Canada ranks 18th in world as tourism brand; USA takes home the gold medal

Earlier this year, a group called Future Brand released its annual "Country Brand Index" that rates countries according to their key attributes. They gave Canada the number two spot on the planet in terms of a tourism brand, putting behind only Switzerland.

The third, fourth and fifth spots in the Future Brand report went to Japan, Sweden and New Zealand.

It was a slight drop for Canada, as we finished tops in the Country Brand Index in 2010 and 2011.

But now there's a new report out by a compnay called Bloom Consulting, called the Country Branding Ranking. It would require a degree in something I don't understand to figure out how it's different from Future Brand's report, but one thing they say is that take a ton of factors into account and also that they're the only ones in this business (and I guess there is one) that takes tourist demand into account.

Readers of this blog will remember, perhaps, that Canada has slipped a fair bit in terms of international arrivals the last few years and is no longer in the top ten. Canada ranked seventh in international arrivals in 2007, but the Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC) recently stated we're now 18th.

And 18th is exactly where we stand in the world in the new Bloom Consulting report, which attempts to measure how much revenue a country could potentially add to its economy via trade and tourism.

Anyway, for what it's worth, here's the Bloom report's top 20:

1. United States 2. Spain 3. France 4. China 5. Turkey 6. Thailand 7. Germany 8. Macau 9. United Kingdom 10. Australia 11. Austria 12. Italy 13. Hong Kong 14. Malaysia 15. Netherlands 16. Mexico 17. Switzerland 18. Canada 19. Croatia 20. Russian Federation

So at least we finished ahead of Russia. Let's hope that continues at the World Junior Hockey Championships, eh?

Here are a few other notables: 21. Portugal, 233. India, 24. Greece 25. Republic of Korea 28. Japan 32. Ireland.

The bottom ten? Here ya go: 152. Tajikistan (there goes my holiday plan) 153. Swaziland 154. Federation States of Micronesia 155. Sao Tome and Principe 156. Djibouti 157. Tonga 158. Kiribati 159. Papua New Guinea 160. Burundi and, at the bottom: 161. Marshall Islands (see photo at left, which looks pretty damn good to me).

Asia had eight countries in the top 25. Japan wasn't in that group due to the residual effects of the tsunami.

I don't remember seeing this report last year, but I found a website that shows the 2011 Bloom rankings, and Canada was 23rd. So I guess we're moving in the right direction. The U.S. was first last year as well, followed by Spain, France, Germany and the UK.

Bloom on Thursday also released a U.S. state by state analysis (plus D.C., for 51 ranking spots). Tops was California, no surprise given the plethora of things to do, followed by Florida and New York. Illinois was fourth and then it went Texas, Michigan (good to see), Georgia, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Colorado.

The bottom five were: 47. Kansas 48. Vermont (a surprise to me) 49. West Virginia 50. Rhode Island and 51. Delaware. Poor Delaware. Makes me think I should do a trip there sometime and see for myself.

DO WE HATE OUR FAMILIES OR SOMETHING?

Geez. A study by Cheapflights.ca finds that more than 80 per cent of Canadians want to travel tos ee family this Christmas, but less than 30 per cent have actually made travel plans.

Given the economy that might not be surprising.

Based on answers from more than 400 Canadians, the survey also found that just over 18 per cent of us wish we could travel to ESCAPE our family, though only 3.2 per cent of us actually are doing so.

Parents and children topped the list of fave family members to see, while in-laws, shockingly, were at the bottom, with less than two per cent of folks having them on their holiday travel wish-list.

More than 12 per cent of survey respondents said they will avoid seeing their brother or sister. But, just to end this on a nice note, 23 per cent said there were NO relatives they wanted to avoid.

HOTEL OMNI MONT-ROYAL IMPROVEMENTS

The folks at the Hotel Omni Mont-Royal (in Montreal, of course) say they've undergone a "spectacular" $20 million transformation.

Officials said it involved a "complete re-design and refurbishment of its facilities, including all 200 guest rooms and suites" and a new lobby, which now features "an upscale lounge bar and restaurant."

Other amenities include an outdoor pool (for summer, naturally) and "state of the art" fitness centre. They also have added Italian marble bathrooms and 42-inch LCD flat screen TV's.

They say rooms have views of either Mont-Royal Park or the Montreal skyline.

AIR CANADA ADDS VIRTUAL HOLD

This oughta help a few folks. Air Canada sent me a note today to say that what they call "virtual hold" has now rolled out at their call centres in Canada and the U.S. and is currently offered for general reservations and web support services.

