Top travel bargains include Mexico, Ireland...Golden Globes travel deals!

Max out your cash in Mexico. Invest in Indonesia. And get your way to Greece.

Tim Leffel, who wrote a book called The World's Cheapest Destinations: 21 Countries Where Your Money is Worth a Fortune, is echoing a point I've made in the past (and many, many others have made, of course), which is to say that so-called "trouble spots" are often some of the best travel deals around.

Leffel singles out Mexico, saying that many folks have avoided the entire country because of drug and crime issues along the border. Not to cover up the country's troubles, but avoiding Cancun because of problems in Tijuana is kinda like skipping Seattle because of gang trouble in Reno, Nevada.

There have been isolated problems in tourist areas, but the point Leffel is making is that there are great bargains to be had in Cancun or Cabo San Lucas. Probably Cozumel and Mazatlan, too. "There are so many rooms they are trying to fill, so every week there are unbelievable deals." Look for interior cities, too, he says. www.visitmexico.com

Also on Leffel's list:

NEPAL - "fascinating cultural tours out of Kathmandu...(with) fully outfitted whitewater rafting trips...at less than $50 a day." www.welcomenepal.com

 

GREECE - The protests and strikes, compounded with the recession that has cut the number of European visitors, means there's excess capacity now, USA Today reports in a story on Leffel's advice. He's quoted as saying that Greece is "hurting for business and rolling out the discounts." www.visitgreece.gr

INDONESIA - "It's a whole chain of islands and it's got everything; beaches, diving, mountains and culture." http://www.indonesia.travel/

HONDURAS - "First-class diving and Mayay ruins," Leffel says. www.letsgohonduras.com

HUNGARY - "All the charm of its western neighbors at lower costs." They haven't adopted the Euro, and the currency has dropped against the American dollar. Leffel suggests skipping Budapest and trying cheaper digs in Hungary's wine country. www.gotohungary.com

ETHIOPIA - "Incredible ruins and scenery" and a currency that dropped nearly 30 per cent against the U.S. dollar in 2010. www.tourismethiopia.org

THE USA - Leffel says to look for deals in cities hit by a drop in convention business, such as Orlando and Las Vegas. Good advice, for sure, in places that normally have pretty competitive rates. Good for Canadians, too, given the fact our dollar IS ABOVE PAR AGAINST THE AMERICAN GREENBACK, and how often do we get to say that? www.discoveramerica.com

VIETNAM - Once again, somewhere where the American dollar - and presuming the Canadian with it - gained value last year. "Whether you're a backpacker looking for a $5-a-night flophouse or a high-end visitor seeking a luxury hotel, you'll find bargains here," Leffel advises. www.vietnamtourism.com

IRELAND - Economic troubles and a slew of new hotels means travel deals for 2011, Leffel advises. I made my first trip there in April of last year (see photo of right of the lovely coast of Donegal) and fell in love with the people, the scenery, the castles and the overall atmosphere. The cities also are awesome; Dublin, sure, but also Belfast in Northern Ireland with great restaurants, wonderful architecture and, yeah, a couple of nice pubs. www.discoverireland.com

UNUSUAL CRUISE DESTINATIONS? YOU CAN ADD LIBYA TO THE LIST

Here's a cruise you can write home about. Crystal Cruises, according to USA Today, is going to begin stops in Tripoli, Libya; a first for the 22-year-old company.

"The luxury line says the 1,080-passenger Crystal Serenity will visit the Libyan port of Tripoli during the vessel's 11-night "Italian Splendor" voyage from Venice to Barcelona that begins Nov. 16. The voyage also includes calls in several Italian ports including Naples, Civitavecchia (for Rome) and Livorno (for Florence) as well as Dubrovnik, Croatia," Gene Sloan wrote on the USA Today travel site.

The city was founded by the Phoenicians back in the 7th century and has some cool architecture and wonderful archaeological sites.

READY FOR SOME HOLLYWOOD? CHECK THESE L.A. BARGAINS FOR THE GOLDEN GLOBES

Yeah, it's probably hard to find a cheap hotel in LA when the Oscars are on. But apparently it's not bad for the Golden Globe Awards. CheapOair.com says they found a slew of good spots in western LA, in or near Hollywood, for reasonable prices. Among their recommendations are the W Hotel Los Angeles in Westwood Village (my former home when I was at UCLA way back when, and still a great part of LA for stargazing, a little bit of space and, wait for it, actual places to walk and shop and eat without needing a car!), for $188 a night, the Omni Los Angeles Hotel California Plaza (downtown) for $135 and the Grafton on Sunset (West Hollywood) for a very good price of $177 per night.

Downtown LA has come a long way, with plenty of good restaurants and shops and lots to do, even if you are a good half hour from the beach. West Hollywood is known as the gay capital of southern California and probably is more in line with what Canadians would want to see and experience in a trip to so-Cal, with tons of nightclubs and restaurants and funky shops and colourful characters. Like Scarlett here. I'm not saying you'll run into Scarlett Johansson, pictured here at left in a rather modest dress from the 2006 Golden Globe Awards, I do believe. But there's a chance you might see that guy who was the third dude from the left in line at the grocery store in some really horrible episode of Three And A Half Men (as opposed to the funny, intelligent, well-written episodes, I mean).

 

 

 

The kindness of strangers during another TTC mixup...Jim's Deals of the Day

Another TTC adventure. But with a fun and happy ending.

I got to the Lawrence station on the Yonge line shortly after 9 a.m., only to find folks milling about the fire trucks parading down the street. Not a good sign. A would-be passenger said there were reports of smoke on the platform and that service was cancelled between York Mills and Eglinton.

Sigh.

