 8: Venice, Italy, Arrive 8 am

Day 9: Rome, Italy

Day 10: Depart Rome

 

Divine accommodations on the Divina
The MSC Divina displays the company's classic high end interior and every other hallmark of elegance, comfort and luxury elevated to an art form. From the real stone piazza and crystal staircase to the Broadway-style theatre, this ship is dressed to impress. Discover the opulence of the Aurea Spa before perusing the specially commissioned works of art on display at the MSC Yacht Club, and retreat to spacious accommodations with interactive TV and available internet.

 

The ship is outfitted with restaurants to ease any level of hunger, from light snacks to four-course freshly prepared specialties, and the galaxy disco with its retro-chic ambiance and gorgeous panoramic view is the perfect place for a meal or to dance the night away under the stars.

 

Refined Mediterranean exploration

Glorious sights and experiences await you along the Mediterranean's coast. In Bari, you'll get a chance to tour the historical centre, famous Church of St. Nicholas and Castello Svevo. Set on fantastic coastline, Izmir is Turkey's most Mediterranean in style and content. Enjoy the maze of tiny streets filled with shops and covered stalls.

 

Istanbul's skyline is filled with the spires and domes of mosques and medieval palaces. A king's ransom of Ottoman treasures is displayed at the Blue Mosque and Topkapi Palace (formerly home to the Ottoman sultans and their harems). Meander through the medieval, walled city of Dubrovnik, and delight in a two-hour guided coach tour of Venice upon arrival at the conclusion of your cruise.

 

Men are more loyal travel partners ... A dog's Ireland adventure ... Deal of the day

Yes, we have our share of philanderers and strays and men with wandering eyes. Tiger Woods, for one.

But a new study by Toronto-based G Adventures seems to suggest men are loyal to their spouses than wives when it comes to travel. In advance of March 20 being International Happiness Day (who knew?) the company did an online survey of friends, family and partners and found that men suggested their ideal travel partner is their wife. Women? Ha. No loyalty at all. A majority of the women who responded said THEY would rather go on a trip with their friends.

As a man, I'm insulted. Yeah, I'm sure you ladies have a great time with your girlfriends. No demands (well, maybe or maybe not) for sex, for one. And presumably nobody waiting at the door of the shops at the outlet mall starting at their watch and tapping their foot as they pass the time. Still, it gives me some degree of pleasure to know that men prefer to take their wives on holidays than to go with their friends. Of course, we all know we'd be hopelessly lost without our wives, as we're often reminded (INSERT SMILING EMOTICON HERE).

Actually, I don't put much faith in these online polls but it's innocent fun, I guess. The group they were surveying were friends and family and G Adventures is a travel company, so it's no surprise to find that 83 per cent of folks said travel is very important to them. And no surprise to find that 61 per cent of folks said they'd rather get more time off to travel than get a raise or a nicer office.

The survey had some other interesting findings. Asked to name a perfect destination, 2 per cent of folks said they "find bliss in the snow." Eight per cent said they're nautical enthusiasts, and 46 per cent said they "need to keep on movin'" and would enjoy an active holiday. Forty three per cent said they "wanna take in some sun." And amen to that.

On the other hand, when asked to name their perfect destination, Australia and New Zealand came out on top, followed by Antarctica. Brrrr....

Following those three destinations came South America (a surprise, perhaps, but remember G Adventures isn't packaging European bus tours for seniors), then Europe, Asian, a tie between North America and Central America and then the Arctic. You'd like to see the Arctic, some of which is in Canada, do better than Antarctica. But I guess it's tough to beat penguins.

DOG TAKES A RIDE

Hendrix, a six-year-old Spaniel, was supposed to be flown from New Jersey the other day to Phoenix. But there was a mixup at the airport and the poor pooch was sent on a long ride to Shannon, Ireland. Which isn't terribly close.

The dog was put back on a flight to the U.S. after the error was discovered. He also was upgraded to Milk Bone class and got to watch The Incredible Journey in 3-D.

JAUNT.CA DEAL OF THE DAY

Jaunt.ca, a division of Torstar, has a deal on tap for Cancun, Mexico for $908, with a $550 U.S. resort credit.

• BONUS: Enjoy $550 USD Resort Credit per room to enjoy on spa services, room upgrades, lobster dinners and more!
• All-inclusive 7-night stay at the 3.5-Star Barceló Tucancun Beach, located in Cancun, Mexico
• Includes return airfare from Toronto to Cancun and round-trip airport/hotel transfers in Mexico
• Accommodations in a Superior room, featuring 2 double beds or 1 king-size bed and Garden View. Maximum occupancy: 2 adults and 2 children or 3 adults and 1 child
• Daily breakfast, lunch and dinner, and unlimited alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks

• A host of recreational facilities provide tons of fun right on site
• The perfect, waterside location is a short distance from Cancun sports, shopping and nightlife
• Use your $550 credit at their full-service spa, various bars and other on-site perks

Offer Details

• Valid for travel on March 31, 2013
  Other DATES and GATEWAYS available. Call us at 1-855-687-5925.
  