“"With this new product, customers are now given an estimated wait time and the option of a call-back rather than remaining on hold," officials said.

Here's what they said about it in an employee newsletter: "Virtual Hold certainly helps alleviate customer frustration from being on hold indefinitely.  The estimated wait time information and option to continue on hold or have a call-back is very much appreciated by our customers - especially during irregular operations. Our IT team worked tirelessly for several months upon months to overcome the multiple challenges of installing new technology on a legacy phone system. The next step is to add a service where customers can schedule a call back time. Call Centres continues to focus on reducing the amount of time customers wait with ongoing hiring and implementation of technology and process improvements."

JAUNT.CA DEAL OF THE DAY

Jaunt.ca, a division of Torstar, has a two-for-one Avalon River Cruise special that's exclusive to Jaunt. It's a cruise through central Europe's capital cities on the Avalon Tranquility and it's going for $1,633 plus $133 in taxes for a total of $1,766.

Here are the highlights:

• BONUS: Two for One: for every one person (paid in full), the second traveller's cruise is FREE (reflected in the pricing)
• 12-day River Cruise and stay along the Danube River, starting in Budapest and ending in Prague
• Includes the following ports of call with daily sightseeing programs in: Budapest, Hungary; Bratislava, Slovakia; Vienna, Austria; Krems, Austria; Melk, Austria; Grein, Austria; Passau, Germany; and Prague, Czech Republic
• Accommodations in a Deluxe Outside Stateroom, located on the Indigo Deck (Category E) featuring twin windows. Upgraded cabin categories with French Balconies available at 1.855.GO.JAUNT
• Includes all meals on the ship, complimentary sparkling wine with breakfast, soft drinks with lunch, and wine, beer, or soft drinks with dinner
• 2 nights' accommodations in Prague at the InterContinental

More details:

• For every traveller paid in full another traveller's cruise is free
• The tour employs local guides so you have the best exposure to the places visited
• The cruise visits renowned capitals and lesser known destinations

Offer Details

• Valid for travel on April 11, 2013 sailing
• Pricing (per person, based on double occupancy, plus port charges)
  
  Deluxe Outside Stateroom (Category E)
  $1632.50 per person, double occupancy
  Tax: $133
  
• Valid passport required for travel from Canada
• This offer is 100% non-refundable at time of booking

 

 

 

 

ALT Toronto hotel deal for readers of this blog ... Delta says bye to the Chelsea..

The new ALT Hotel Toronto Pearson has a deal Wayne Gretzky would love; a 99 days of "ALTernative hospitality" for $99 a night. That's a 30 per cent discount on the regular, daily rate of $149 for folks travelling between Jan. 1 and April 9.

The hotel promises "ultra-comfy beds a mere seconds away from Pearson International Airport terminals." I haven't seen the property, but I've heard good things. ALT is part of the Germain group, which runs the Le Germain hotels in downtown Toronto, which are terrific; especially the Mercer St. location in my book.

ALT also has a parking deal on tap. You can stay one night at the hotel and park inside the economy parking lot for 8 days for $169 or stay one night and park for 15 days for $239! Travelers can take the quick LINK train to shuttle, free of charge, between the parking lot, airport and the hotel.

On top of the 30 per cent savings, folks who mention my blog when they reserve a hotel room will get a $10 voucher to use for food. Officials say the voucher can be used for fresh-baked croissants in the morning, for curry and coconut milk chicken during the day or for "the most flavourful gazpacho north of the 401."

Call 1-855-855-6080 or enter the promo code BLOGPERK when reserving online at althotels.ca and the voucher should be yours.

DELTA WAVES GOODBYE TO THE CHELSEA

Here in Toronto 2012 has been a battle of the (potential) five-star hotels, with the Ritz-Carlton duking it out with the likes of Trump, Shangri-La and the new Four Seasons for top ratings dog. Now we might get a battle for who can be Canada's leading four-star chain.

As outlined in the Star's business section Wednesday by reporter Sue Pigg, Delta Hotels and Resorts says it wil cease to manage the Delta Chelsea in downtown Toronto effective June 30, 2013. The massive hotel is hugely popular, with a giant waterslide and indoor pool and great rates, often around $119.

The 1,590-room hotel will be renamed The Chelsea Toronto and will be the first Canadian property run by The Langham Hospitality Group. The Chelsea is owned by Hong Kong-based Great Eagle Holdings Ltd., which also owns Langham. Langham runs some very high-end properties, so it'll be interesting to see how this will work.

The Delta move is part of the company's national effort to rebuild and rebrand itself as a “next-generation premium four-star hotel” chain, Pigg reported.