I ran into a buddy on Yonge St. as we mulled over our options. I thought about walking home and getting my bike but I don't like riding to work and getting all sweaty. I was going to simply walk back and work at home and monitor the TV. But then I saw a bus making its way down Yonge St, so I thought I'd hop on and take the bus to Eglinton and then transfer to the subway.

Of course, the bus was filled to the brim and was out of service for all of us waiting at Lawrence. Typical TTC. How about sending some empty buses for people to ride, guys? Geez.

At this point I figured it's a nice day so I'd just walk to Eglinton. But then a woman pulled in a silver-grey minivan and threw open her doors and shouted, "Who wants a ride?"

Isn't that great? Five of us clambered in and she closed the doors.

"I'm heading to Bloor, where do you want to go?"

Her name is Angela and she works for the Multiple Sclerosis Society, and bless her heart.

"This happens to me sometimes so I hitchhike a ride myself," she said. "I thought I should offer people the same rides I get."

Usually she takes the subway but today she had to pick up a cake for a baby shower at work, so she drove. Lucky us.

She talked for a while in Spanish to a woman in the front seat who was born in Uruguay but lives in Canada, then chatted with us a bit. The woman in the front seat turned and offered us all a piece of gum, and the guy in front of me offered to share his newspaper.

I mostly worked on my Sudoku, but also listened to another passenger, Leonard.

"I haven't hitched a ride in 37 years," he said. "I hitchhiked from Toronto to Vancouver when I was a kid. It took me seven days. It would've been shorter but I was stuck in Wawa without a ride for three days."

It was only a few minutes, but it gave me a taste of carpooling, and I can see how people form longstanding friendships based on being cooped up in a car.

Anyway, Angela was a delight and dropped several of us off at St. Clair.

I'll be happy if the subway works Thursday. But if not, I'll stick my thumb out at Lawrence and see who I can ride with.

Oh, and Angela? Enjoy the baby shower. And safe travels.

MOTHER OF ALL SINKHOLES

 

 I've seen sinkholes before, but never anything so perfectly round as the one in Guatemala City. It's pretty bizarre. Part of me wonders if there isn't some kind of funny tunnel that caused this. I don't know. I'm usually not a conspiracy person, but that thing doesn't look like your average sinkhole/slide.

JIM'S DEALS OF THE DAY

From US$64 one way - Buffalo to US & Sun destinations (limited-time sale)
http://www.travelalerts.ca/top-travel-deals/buffalo-to-us-destinations-buf-to-us.html

 

$187 - Toronto to Santiago de Cuba, 1 week all-inclusive vacation ($403 w/tax)
http://www.travelalerts.ca/top-travel-deals/toronto-to-santiago-de-cuba-yyz-to-scu.html

 

Special deal - Save up to 45% off 3-star and 4-star Top Secret Hotels
http://www.travelalerts.ca/top-travel-deals/travelocity-top-secret-hotels-14.html

WESTJET EXPANSION PLANS

The folks at WestJet held a conference call on Tuesday to chat about their future plans, and they repeated again their pledge to hike their market share between the U.S. and Canada. They said their goal is to double that share, from 13 per cent to 25 per cent in the next six years.

They're also seemingly closing in on a partnership with a U.S. airline, likely Delta. There was talk of a code-share deal with Southwest but Delta appears the most likely dance partner at this stage.

"If you want to travel to more of the business-type destinations in the U.S., you need year-round service and you need a partner," WestJet executive vice president of strategy and planning Hugh Dunleavy said during the carrier's annual investor day.

Southwest Airlines earlier this year terminated plans to develop a codeshare with WestJet, claiming its would-be Canadian partner made "significant changes" to the deal forged in 2008.

 

London goes to the dogs (sorry, elephants)..Hotels looking better..Deals of day

Chicago did it first with the cows. Then came a host of other cities, including Toronto with its lame moose on the street.

(I know, I know. Some folks liked the moose. But I thought it was a stupid, copycat move. Better than another walk of fame, mind you. Oh wait, they've done that in Toronto, too.)

Anyway, I read now that designers and artists who want to protect endangered Asian elephants have decorated some 250 fiberglass animals to put out in London on May 2.

Among the artists taking part are Diane Von Furstenberg and Tommy Hilfiger, according to Bloomberg News. Each of the pachyderms weighs 154 pounds and will be mounted in such spots as Buckingham Palace (provide your own punchline here, folks) and Parliament Square.

The top pieces will be auctioned off on June 30, and organizers hope to raise some $3 million for the Elephant Family and other charities.

As much as its a copycat (copyelephant?) idea, this one escapes my criticism as un-creative because there's a charity involved.

Also on the subject of London, it seems that organizers of the London 2012 Summer Olympics (yikes; not that far away) have set up a website for fans to indicate what events they'd like to attend. Folks can go to http://www.tickets.london2012.com and let organizers know if they're more into rowing or field hockey, which should help them gauge demand and set ticket numbers and prices.

Tickets aren't slated to go on sale until next year. But organizers say they hope to sell eight million ducats in all.

Some 40,000 people registered in the first four hours that the website was up and running.

HOTELS ON THE MEND?

A company called PKF Hospitality Research is forecasting a strong rebound for the hotel industry. But it won't happen until 2012, the company says.

According to Business Travel News, PKF is forecasting a 1.4 per cent year-over-year decline in average daily rates this year and a 1.1 per cent decline in revenue per available room.

Some areas, however, are expected to get pretty solid RevPAR increases this year; including Newark, Boston, Anaheim, Salt Lake City and Oahu. (Newark? Salt Lake? I don't quite get it, myself). Cities expecting the biggest RevPAR drops include Phoenix (that's a surprise to me), Austin (ditto), Houston and Washington D.C.