• Pricing (Rates are per person, plus tax):
  
  Toronto:
  Single: $1130
  Double: $599
  Triple: $599
  Child: $499
  Tax: $309
  
  
• Valid passport required for travel from Canada
• This offer is 100% non-refundable at time of booking

 

 

 

Milk bone class.

DEAL OF DAY

 

The Florida Keys ... Canada shines in tourism report ... Deal of the day: China

"It's a Caribbean-like destination with the safety and security of the United States."

That's a pretty good, one-sentence description of the Florida Keys. I'd take credit, but the line comes from Keys tourism spokesman Andy Newman, who gets to spend his time promoting a beautiful and exotic slice of American travel versus, say, Minot, North Dakota.

"You can dive and fish in all the areas of the Keys, but we really have five distinct areas, each with its own forte," Newman said in a recent visit to these parts. "Key Largo is great for snorkeling and scuba and features John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, the first underwater park in the U.S. Islamorada (see photo of the Morada Bay resort at right) is great for sport-fishing. It's said there have been more world fishing records off Islamorada than anywhere on the globe. Marathon is great for families as no point of the Keys is more than 90 minutes away. That means you can experience everything and not have to change hotels. And there are two centres for swimming with dolphins."

Newman said Big Pine and the lower Keys is a great eco-centre/wildlife refuge, with herons and mangroves and excellent kayaking/canoeing. It's also where parts of PT 109, the movie about the World War II service of U.S. President John F. Kennedy, was filmed. Little Palm Island and the nearby water stood in for the South Pacific in the film, he said.

Then, of course, there's Key West, with the Hemingway House and the Harry S. Truman Southern White House and great bars and restaurants and colourful houses. There's also a great deal of culture, including the Tennessee Williams Theatre and occasional symphony performances. Also on the cultural side, there's the Morada Way arts and cultural district on Islamorada. Newman said they do art walks with music and food every third Thursday to celebrate the upper keys culture.

If you're heading down in May, you also can check out the Humphrey Bogart Film Festival in Key Largo (where else) from May 2-5.

All in all, an outstanding - and convenient - destination.

CANADA RISES A BIT IN WORLD TOURISM REPORT

The World Economic Forum put out its 2013 Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report the other day, and Canada moved up a notch from 2011, taking over the number eight spot.

The report is based on "factors and policies to make it attractive to develop the travel and tourism sector" in countries around the globe.

Topping the charts this year was Switzerland with a 5.66 score, followed by Germany and Austria at 5.39. Then came Spain and the UK at 5.38 each, followed by the U.S. (5.32), France (5.31), Canada (5.28), Sweden ((5.24) and Singapore (5.23). The next ten were Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Hong Kong, Iceland, Finland, Belgium, Ireland and Portugal.

Europe kicked massive butt in this report; nailing down the entire top five and placing 13 entries in the top 20.

As for the bottom 10, the 131-140 spots were held, in order, by Madagascar, Algeria, Yemen, Mauritania (I guess the GET MORE IN MAURITANIA campaign isn't working so well), Lesotho, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Burundi, Chad and Haiti.

JAUNT.CA DEAL OF THE DAY: CHINA AND HONG KONG

Jaunt.ca, a division of Torstar, has a deal for a great, 23-day trip to China and Hong Kong, priced at $4,249.

Jaunt Highlights

• EXCLUSIVE SAVINGS: Save over $4000 per couple, when compared to similar packages on other sites!
• 23-Day China In-Depth Tour, including a Yangtze River Cruise, visits to the Ming Tombs, the Great Wall of China, Hong Kong Island, and more! 
• Includes round-trip flight with Air Canada from Toronto, Calgary or Vancouver, to  Beijing, airport/hotel transfers in China, and all transfers throughout the tour
• Accommodations in 4 or 5-Star hotels. See Offer Details section below for hotels included (based on double occupancy)
• Includes Visa (valued at $115pp) and gratuities for local driver & guide (valued at $265pp)
• Includes meals throughout the tour (as indicated in itinerary below)
• Includes accompaniment of an English-speaking guide and all required entrance fees (as per itinerary)

Why We Love It:

• Experience rural China and its bustling metropolises
• Includes a visit to Hong Kong
• See the Great Wall, the Terracotta Warriors and other world renowned sites
• Enjoy experiences like an acrobatic show, authentic dinner and a river cruise

Offer Details

• Valid for travel on November 7, 2013 from Toronto, Calgary or Vancouver
  

• Pricing (based on double occupancy, plus tax):
  Single: $4929
  Double: $3879
  Tax: $350
  
  
• Hotels include the following: Oriental Bay Hotel, Beijing; Holiday Inn Vista Hotel, Shanghai; Metro Park Hotel, Suzhou; Xinan Counter Villa Hotel, Tunxi; West Lake Golden Plaza Hotel, Hangzhou; Titan Times Hotel, Xian; Park Hotel, Guilin; Shenzhen Airline International Hotel, Shenzhen and the Regal Oriental Hotel, Hong Kong.
• Valid passport is required for travel from Canada
• Prepaid gratuities (which are already included in the price) are mandatory
• This offer is 100% non-refundable at time of booking

 

 

 

 

 

WestJet carry-on bag change ... Ikea hotels on the way ... Deal of Day: Scotland

WestJet announced today that guests can now carry just one carry-on bag onto their planes, instead of the previous limit of two.