As for Delta departing the downtown Chelsea, Delta officials said the move "fits within our overall brand repositioning to make Delta the leading four-star, full-service hotel chain in Canada."

They also said Delta's brand repositioning "will deliver the most upscale guest experiences in the four-star hotel category, and involves introducing new properties and renovating existing ones to feature the most modern design and techno-enabled guest spaces in the Canadian hotel marketplace," officials said in a press release. "Some examples include our recent announcements of newly repositioned hotels in the Ottawa and Kitchener-Waterloo markets, and the introduction of new properties to market including the first upscale hotel in Kingston and Thunder Bay."

A new Delta Toronto is supposed to open in late 2014 next to the convention centre, at Lower Simcoe St. and Bremner Blvd. The property will be connected to Union Station, the convention centre, the Air Canada Centre and the downtown, underground PATH system. The hotel" will feature 566 well-appointed guest rooms including 24 extended-stay suites for travelers who are in the city for a longer period of time. It will boast 15,000 square feet of technologically advanced meeting and conference facilities with a 6,500 square foot ballroom offering views of the CN Tower, contemporary dining options, fitness facilities and the latest in sustainable features."

Sounds good. But I don't know about being king of the four-star properties. There's a ton of competition out there from the likes of Sheraton and Westin and Fairmont, let alone smaller, boutique properties such as St. Germain and the ALT brand, which I mentioned above.

Anyway, with all the hotels coming and going and the new Air Canada rouge service starting July 1 of next year, plus Porter's new package program and the new WestJet Encore regional brand coming in 2013, it's certainly a great time to be covering the travel biz in this country.

JAUNT.CA DEAL OF THE DAY

Jaunt.ca, a division of Torstar, is offering a deal for $1,101 for the 4.5 star Grand Oasis hotel in Cancun.

Jaunt Highlights

• BONUS: Sunwing's RELAX inclusions including unlimited a la carte dining, 20% spa discount, late check-out (when available), sparkling wine in-room and more
  
• All-inclusive  7 night stay at the 4.5 star RELAX at Grand Oasis Viva, located in Cancun, Mexico.
• Includes return airfare from Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Calgary or Winnipeg to Cancun.
• Accommodations in a Ocean View Room, featuring 1 king or 2 double beds. (Maximum occupancy: 3 adults)
• Daily breakfast, lunch and dinner, and unlimited alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks

Extras:

• Peaceful, young, adults-only (18+) vibe in a small, intimate atmosphere
• Ideal for those who love nightlife
• Unlimited reservations at fabulous on site a la carte restaurants including an Italian eatery, seafood restaurant, Mexican eatery, sushi resto, chicken and pizza joint and more

Offer Details

• Valid for travel on the following departure dates:
  Toronto:  January 5, 12, 19, 2013
  Ottawa: Jan 5, 14, 2013
  Montreal: Jan 12, 19, 2013
  Calgary: Jan 7, 14, 21, 2013
  Winnipeg: Jan 10, 17, 24, 2013
• Pricing (Rates are per person):

• Toronto:
  Single: $1119
  Double: $749
  Triple: $719
  Tax: $357
  
  Ottawa:
  Single: $1119
  Double: $749
  Triple: $719
  Tax: $352
  
  Montreal:
  Single: $1639
  Double: $1269
  Triple: $1239
  Tax included
  
  Calgary:
  Single: $1169
  Double: $799
  Triple: $769
  Tax: $350
  
  Winnipeg:
  Single: $1119
  Double: $749
  Triple: $719
  Tax: $350
• Valid passport required for travel from Canada
• This offer is refundable until 5pm EST on December 26 2012. After this time, this offer is 100% non-refundable.

 

 

 

 

Transat Holidays has a couple new, intriguing offerings for its customers. I chatted briefly with public relations spokeswoman Lynnette Visaya on Monday about their new Family Collection vacations and their Escapade Collection trips.

The Family Collection is a group of more than two dozen hotels/resorts that are geared to families. They all have kids’ clubs or something along those lines and many have adjoining rooms or programs such as “kids eat free.”

Folks who use the Family Collection on Transat get priority check-in and free seat-selection and in-flight treats for the kids.

Family Collection resorts are located in attractive spots such as the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Mexico and one in St. Lucia, a beautiful spot.

The Escapade Collection (see photo at right) is more for folks who are looking for a cultural or nature trip versus hanging on the beach for a full week. There are nature hikes in Jamaica, a coffee/culture visit in Mexico and other programs, Visaya said.