Sadly, I didn't see any Canadian cities mentioned in the story.

JIM'S DEALS OF THE DAY

$65 - Toronto to Costa Rica, non-stop round-trip flight ($274 w/tax)
http://www.travelalerts.ca/ccount12/click.php?id=2805

 

From $99 per night - Visit Montreal this spring and save 30% off your stay
http://www.travelalerts.ca/ccount12/click.php?id=2807

 

US$699 - 7-nt Western Caribbean cruise aboard the award-winning 5.5* Celebrity Solstice
http://www.travelalerts.ca/ccount12/click.php?id=2806

For more deals, go to www.travelalerts.ca

 

Vegas baby, Vegas...Caribbean crime issues...More British Airways...Deals of day

Our friends at travelalerts.ca sent out a note the other day that outlined $29 hotel rooms in Las Vegas. I also spotted a story from USA Today's Kitty Bean Yancey (isn't that a GREAT byline?) saying there are great deals from now to Dec. 24; I guess cuz folks are saving their sinful behaviour until after Santa visits.

Anyway, The Las Vegas Advisor is said to have found 43 Las Vegas casino hotels with rooms for less than $40, compared to 38 last December. Among the properties available were Harrah's, Bally's and Excalibur.

They also found 27 properties for less than $30, two more than last year. Among those are Circus Circus, the Tropicana and Sahara.

Even more amazing, they mentioned seven casinos with rates less than $20; among them the Golden Gate and Hooters, reputed to be Tiger Woods' fave hangout. The Hard Rock was down to $47, Paris was $55 and New York-New York available for as little as $48. All prices are subject to change, so they may not be available right now. Still, there appear to be no end to the bargains.

The Star's Richard Ouzounian, our resident theatre expert and the author of our monthly "Six Meals In" feature in Star Travel, is on his way there today for the big opening of the much ballyhooed, $8.5 billion City Center project, said to be the largest privately financed development in American history and that's saying a lot. There are new hotels (see photo of the Aria at right), shops and glitzy restaurants, as well as a couple casinos, and they'll be pulling out all kinds of stops to make it a splashy entry.

Richard will be filing to the star.com/travel, so check our web site and my blog tomorrow (Wednesday) for his thoughts. And again on Thursday. And check our print version on Saturday for another report as we keep you up to date on one of the most popular destinations for GTA travelers.

CARIBBEAN CRIME?

Folks in Caribbean tourism know how important public perception is, and they're showing understandable concern about recent crime reports.

A dozen Carnival passengers were robbed at gunpoint near Nassau's Queen's Staircase in October. Last month, two groups of passengers from Royal Caribbean and Disney Cruise Line ships were on ship-sponsored tours when they were robbed by men carrying shotguns.

The Nassau Guardian says armed robberies in the Bahamas are up 17 per cent from 2008. It's serious enough that Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham is pledging a new year's press conference to introduce new anti-crime legislation.

"The current crime wave is totally unacceptable and must be brought under control," he said. "I think that you will see an accelerated set of policing - prevention - taking place very soon and we will seek to make our streets safer and our homes safer," the newspaper reported today.

The Bahamas are not the only place where there are concerns, of course. The New York Times reported the other day that a retired British couple was seriously wounded in a machete attack in Tobago in August and that a pregnant American tourist was abducted and killed during a morning jog in Fajardo, Puerto Rico, in February.

A colleague at the Star correctly points out there's plenty of crime in Toronto and U.S. cities. But do foreign governments warn people about coming to North America? I don't know. I do know that crime happens all over the world. But when you're as dependent on tourism as the folks are in the Caribbean, any crime takes on an even greater importance.

On a related note, the U.S. State Department has lifted its travel alert for Honduras, saying improved security means Americans aren't under immediate threat. The alert was issued following a June 28 coup.

Tourism is said to have dropped 85 per cent on the island of Roatan after the coup, even though it's far from the capital of Tegucigalpa. There's great diving in Roatan, as well as a new, world-class golf course development under construction.

BRITISH AIRWAYS UPDATE

As passengers continue to lash out over a potential Christmas walkout by British Airways cabin crew, the airline is beginning last-ditch legal action to avert a holiday horror show.

Associated Press reports that BA has applied to the High Court for an injunction to prevent the planned 12-day walkout, which is due to start Dec. 22.

"An emergency hearing was schedule for Wednesday," AP said, "But that still left passengers in limbo, contemplating soaring prices for alternative flights - or train journeys."

Virgin Atlantic says it will bring in bigger planes on key routes out of London, including flights to New Yor and Delhi. BMI ran newspaper advertisements saying that "BA is grounded, but you needn't be."

A London accountant hoping to fly from Heathrow to Vancouver on Christmas Day for a vacation with his wife said he's looking at prices of around $3,500 Canadian.

"The likely revenue gift to its competitors couldn’t come at a worse time for BA, which has been one of the airlines worst hit by the global recession because of its heavy running costs and reliance on increasingly unpopular premium fares," AP said.

THIS AND THAT; News from Chicago, New Delhi and Victoria

The Blackstone Hotel in Chicago is celebrating its 100th birthday with $100 rates from Jan. 1 to April 10, 2010. Guests also can get a champagne cocktail, a Singapore Sling and other drinks for just a buck. Wow, that's even cheaper than the Air Canada Centre...The New Leela Palace is set to open in early fall in New Delhi. The Leela Palace Kempinski New Delhi is a five-star spot with 260 rooms and suites, five restaurants, two bars, an ESPA spa and a rooftop swimming pool...Did you know there wasn't a carousel anywhere on Vancouver Island until recently, when they unveiled one at Butchart Gardens in Victoria? Either did I, but they say the Rose Carousel is all decked out for Christmas and has handcarved likenesses of bears, ostriches, zebras and horses.