Officials are talking about this change (effective April 4) making  things smoother onboard, with more space and easier boarding. Of course, if you want to create lots of space let’s not allow any bags on board. Think of the time we’d all save that way.

This can’t possibly be couched as a victory for travelers, who now will be forced to check more bags or cut down on luggage.

The new limit means one bag on board (of a certain size, of course), plus one so-called “personal item.” Which is the same as Air Canada now allows.

The WestJet press release on the issue described a personal item as including “small purses, laptop bags or mobility or child restraint devices.”

Me? I think what we need is an airline restraint device.

IKEA HOTELS COMING TO EUROPE

I touched on this some time ago, but now there's official word that Ikea has teamed with Marriott to open a series of budget-minded hotels across Europe.

According to travelmole.com, Ikea's parent company "has confirmed it is to open around 50 budget hotels in Europe in the next five years in partnership with Marriott International, with the first opening in Milan (see photo)."

The hotels will be branded Moxy and are aimed at youth travelers on a budget. Rooms look to be going for around $100 a night, which isn't bad for Europe but is a significant step above a hostel rate.

Marriott apparently has spent $500 million or so on the project and has plans to build 50 hotels in the next five years and 150 over 10 years. Travelmole said it's "looking for sites close to business parks, airports, train and underground stations in the UK, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Belgium and Austria."

The hotels will have "upscale bathrooms and guestrooms will be kitted out with modern technology including flat screen TVs and built-in USB ports, and there will be meeting rooms and snack bars."

The rooms apparently won't feature Ikea furniture but will be built mostly off-site and then transported to various cities for final assembly, no doubt by engineers with really big Allen keys and a set of baffling instructions.

HOTEL PRICES ON THE RISE, AND SO ARE REWARD PROGRAM COSTS

Feeling the pinch in North America? There's good reason for that. A new study by hotels.com finds that hotel prices in North America rose 5 per cent last year; considerably higher than the worldwide average ike of 3 per cent.

Here in Toronto, prices rose only 2 per cent. In Montreal, they were up 3 per cent. But rooms can get expensive in some parts of the country, with average prices in Kananaskis, Alberta last year pegged at $259 and in Lake Louise at $246.

Looking for a sun holiday? Prices in the Caribbean were up 6 per cent last year, the study said. Asia prices rose just two per cent, while prices in Latin America crept up by just 1 per cent. Prices in the Middle East and Europe dropped slightly, which is good news for many travellers.

In addition to paying more for North American hotels, consumers here face some bad news on the rewards program front. CNN reports that Marriott, Hilton and Starwood, which operate Westin and Sheraton hotels and many others, are all increasing the number of points needed to get free nights at their properties.

Hilton, CNN said, will nearly double the points needed to stay at its most popular locations in peak times. Marriott, it said, will hike the number of points needed to stay at more than 1,000 of its hotels around the world after May 15. And Starwood plans to hike the "combined points and cash needed to stay at the majority of its hotels by 25 per cent."

Bad news, folks. Bad news.

JAUNT.CA DEAL OF THE DAY: SCOTLAND

Jaunt.ca, a division of Torstar, has a deal on hand for a fabulous trip to Scotland, priced at $3,465, including $567 in taxes.

Jaunt Highlights

• BONUS: Extend your flights for up to 30 days at no additional cost, and return from anywhere Transat flies in Europe
• BONUS: $150 Future Travel Voucher
• 10-day/8-night Scottish Dream Tour & Military Tattoo featuring a Loch Ness cruise, visits to Edinburgh Castle, reserved seating for the Military Tattoo and more!
• Includes return airfare from Toronto to Glasgow on Air Transat
• Includes all transfers in Scotland via luxury coach, services of a professional English speaking tour guide, and all sightseeing and entrance fees as per itinerary
• 8 nights' accommodation in Superior First Class hotels (based on double occupancy)
• Includes full breakfast daily (except day one), and 6 dinners throughout the tou

• The incredible amount of inclusions in the trip, from accommodations in Superior First Class Hotels, Military Tattoo, meal inclusions, to cruises, tours and more
• Visits and admissions to Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Inveraray Castle, Clan Donald Centre at Armadale Castle, Culloden Battlefield Visitor Centre, Balmoral Castle or Crathes Castle, Glamis Castle, St Andrews and Edinburgh Castle
• Cruise on the legendary Loch Ness, and Loch Lomond

Offer Details

• Valid for travel on August 13, 2013
• Pricing (Rates are per person, and based on double occupancy):
  Toronto:
  Single: $3448 + 567 tax
  Double: $2898 + $567  tax
  
  
• Valid passport required for travel from Canada
• This offer is 100% non-refundable