For those who missed it, and I have to admit I’m one, Transat has begun renovating it’s A-330 aircraft and expects to have them all redone by the end of 2013. Changes include cool, new mood lighting to ease travel stress, “state of the art” touch screen consoles for passenger entertainment, full-length mirrors in lavatories, wider and more comfortable seats finished in Italian leather and slightly more leg room.

HONG KONG KUDOS

According to CNN Travel, a new report says Hong Kong was the most popular tourist destination overall among Asian tourists in 2011.

According to a study of more than 1,000 Asian consumers by brand research company Cimigo, 31 per cent of those surveyed said they visited Hong Kong last year. A full 40 per cent of respondents said it’s their favourite shopping destination.

I’ve been a few times and absolutely loved the diversity of the place. There are wild markets with cheap clothes and also expensive boutiques, fun kitchen shops and much more.

For sightseeing and relaxation, Asian tourists picked Australia and New Zealand as top destinations; also understandable given the wide variety of things to see.

The good news for tourism folks is that 61 per cent of those surveyed said they plan to increase their travel budgets and spending in 2013.

 JAMIE OLIVER LOVES NOVA SCOTIA

Well, at least his new magazine loves it. I had a copy of Jamie, the magazine, sent to me this week, complete with a cover shot of the famous British cook and a main headline that says “North American Welcomes Jamie Magazine.”

There are lots of recipes in the magazine, now apparently sold in 45 countries, and who knew?

There’s a story on how to make the perfect hamburger (a tad late for the Canadian summer, guys) and also a fine feature with lovely photos of Nova Scotia, which I visited in the spring of this year. I was happy to see some attention given to the Annapolis Valley, particularly the Wolfville region.

Featured in the magazine was the magnificent Tempest restaurant in Wolfville, as well as the fine Blomidon Inn and nearby Luckett Vineyards (see photo), where they have a British phone booth in the middle of the vines and a fine tasting room with excellent views.

Also included was a nod to the Salt Shaker Deli in Lunenburg, which has the best clam chowder I’ve had anywhere in the world by a HUGE margin, as well as the fun and tasty Ironworks Distillery in Lunenburg, where they make artisan vodka, rum, local fruit eau de vie and other treats.

 

Some of my fave beaches of the world: Maui, California, St. Lucia, Italy, Sydney

I haven’t been to a lot of cool places in the world; South America among them. But I’m up around 40 countries around the globe, and I’ve certainly never missed a chance to find a good beach. So here’s one traveling man’s opinion on the best stretches of sand on the planet. I’ve strived for a geographical balance and for beaches that have something different about them; not simply scenic beauty.

BONDI, SYDNEY: It’s a very pretty stretch of sand, for sure. Lots of beautiful bodies and beach volleyball and good surfing. Nearby shops and hotels and restaurants make it fun. But I think what I like most are the great walks you can make on the cliffs that line both ends. There are rock pools and salt-water-loving plants cascading over the rocks and glorious waves and lovely views all around. You can walk to a number of other great beaches, including Bronte, and they do a fabulous art walk every spring (their spring, not ours) called Sculpture by the Sea, with fun installations up and down the path.

CALADESI ISLAND, FLORIDA: You can walk from Clearwater Beach north to Caladesi at low tide. I like taking the small boats that run you over from Honeymoon Island, just north of downtown Dunedin. There’s a fun nature walk that explains how to look for animal tracks and tells you how even an elevation change of a few feet can mean the difference between a mangrove swamp and patches of tall pines. The beach goes on for miles, with great shell-seeking and plenty of space to let your mind wander.

CHESTERMAN BEACH, TOFINO, B.C.: Another stretch that goes on forever. Chesterman has good surfing, fabulously shaped chunks of driftwood, and lots of long walks along a beach lined with evergreens (see photo at right). A great spot for a beach bonfire. Whale watching is available from boats in town, and there’s also some fun restaurants. Better yet: the north end of the beach is fronted by the Wickaninnish Inn, one of the best hotels in Canada if not the world.

PORTHDINLLAEN, WALES: I don’t actually know if this is the proper name for the beach, but it’s the name of the village, anyway. It’s not miles long, but this little beauty sits at the bottom of a large cliff, on top of which is the stunningly beautiful if slighty tricked up Nefyn and District Golf Club. Lovely walks can be made both along the beach and up on the golf course, with great views of the Irish Sea. Best yet, the Ty Coch Inn sits just steps from the beach and is considered one of the top pubs in Wales.

TULUM, MEXICO: Not only is the water a most excellent shade of aquamarine, there are large cliffs backing the beach, good-sized waves for bouncing around in and pretty rock formations to gaze at. Oh, yeah, it’s also located at the base of ancient ruins, including one of the most photographed archaeological sites in the country.