JIM'S DEALS OF THE DAY

It's time to start thinking of your winter/spring break. Here are a couple solid options, brought to you by the folks at travelalerts.ca:

$133 - Toronto to Cancun, return flight during the holidays ($411 w/tax): save $100

http://www.travelalerts.ca/ccount12/click.php?id=1907

$347 - Toronto to Puerto Plata, DR, 1 week all-inclusive getaway ($667 w/tax)

http://www.travelalerts.ca/ccount12/click.php?id=1908

New Air Canada baggage fees...Healthiest Airport Food...Jim's Deals of the Day

I guess it was a matter of time, but it's still a shame to see Canadians have to pay more for air travel.

 

Air Canada today announced that it will start charging passengers with Tango, Tango Plus and Latitude fares $30 for a second,checked bag on all flights to the U.S. (except Puerto Rico) and $50 for second bags on flights to Europe and Israel. The policy takes effect for flights on or after Jan. 19. 2010 for tickets purchased from today onwards.

 

Passengers with Economy Class tickets will continue to get two free, checked bags on flights within Canada, as well as to and from Mexico, the Caribbean, South and Central America, Asia and Australia, which I find kinda weird. I mean, if you're charging $50 for a second bag to Europe, why not $50 for a second bag to Asia or South America?

 

The fee for a second checked bag to/from the United States, Europe and Israel will not apply to Air Canada Prestige, Elite, Super Elite members or Star Alliance Silver and Gold members. Executive Class and Executive First customers continue to receive an allowance of three checked bags on all flights, regardless of destination.

 

That's great for those of us who travel a lot, but the average guy gets screwed. A family of four flying to Europe in economy with two checked bags per person would end up forking over another $200. A family flying to Orlando to see the Mouse - or take in a tour of the Tiger Woods domestic bliss display in Isleworth - would pay another $120.

 

Air Canada, of course, couched this in very public relations-like terms, stating not that they were hiking baggage fees but merely saying it had "matched the prevailing checked bag policy of international carriers on U.S. transborder and transatlantic routes." Which makes it sound like it's not their fault and that they simply HAD to fall in line.

 

Customers purchasing Economy Class tickets for travel on or after January 19, 2010 to/from the United States, Europe and Israel will still be able to check one bag for free, in addition to permitted carry-on baggage. But you'll have to pay for bag number two.

 

"This change in baggage policy to match our U.S. and European competitors is an important step as we work toward sustained profitability," said Ben Smith, Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer. "In this weak economy it is more critical than ever to continue reviewing all our activities on a regular basis and making adjustments as necessary to remain competitive with our industry peers. We are committed to offering our customers a full range of competitively priced travel options."

Yes, some airlines charge for each bag. And yes, air travel is expensive. But don't you just HATE getting nickeled and dimed sorry, thirtied and fiftied - like this?

For the record, WestJet's p.r. guy tells me they haven't changed their policy; it's still two bags free on all flights.

 

HEALTHY AIRPORT FOOD

 

No offence, but I wouldn't have expected the Detroit Metro airport to have topped a list I spotted of airports in the U.S. with the healthiest meals.

 

A study by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine looked at 17 U.S. airports and said 79% offer at least one healthy option (low-fat, high-fibre, cholesterol-free). Detroit Metro scored 100%, meaning all their restaurants have at least one healthy option, and good for them. San Francisco rose to 94%, while the next three were Phoenix Sky Harbour, Houston Intercontinental and Newark.

 

Las Vegas was last with just 66% of places offering a healthy choice. The study said too many Vegas eateries offered only burgers, sausages, hot dogs or pre-made items "full of fat and cholesterol." Chicago O'Hare and Dulles in Washington D.C. each got scores of just 68 %.

 

Time to pull up your socks, folks. 

 

 

JIM'S DEALS OF THE DAY

 

Up to 50% off - Cheap flights to every Canadian destination with Air Canada

http://www.travelalerts.ca/ccount12/click.php?id=1769

 

US$69 - Over 75% off! - Peak holiday sale in Orlando near theme parks (sale ends soon)

http://www.travelalerts.ca/ccount12/click.php?id=1755

 

US$444 taxes included - 4 night 4* Disney Bahamas cruise: early January

http://www.travelalerts.ca/ccount12/click.php?id=1756

 

USA, Canada 1-2 in Country Rankings...West Jet news...Jim's Deal of the Day

They like us. They just like the USA a little more.

The fifth annual Country Brand Index report names the USA as the "top country brand" in the world, followed on the podium by Canada and Australia. It marks the first time the US of A has been number one on the charts. Australia had been first the last three years. Canada was second last year and again in 2009.

"It's logical to assume that the shift in the political climate and renewed optimism surrounding the election of President Obama was a key influencer in the U.S. topping the list," said Rene Mack, president of Weber Shandwick's Travel & Lifestyle Global Practice. The study was conducted by FutureBrand, a consultancy firm, and public relations firm Web Shandwick after a survey of 3,000 international business and leisure travellers.

While the USA was numero uno overall, Canada placed first in several categories; Best Country Brand for Families, Best Country Brand for Resort and Lodging Options (pretty good, I'd say), Best Country Brand for Safety, Best Country Brand for Political Freedom and, best of all, Best Country Brand You Would Most Like to Live In.

Canada came second in the category of best standard of living and was third in natural beauty, environmentalism and "easiest to do business in."

A quote in the report said Canada "continues to do an exceptional job with its branding. Using all the country has to offer, it promotes the experience of adventure, friendly people, diverse culture and beautiful landscapes."

Pretty dang good all around, I'd say.

The USA, in case you were wondering, was tops in Best for Business. But I didn't see any American first-place finishes in other categories, which is interesting. The USA did, however, make the top five in a number of categories where Canada didn't place, including best for advanced technology, best for quality products, best for nightlife (Canada didn't make the top five for nightlife? I guess the experts have never been to Oshawa) and best for shopping.

Here's the full top-10 list of Top Country Brands:

1. USA 2. Canada 3. Australia 4. New Zealand 5. France 6. Italy 7. Japan 8. UK 9. Germany 10. Spain

I'm not so sure I agree with some of the experts, however. Having just returned from Tahiti, I wouldn't rank it first for beaches. Great lagoons and beautiful water, but not a huge number of great beaches. Beaches are much better in Hawaii and Florida and California, although you don't want to swim in California's cool ocean waters in anything other than the heat of the summer.

By the way, the top five for beaches were Tahiti, Bermuda, Aruba, Barbados and the Bahamas.

I WOULD put Tahiti (see photo of Club Bali Hai resort in Moorea, below)  first for natural beauty, yes.

 
And for rest and relaxation, definitely. So no quibbles there.

WEST JET WANDERINGS

Had a cup of coffee with the folks from West Jet and West Jet Vacations yesterday. They're making a big push on the vacations front these days, with 66 destinations in a dozen countries and 11 new ones this fall.

"It's our largest single expansion ever," said Gregg Saretsky, vice president of West Jet Vacations. "We're expecting a million visitors to the sun this year, a 45 per cent hike."

As for specific deals, he says Cuba remains hot, hot and still hot.

"You can get an all-inclusive deal including air, hotel, food and your alcohol for $599 from Toronto," he said. "That's cheaper than staying home."

Saretsky said Cuba expects to attract a million Canadians this year.

"It's interesting that the US might allow visitors to Cuba," he said. "That might drive rates up."

New West Jet destinations this year include Varadero, Cayo Coco and Holguin in Cuba, Turks and Caicos, St. Maarten, Freeport (Grand Bahamas), Miami, Atlantic City, Cozumel, Lihue (Kauai, Hawaii) and Ixtapa.

"We're the only carrier offering service to all four main islands in Hawaii; Kauai, Oahu, Maui and the Big Island of Hawaii," he said. "And we offer 74 weekly services to Las Vegas."

JIM'S DEAL OF THE DAY

Quebec’s Chateau Beauvallon has a special $99.99 rate available through Dec. 18. This lead-in per night rate applies to one-bedroom suites, outfitted with both a king-sized bed in the bedroom and a pull-down Murphy bed in the living room. For two-bedroom suites, the lead-in is $159 and for three-bedroom suites, $209. Each suite’s kitchenette is equipped with a stove top, microwave and a dishwasher. And more crucial for some, the bathrooms have heated floors. Chateau Beauvallon is on the doorstep of Mont Tremblant, offering every winter sport imaginable from skiing and snowboarding to dog-sledding, snowshoeing and snow tubing. See www.chateaubeauvallon.com.

Stupid Canada Visitor Questions...Caribbean Dreaming...Jim's Deal of the Day

A government friend of mine (thanks!) today sent me a great list of what she said were REAL questions people asked on an international tourism website. I'm a little dubious of these things, as folks might INTENTIONALLY ask really stupid questions.

Nonetheless, as we seek to entertain ourselves on a rainy Friday, here's a few of the offerings, with the country from which the query originated in parentheses:

- I have never seen it warm on Canadian TV, so how do the plants grow? (England)

- Will I be able to see polar bears in the street? (USA)

- I want to walk from Vancouver to Toronto, can I follow the railroad tracks? (Sweden).

- Is it safe to run around in the bushes of Canada? (Sweden)

- Are they any ATM's in Canada? Can you send me a list of them in Toronto, Vancouver, Edmonton and Halifax? (England)

- Can you give me some information about hippo racing in Canada?

- Can you send me the Vienna Boys' Choir Schedule? (USA)

- Can you tell me the regions in British Columbia where the female population is smaller than (the male) population? (Italy)

- Are there supermarkets in Toronto and is milk available all year round? (Germany)

A few minutes before I got this list, I met a friend who swore she'd heard that a couple of Americans showed up in Trinity, Newfoundland this summer and asked where all the Finnish people were. Puzzled, her friend asked what they meant. "Well," came the reply, "aren't we in New Finland?"

She insists it's true. But if people are really this stupid, there's very little hope for the human race. That's all I can say....

CARIBBEAN CRAZY

They held a smashing lunch/reception in the Distillery District today to celebrate Caribbean week in Canada. Star freelancer Janie Robinson was awarded top newspaper story honours for a piece about delivering the mail by boat in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

Hugh Riley, secretary general of the Caribbean Tourism Association, told a packed press conference that Canadian arrivals in 2008 were up 15.3 per cent over 2007 and that total 2009 Canadian arrivals between January and July of this year were up 7.4 per cent over 2008.

He called the figures "gratifying" and said Canadians have been "a real saviour" for the Caribbean.

I hadn't thought of it like that, but Riley said Caribbean nations are "probably the most tourism dependent region in the world."

As for why Canadians continue to flock south, Riley said proximity and ease of access obviously is a huge factor. There's also tremendous cultural diversity, with French, English, Spanish and native histories, not to mention Dutch and South Asian influences and, of course, black/African culture. Naturally, there's also "unmatched beauty and spectacular weather," not to mention "hospitable people."

While numbers from Canada have been good, Riley said the value-added promotions laid on by operators and hotel owners have taken a toll on the bottom line.