CAPITOLA, CALIFORNIA: This is a beautiful beach with crumbling, golden cliffs on both ends, a wharf you can walk out on, a protected lagoon for kids to splash about in and, best of all, a fun and funky town with surf shops, beach clothes and more. Stop in at Margaritaville for a cold one (skip the food) and a great view of the painted homes for rent on one side of the beach, or grab a seaside table at Zelda’s or Il Pirata if the weather’s nice. I once called this the best California seaside town the Beach Boys never sang about, and I stand by that today. A word of warning: the water in northern California is COLD even in summer. The Beach Boys never told us that, either. Great views from the hills above town, as you can see.

HAC SA BEACH, MACAU: It’s kind of a dirty grey to be honest. And it’s not that impressive compared to, say, Waikiki or Ipanema. But it’s a great respite from the buzz and drone of busy life in Macau and Hong Kong. There’s a lovely Westin resort with a golf course at one end. You’ll also find a fabulous, casual seaside eatery called Fernando’s. The end opposite the Westin has a lovely walk you can take along the cliffs to charming Coloane Village, where you’ll want to grab a coffee or tea and some famous Lord Stow’s custard tarts.

SUGAR BEACH, ST. LUCIA: This might be the closest the Caribbean gets to feeling like the South Pacific. Sugar Beach is nestled between the two giant, green-clad mountains called The Pitons and is backed by the luscious Jalousie Plantation, which come November will be re-branded Sugar Beach, a Viceroy Resort. There’s world-class snorkeling on the reef just steps from the beach and top-notch sunsets.

NAPILI, MAUI: I’ve never found a beach yet that can match this for both visual beauty, ease of access and entertainment options. It’s a perfect crescent of golden sand on the northwest shore of Maui (see photo at right), just a few yards from the famous Kapalua golf resort and maybe 15 minutes from Lahaina. There’s great body surfing in the middle and excellent snorkeling on the calm bits at either end. The Sea House at the Napili Kai Beach Resort (one of the top hotels in Hawaii in my book) has fabulous breakfasts and dinners and a great happy hour, with killer views from seats that are maybe a meter or two from the beach. Unbelievable sunsets and great views of the islands of Lanai and Molokai.

PONZA, ITALY: Chiaia Di Luna is a more spectacular beach, backed by enormous, chalky cliffs. But it wasn’t open to the public when I was there. Instead, I loved the small beach just outside of town called Cala del Frantone, reached by a short, $5 ferry ride.You can sun yourself on the sand or walk along the rocks at one end for more privacy and good swimming. There’s also a lovely café with great salads and entrees and a real sense of Italian life. Casual and fun and not even remotely pretentious. You can get to Ponza on a boat ride of as little as 70 minutes from the mainland town of Anzio, itself less than an hour from Rome by train.

Got a beef or a comment? Send me a note at travel@thestar.ca. You also can follow me on Twitter @jimbyerstravel.

Canadians want Mexico, Florida! Also Hong Kong and Sunwing USA news ...

Really interesting study from Bank of Montreal this week shows that more than one-half of Canadians are planning a fall vacation, and almost three in ten of those folks intend to leave the country.

The BMO study says 54 per cent of Canadians plan to travel this fall and that 29 per cent of those will do so outside of Canada. It's a growing trend that may be good for the airlines but not so much for Canada's tourism industry. The study found that since January 2012, outbound travel from Canada has jumped 5.2 per cent; reaching almost 16 milliion overnight trips. Travel to the U.S. in June jumped 8.9 per cent, thanks in part, I suspect, to the strong Canadian dollar and the new, much-improved higher duty-free limits at the border.

So, where are we headed? The study found Florida is, to no surprise, our top American destination. Sixteen per cent of respondents in the poll, conducted by Leger Marketing, said they were headed to the Sunshine State this fall. Just behind, at 15 per cent, was New York state, followed by Nevada (Viva Las Vegas!) ar 14, and then Illinois (Chicago, no doubt), California and Massachusetts (mostly Boston, I assume) at five per cent each.

Probably no surprise, although I did read a story online in the Central Valley (California) Business Times that suggested officials were shocked and appalled that Illinois and Massachusetts were tied with their beloved state. They're forgetting, of course, the dominance of Toronto in the Canadian marketplace and the distance we sadly have to go to for a trip to California. I mean, San Francisco and LA and San Diego are great, but air fares these days are $600 ON SALE from Toronto, while we can get to New York, Boston or Chicago for maybe half that. Or we can drive and buy cheaper U.S. gas and bring back oodles of new stuff in the back seat thanks to the duty-free changes.