"Some of these deals I hope we never have to see again," he joked.

Riley said people definitely are taking longer to book; staying up at 2 a.m. to find the best deals, "then doing it again the next night."

There are signs of improvement, but he said many experts suggest things won't really improve until the third quarter of 2010.

Riley said Caribbean nations are casting an eye on Western Canada. So stay tuned for more on that.

As for what's happening down south, here are a few tidbits I picked up:

- Air Canada Vacations is now offering B and B's and villa apartments in Barbados. They also have a deal where you can upgrade to executive class on some flight/hotel packages for Cuba and Costa Rica for just $99, including access to the Maple Leaf Lounge.

- Delta is adding more flights to St. Lucia from Atlanta.

- Plans in St. Kitts are proceeding for the Christophe Harbour project on the southern part of the island, complete with a Tom Fazio golf course.

- It's gonna be a busy winter in the Cayman Islands. There's a Jazz Festival Dec. 3-5 with Alicia Keys, as well as a marathon. January will see an international cooking event held on Seven mile beach in front of the Ritz Carlton.

- The Jumby Bay Resort on Antigua is slated to reopen Dec. 1 and the Sugar Ridge Hotel later that month.

- Jamaica is said to have the most licensed attractions in the Caribbean; some 170 in all. Direct flights from London, Ontario to Jamaica begin Dec. 21; a huge improvement for London-area residents and even folks in Kitchener-Waterloo-Cambridge.

- Starting Nov. 4, West Jet will fly from Toronto to Providenciales, Turks and Caicos on Wednesdays, as well as Saturdays.

JIM'S DEAL OF THE DAY

Transat Holidays’ Bite-Sized Price promotion includes not just Mexico and the Caribbean but Spain too. In Mexico, all-inclusive packages start at $449 at the NH Krystal Puerto Vallarta, for departures Nov. 9. In the Riviera Maya, Gran Bahia Principe Coba Royal Golden is priced from $699 (Nov. 28, Dec. 5 and 12). For the same departure dates, the D.R. is leading in at $479 for the Grand Oasis Marien in Puerto Plata and Jamaica, $769 at the Grand Palladium Lady Hamilton Resort & Spa. And in Malaga, Spain, Transat Holidays is offering long-stays with 22 nights in a self-catering apartment with full kitchen for $1,099 per person, including airfare, for departures Feb. 9 and 16. See www.transatholidays.com.

MARRIOTT MADNESS

Available exclusively for bookings made in November, Marriott and Renaissance Caribbean, Mexico and Costa Rica resorts are offering 40 per cent off leisure rates for travel from Jan. 1 to April 30, 2010. The discount applies to room rate only and isn't valid for groups of ten rooms or more. Reservations must be made through marriott.com or by calling toll-free 1-888-727-2347 and requesting promotional code LLF.

 

Park'N Fly Food Drive...Worst Airports...Caribbean Warning...Jim's Deal/Day

Here's a nice idea. Park'N Fly here in Toronto is supporting the Daily Break Food Bank in an effort to help stampt out hunger and poverty and give families a happier holiday season.

Between Nov. 2 and Dec. 21, consumers can drop off a non-perishable food item at the Toronto Park'N Fly Valet Location and get one free parking day, with no strings or limitations or restriction. In addition, you can make a cash donation to the Food Bank in that period and get your free day by bringing the electronic donation receipt; just in case it's not handy to get the grocery store. Park'N Fly will match every dollar donated - up to $5,000 during this period.

I say GOOD ON PARK'N FLY for this promotion. And, hey, nice as the offer is, how about taking a big basket or bagful of groceries and not just a single item, folks?

CARIBBEAN UPS AND DOWNS

Interesting International Monetary Fund report the other day on Caribbean travel. The IMF says that as the financial crisis hit the U.S., countries most dependent on American tourism suffered the worst. Countries less dependent on U.S. visitors, including Barbados, the Dominican Republic and Cuba (duh), fared better.

From April to June, the IMF said visits to Mexico dropped 27.6 %, while those to St. Kitts and Nevis were down a surprising 25.5 % and visits to St. Vincent and the Grenadines dropped 24.1 %.

  
 

On the other hand, Barbados (see photo) was down 12. 5 % andSt. Lucia was down only 5.2 per cent. Jamaica was up 6.7 %, while Colombia grew by 13.2 % and Cuba by 3.8 %.

Don't forget it's Caribbean week here in Toronto, culminating with the Rum and Rhythm event at the Distillery District on Friday.

WORST AIRPORTS: LONDON CALLING

A survey by the Priority Pass airport lounge program finds that London Heathrow tops a list of the five worst airports in the world. Paris' Charles de Gaulle came in second, followed by LAX, Frankfurt International in Germany and Miami International.

Singapore Changi was voted the best airport by Priority Pass members, some 14,500 of whom were queried.

Singapore's airport is almost always singled out as world's best, with its massage chairs and movie theatres and rooftop gardens and dozens of other features that make our little Toronto Pearson look rather pathetic. But enough of that.

I don't know about Heathrow being worst. It's HUGELY busy, which can't be good for service. But I've been there twice in the last year, most recently a week ago in the new Terminal 5, and I thought it was pretty good. Haven't been to Paris in a while (note to self - remedy that) or LAX, although I'll be at LAX on Saturday for five hours so I can check it out. I recall my last visit to Frankfurt - on my way to Athens, I think - was dreadful. Miami's pretty poor but I believe it's being rebuilt/renovated.

JIM'S DEAL OF THE DAY

The buzz in cruising these days seems to be either ‘go big’ or ‘go small’. Mega-ships like Royal Caribbean’s 220,000-ton Oasis of the Seas will carry 5,400 passengers when it hits the water later this year. That dwarfs the small and cozy river cruise ships gaining popularity on Europe’s waterways. No matter what your preference, there are plenty of deals out there. With Encore CruiseEscapes, you can save up to $200 per stateroom on Royal Caribbean cruises in Mexico, the Bahamas and the Caribbean, Alaska and Europe, plus Atlantic Ocean crossings, for ocean view staterooms on select ships and sailings booked by Oct. 31. Higher stateroom categories also qualify. For booking information see www.encorecruiseescapes.com.

AIR WARS IN THE U.S.

I think I'd need a calculator or a really good abacus to figure it out, but the deals sound extraordinary on Southwest and on AirTran down in the U.S. of A. Southwest has launched a goofy (but seemingly popular) sale in which tickets range from $25 to $100, depending on how you go. A flight of up to 375 miles is $25 each way, while flights between 375 and 549 miles are $50 and flights between 550 and 999 miles are $75 each way. Flights of 1,000 miles or more cost, wait for it, $100 each way.

The sale ends Thursday at 11:59 p.m. PST. The sale covers flights between Dec. 2 and 16 and Jan. 5 to Feb. 10 - thus avoiding Christmas and New Year's. Interesting it ends two days prior to the start of the Vancouver Olympics, too.

AirTran has a sale of its own but you'll have to go to their website - www.airtrain.com - to check. Sample flights include Boston to Baltimore/Washington for $39. I was able to find a one-way flight from Buffalo-Niagara to Orlando in mid-November for $67 U.S., which is pretty dang good.

The AirTran sale isn't valid for tickets on Nov. 25, Nov. 28-30, Dec. 18-20, Dec. 22-30 or Jan. 2-3. It, too, ends Feb. 10, and USA Today reports fares are cheapest for flights on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.

HONDURAS CHAIR LIFT: LOOKS GREAT BUT IS THE COUNTRY SAFE?

Carnival passengers will be able to "fly" from the ship to the beach on a new elevated chair lift, when the line debuts its new Mahogany Bay Cruise Center in Roatan, Honduras, next month, says USA Today.

The six-minute lift ride, which Carnival is calling the "Magical Flying Beach Chair," will start directly at the cruise terminal and take passengers to Mahogany Beach. According to Carnival it's the first such transport in the Caribbean.

Four-passenger chairs will travel 67 feet above the ground. Carnival will charge a $5 fee for unlimited rides (chair lift passes will also be included in pre-sold beach activities).

The lift is part of Carnival's new $62 million cruise center which debuts with a visit of the 2,124-passenger Carnival Legend on Nov. 20. Mahogany Beach is a 10-acre private island featuring a long beach with loung chairs, floats, private cabanas, watersports, a restaurant and two bars.

It's something you don't see everyday, but the Tourism Minister of Honduras was quoted the other day as saying visitors should AVOID his country due to political instability.

"We are still a state without individual guarantees," he said. "The police can come into your house without court order, you can be arrested withour reason, and there's no freedom of movement."

Carnival argues Roatan is 30 miles from the coast and hasn't been affected by the political situation in Honduras and that "we have continued to call there through the past many weeks without incident."

Still....

 

Good West Jet Idea, Caribbean Week in TO,Torstar Digital Makes Key Purchase

It's such an obvious solution, you gotta wonder why nobody thought of it earlier. Or at least why they haven't done it.

The folks at WestJet say they're contemplating a plan that would take middle seats off the market on some long-distance flights, apparently Calgary to Hawaii (see photo). 

 

That would lessen the weight of the planes and thus reduce the amount of fuel needed. Which would allow them to better utilize existing planes and not buy bigger, more expensive ones.

The talk is that next year they'll leave up to 20 middle seats open on the Boeing 737-700 planes, which seat 136 folks.

Of course, they'd forgo some revenue so the thought is that folks (HELLO, YOU THINK?) would pay a little extra to have an empty seat next to them. I find it's a HUGE benefit to have half a seat for my book or iPod or what have you, and to be able to use half the tray to hold a drink while I put my laptop or whatever on the tray in front of my seat.

Personally, I'd pay $100 for the extra seat on a long flight. Even a five-hour flight it might be worth it. Or at least $50.

Interesting idea, and I'll be watching to see how this works.

RUM AND RHYTHM

The second annual Caribbean Rum & Rhythm Festival goes next Friday in the Distillery District as part of Caribbean Week in Toronto.

 

There's a party Friday night Oct. 30 from 6 to 9 p.m. in the Fermenting Cellar, with a variety of award-winning rums and some tasty cocktails, plus mouth-watering cuisine, music and a silent auction that includes Caribbean vacations. Ooh, I hope they have some Chairman's Reserve from St. Lucia (see photo)

Tickets are available for $55 per person and be purchased online at Ticketweb.com and at www.caribbeanweek.ca or by calling (888) 222-6608.

TORSTAR DIGITAL BUYS TRAVEL ALERTS

Interesting to see our friends at Torstar Digital have purchased Travelwire Inc., owner of TravelAlerts.ca (www.travelalerts.ca), a leading travel website and weekly newsletter that provides 700,000 Canadians with information about the best travel deals.

"We are excited to work collaboratively with the Travelwire team to further extend this fantastic product to Torstar Digital's broad consumer audience and advertiser base," Torstar Digital officials said. "Travelwire is unique in that it offers 10 regional TravelAlerts.ca newsletters across Canada with geo-targeted travel deals for each region."

Personally, I'm pretty excited to see what direction this goes. Could be some changes for our website down the road?

CRUISE DOINGS

The first Caribbean sailing of MSC Poesia goes Nov. 10 from Fort Lauderdale, touching base at Ocho Rios and Grand Cayman in a five-night cruise.