I later got a breakdown that shows where Ontario folks want to travel. It's not radically different, but there are some interesting findings. The number one destination for the U.S. for Ontario folks was Florida, way up at 24 per cent. That's much higher than for Canadians as a whole (16). Next was New York at 14, then Nevada (10), Illinois (8), Pennsylvania (6), South Carolina and Michigan at 5 and California at 4.

For destinations outside the U.S. and Canada, Ontarians favoured Mexico (12), then Cuba and the Caribbean Islands at 10, unspecified Europe or East Europe (8), France (6), the Dominican Republic (5), England, Italy and Holland at 4 each and China and Australia at 3. Among the destinations getting a 2 per cent notice were Turkey, Germany, Hong Kong, Thailand and Costa Rica. Spain only got 1 per cent, as did Japan, Indonesia and The Bahamas.

As for international destinations, Mexico took the grand prize with a whopping 18 per cent support. Next was France, which obviously has a ton to offer for foodies, wine fans, history and culture afficionados and just about everybody else, at 10 per cent. Next was Cuba at 8 per cent, tied with unspecified European countries. The Caribbean in general was at 7 per cent.

Those numbers surprise me a bit, although it's certainly good for Mexico. I would've thought the attraction of cheap spots in the Dominican Republic, plus other faves such as Barbados, St. Lucia and the Bahamas, would put the Caribbean (I know, I know, the Bahamas technically aren't in the Caribbean) a touch higher. And where's the UK in this study? They just spent all that money on the Olympics and more Canadians want to go to France? Ai-yai-yai.

While we're travelling more, it looks like we're more focussed on value. Asked about their travel plans prior to summer, 35 per cent of Canadians said they'd spend less than $1,000 on their holiday. Asked about plans for this fall, a full 42 per cent said thyey'd be spending less than $1,000.

On a more ominous note, the study found that Canada's international travel account deficit - payments by Canadian travellers abroad vs. receipts from foreign travellers in Canada - reached $16.25 billion at the end of 2011. Which is not so good.

"If the growing trend in outbound travel continues, it will certainly put pressure on Canada's domestic tourism industry," said Robert Kavcic, Economist, BMO Capital Markets.

SUNWING ADDS USA COLLECTION

Speaking of increased travel to the U.S. by Canadians, Sunwing recently announced an expansion of its USA program with the debut of its new "USA Collection" brochure.

Sunwing continues to offer flights, hotels and vacation packages to spots like Florida and Vegas (see above). What's new this year are "USA City Escapes" to places like Boston, New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, New Orleans and Oahu and Maui in Hawaii.

"With the increasing demand for flights, hotels and vacation packages in the USA, we are certain our new 'USA Collection' brochure will be well received by travellers," said Reg Mendes, vice president, USA and Cruise Division at Sunwing.

All Sunwing flights are on Sunwing AIrlines, with free 20 kg of checcked baggage, hot towel service and a choice of hotel meals with wine or a hot snack, soft drink and free in-flight entertainment. They also have Elite Plus for $40, with extra leg room, advance seat selection, a 30 kg bag allowance and more.

For more information, visit www.sunwing.ca.

HONG KONG GOES WILD IN THE FALL

Tons going on in Hong Kong this fall, with festivals galore. Tourism officials say the season gets underway with the Hong Kong Mid-Autumn Festival – one of the world’s great celebrations marking the ancient Chinese Harvest Festival, due to take place Sept. 27 to Oct. 2. Hong Kong puts a modern twist on the celebrations, with traditional lanterns merging with the city’s trademark neon beneath which fiery dragons dance through the busy streets and a full moon shines down on the revelers.

This year, the Lee Kum Lee Lantern Wonderland, located in Victoria Park, will once again be at the heart of the celebrations. This year’s award-winning lantern bears the name “Golden Moon”. It is a dome-shaped sculpture of light, 21 metres in diameter and 18 metres in height. It will be situated in a vast pool, surrounded by dozens of floating Chinese lanterns, with a pathway link allowing spectactors to walk inside the structure.  The interior will be filled with even more lanterns, suspended to illuminate the scene with constantly varying brightness. “Golden Moon” was designed by two architects: Kristof Crolla from Belgium and Adam Fingrut from Canada.

In Tai Hang (once a small village, now part of the city on Causeway Bay) the Festival is celebrated over three days with a fire dragon dance consisting of hundred of performers, tens of thousands of sticks of incense and a 67-metre dragon that will "wend its way through the crowded city streets in a spectacle of fire and fury."

Food always takes the limelight through the fall, and this year will be extra-special due to the 10^th staging of The Best of the Best Culinary Awards, co-organized by the HKTB and The Hong Kong and China Gas Company Ltd. This event showcases the cooking talent of local Chinese chefs and in the years since its inception has grown into Hong Kong’s largest culinary event. Ten finalists from September’s preliminary competition will be competing for the awards in the final competitions to be held on 4 and 5 October. The winning restaurants and their dishes are a great guide to the best in Chinese cuisine in Hong Kong.

When October arrives, thoughts turn towards Halloween as parties are planned and costumes created. Hong Kong is the perfect place to mark this occasion as this is a region with thousands of years of folklore populated with ghosts, ghouls and demons. Disneyland, Madame Tussauds, Discovery Harbour, the Avenue of Stars and spooky Ocean Park will all be getting into the mood. After that comes Hong Kong’s Wine & Dine Festival, due to take place Nov. 1-4. In fact, this festival will extend throughout the Hong Kong Wine & Dine month of November with street carnivals, the Festival of Restaurants and wine-and-dine promotions. The city’s top restaurants will share their finest offerings, while for those still in a party mood, the Lan Kwai Fong Carnival (Nov. 17-18) will bring together not only  and beer stalls but also arts and crafts, dancers and musicians and other live performers from around the world. And for visitors who miss those dates, a World of Food and Music festival will take place Nov. 24 and 25 in beach-side Stanley.

For more information, visit www.discoverhongkong.com/ca.

 

 

 

 

Prince Harry antics boost interest in Vegas visits ... New Jaunt Golf site

The Queen is not amused.

Las Vegas is delighted.

In case you somehow missed the news, the Internet is awash with stories and the odd photo of Prince Harry cavorting naked in a Las Vegas hotel room.

Travelmole.com reports that the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority is rather pleased.

"Las Vegas is excited that Prince Harry continues to visit the destination for his stateside getaways," said Courtney Fitzgerald of the LVCVA. "Las Vegas is about adult freedom and that means different things to different people.  It's important for friends to know what activities can be shared publicly and what activities are protected by the code of 'What Happens in Vegas; Stays in Vegas.'" 

Virgin Holidays said inquiries for trips to Sin City had shot up 30% since news of Harry's antics broke. The company said it had sent a care package to the Wynn hotel for the Prince, which includes spare trunks, sunglasses and an energy drink, and I like their style.

In the interest of being a family blog and all, I've only shown you a modest shot of the Prince in some nice, red Hawaiian board shorts. Other images, which don't appear to show anything, really, are available on the web for the curious.

GOLF TOURISM ON THE GO

Jaunt.ca and SCOREGolf.com have teamed up to launch Jaunt Golf, which offers exclusive, hand-picked golf getaways. It's billed as "the most extensive, fully-packaged online travel destination for beginners, avid golfers, Bubba Watsons and Happy Gilmores alike."

The first round of getaways are available now, featuring nine different locations. Included are Niagara, Muskoka, British Columbia, Mexico, Arizona, Florida and more. 

"We know that Canadians are eager to attempt new and challenging golf courses, and combining the most notable links with luxurious hotels and travel bonuses is the ultimate vacation experience," said Jonathan Tafler, general manager of Jaunt.ca. "We're thrilled to partner with SCOREGolf and pair our travel offers with their trusted voice and niche expertise."

Jaunt.ca is owned by Torstar Digital, a division of Toronto Star Newspapers Limited. Just so you know.

 

WEST JET VACATIONS KUDOS

WestJet Vacations this week announced results of a study showing it has the highest customer satisfaction and loyalty among the six most widely used tour operators in Canada.

Conducted by Leger Marketing on behalf of WestJet Vacations, the survey was conducted across Canada in June and July. WestJet Vacations scored higher than the competition for overall satisfaction, likelihood to recommend and customer service. It was also was rated as the most trusted vacation company, WestJet officials said.

FOUR SEASONS GROWTH

In addition to adding the new Yorkville hotel on Oct. 5, Four Seasons is busy around the world. The Toronto-based chain spans five continents and 36 countries and there's plenty more on the way.

China is a large growth area, representing more than 20 per cent of projected openings for the next four years. A new hotel in Guangzhou opened last month, and more hotels are coming to Beijing and Shanghai in the coming weeks.

This fall, Four Seasons also will enter Sub-Saharan Africa with the opening of the first of three properties. Four Seasons Safari Lodge Serengeti, Tanzania "will be a unique opportunity for the brand in an exciting new destination," officials said.