MSC Poesia was launched last year. For information, go to www.msccruisesusa.com

FRANKIE GOES TO HOLLYWOOD (WEST)

The West Hollywood Marketing and Visitors Bureau has announced the relaunch of www.gogaywesthollywood.com, "the premier source of information for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered travelers to West Hollywood."

It's a great area, for sure, including parts of the Sunset strip and other districts. It's more or less sandwiched between Beverly Hills and Hollywood itself, which is a region of Los Angeles and not a separate city.

JIM'S DEAL OF THE DAY

Air Canada Vacations has extended the booking deadline on its Early Booking Bonus deal to Europe. From now until Nov. 30, you can save $200 per couple, or $100 per person, on all Air & Hotel packages to Europe, as long as travel is taken between Nov. 1, 2009 and April 30, 2010. Air Canada Vacations’ Europe  

line up includes London, Madrid, Paris, Geneva, Zurich, Dublin, Frankfurt and Munich, with flights and hotels as well as car rentals, airport/hotel transfers, sightseeing tours and theatre tickets. See www.aircanadavacations.com.

 

More Sunwing outfall...Disney deal and UCLA jazz...Jim's deal of the day

It's interesting to note some of the comments made by Sunwing folks in the wake of the announced merger of Sunwing and Signature. And to note how some of my fellow media types phrased their stories.

There was some sense of a larger company being able to offer more efficiencies, but by and large the tone seemed to be the one I took in this space yesterday, which is to suggest that any reduced competition is probably not a great thing for the average Canadian consumer. I hope that's wrong, but it usually seems to work that way.

For now, Sunwing says nothing will change and that Signature will keep operating as normal. There's talk that Sunwing will put a new emphasis on Mexico over the winter, and that's certainly good news for Mexico tourism folks.

I got a bit of reaction from readers to my Tuesday blog. Here are two competing thoughts:

"I hope that Sunwing learns a little bit of customer service from the merger. I travelled recently with Sunwing. There was an issue with my return flight. I hear that Air Canada has bad customer service .. trust me they are great compared to SW. I am not sure why they even have a CS (customer service) department. I am using WestJet for my next trip.. they have the best customer service in the industry."

Another person thought Sunwing was the cat's nightgown.

"I think Sunwing is great and I hope they keep their service just as it is. I've traveled down south a lot over the past 20 years, both with my extended family and with my wife and of all the companies we've flown with, Sunwing has been the best. Reading that they went (from revenues) of $30 million (to) $660 million was a shock, but I guess that's what happens when you provide good service. Good for them."

I've never flown Sunwing, but if money talks they're obviously doing some things right. Or a lot of things.

NICE WORK BY THE MOUSE

Disney is offering a free days' admission to a million guests who complete a day of volunteer work next year, and I gotta give them credit for a lovely idea.

Associated Press reports the "Give a Day, Get a Disney Day" program will give certified volunteers a one-day ticket at Walt Disney World in Orlando or Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif. Disney is partnering with HandsOn Network to connect people with projects and to make sure work is done.

Duncan Dickson, who teaches theme park management at the University of Central Florida (who knew there was such a thing?), called it a "smart marketing move," and I couldn't agree more.

(Okay, I can make fun of theme park management, but I confess I took a course in jazz when I was at UCLA. My professor was a guy who had played in Glenn Miller's band, Paul Tanner. One day he told us invented the "electro-theremin," which played the weird, trippy sounding thingy that goes "oooh, oooh, oooh, oooh, oooh" in the Beach Boys' "Good Vibrations." I didn't believe him but I later looked it up and he was right. Of course, it took a little more doing as there was no Internet to look these things up on. I also found out he was born in Skunk Hollow, Kentucky, which is one of the great-sounding towns in America, apropo of nothing).

JIM'S DEAL OF THE DAY

Transat Holidays is the latest tour operator to promote holiday season getaways at sale prices. Some of the lowest rates are for Cuba, including a seven night air and hotel package at the Hotetur Palma Real in Varadero for $1,069 departing Dec. 19. And in the Dominican Republic, staying at the Bahia Principe San Juan Golden Club, packages are priced at $1,149 for the Dec. 31 departure. Prices are higher on islands like Antigua ($1,699 for the Jolly Beach Resort & Spa) and St. Lucia ($1,759 at Coconut Bay Beach Resort), both flying out Dec. 20. Transat lists all of its hotels and prices at www.transatholidays.com.

TWICK OR TWEET...CUTE

Nine Marriott/Renaissance Caribbean and Mexico resorts on Oct. 1 will launch a Halloween Twitter promotion called "Twick-or-Tweet."

Sounds like more tweet than twick to me. What you have to do, I'm told, is follow @MarriottResorts on Twitter (hey, while you're at it, follow me to @jbyers11) and then you can check each day for a link that will pull up what they're calling the twick-or-tweet "landing page." Free massages or free nights will be on offer, as well as "tweets" such as free golf in St. Kitts or a $100 resort credit in Cancun.

FREE ROOMS AT SHERATON

Sheraton Hotels and Resorts is celebrating $6 billion in renovations around the world with free rooms for one night only at 86 hotels in North America. Consumers can visit www.sheraton.com/freenight from Oct. 6-9 to reigster for a free room on Oct. 23 at such hotels as the Sheraton Boston, Sheraton Waikiki and Sheraton Phoenix Downtown.

Officials say they have 70,000 new or newly renovated rooms, 50,000 of them in North America, as well as 300 new lobbies and new "sweet sleeper" beds in 83,000 guestrooms. Nearly half the company's North American properties have been renovated, including the Sheraton Montreal.