Located within Tanzania's Serengeti National Park, the landscape features "the largest concentration of plains animals in Africa and is acclaimed for the best game drives and abundant, year-round wildlife."

Sounds pretty good to me.

U.S. TRAVEL SKYROCKETING

TravelAgent.Com reports that U.S. Commerce Department data shows international visitors have spent an estimated $82.2 billion on U.S. travel and tourism-related goods and services year to date. This is an increase of 11 percent when compared to the same period last year.

The new data confirms that the U.S. travel and tourism industry is on pace for another record-setting year and, if these trends to continue, international visitors could end up injecting more than $169 billion into the U.S. economy by year-end, the Commerce Department says.

The U.S. not long ago launched a new Brand USA campaign in the hopes of increasing visitor numbers. If the latest figures are any indication, it appears to be working.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Looking for bargains? Try Mexico ... Also, worldwide airline fees top $22 billion

Looking to book your winter vacation or something for the fall? Mexico might be a great option, says Taylor Cole of Hotels.com.

I had a coffee with Cole in Toronto on Monday and she said she hasn’t seen a concerted tourism push like the one Mexico is putting on in a long time. A spate of shootings and violent incidents in Mexico a few months ago put the nation on alert, and she said the tourism chief has been on TV all over the place, seeking to assure would-be visitors that all is fine.

“We’re seeing 30 per cent off right now for some places,” Cole told me. She singled out Los Cabos, Acapulco and Cancun/Riviera Maya (see photo) as places to look for deals. Cancun and the Riviera Maya, as well as Cabos, are particularly known as some of the safest spots in the country.

One might expect huge deals in Spain given the economy, but Cole said there are really only “pockets” of bargains to be had. One piece of advice she likes to give, and it goes for many countries/cities/destinations, is to stay outside of the most popular spots and commute. Or check out a secondary destination as well as the big boys.

In Spain, I’d advocate checking out Madrid or Barcelona but also spending time in the coastal city of Valencia, which has a fabulous old town and castles and a great market, plus a long stretch of coastline and excellent food. It’s the home of traditional Spanish paella. It’s also got a fabulous museum with marvelous, modern design and a great aquarium that the kids will love.

“When I go to France I love Strasbourg,” Cole said. “It feels German (see photo) but you speak French and it’s a great mix. It’s only 2.5 hours from Paris on the TGV, too.”

There’s been an “influx of inventory” (that’s code for a lot of new hotels) in New York, which helps visitors. But it’s still expensive if you want to stay in Times Square. Instead, Cole advocates mixing it up and moving to another part of the city and taking a short commute to the theatre.

If you don’t mind waiting a while to nail down your accommodations, Cole suggests booking your hotel at the last minute.

“Hoteliers don’t want to leave rooms empty. Check out upper category hotels for last-minute deals if you want that four or five-star room with a view.”

Other areas of note from our talk include:

-         New Orleans. Decent room rates and hospitable people in a city that’s definitely rebounded from Hurricane Katrina.

-         Indonesia. “You can often find really good hotel deals for a beach bungalow or something near the rain forest.”

-         Manila. “I didn’t know what to expect but the Shangri La in Manila is a fabulous property with great service.”

-         Toronto. “To have four big luxury properties built in such a small radius is quite a bit. There’s a bit of that in New York, of course, and maybe Dallas and California. But not like this.”

In a related note, Carlson Wagonlit Travel yesterday released its 2013 Travel Price Forecast. The report calls for modest growth in travel costs next year, with the highest increases coming in the Asia/Pacific and Latin American regions.

That’s probably no surprise given the economic growth (with some exceptions of course) in those regions.

Airline prices should go up about 2.5 per cent in the Asia Pacific region, while hotel rates will go up about 3.5 per cent. Singapore will lead the way with a healthy 8 per cent hike, the study said.

You think that’s bad? Carlson Wagonlit is forecasting a double digit price hike for hotels in Brazil (see Rio photo at right) as the economy booms and because of strong demand linked to limited supply. That could ease a bit as hotels come on line for the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Summer Olympics, officials said.

Overall, Latin America hotel rates are expected to rise about 6.3 per cent next year. Which means not all countries are as red hot as Brazil.

Here in North America, Carlson Wagonlit expects airline prices to go up 2.8 per cent in 2013. A whack of U.S. airlines raised air fares on the weekend. Yeah, it was only by a few bucks per ticket, but still….

North American hotel rates are expected to rise 3.2 per cent next year, but car rental prices should drop 1.1 per cent, the report said.

Over in Europe, airfares should climb 2.5 per cent next year, while hotel rates will go up only 1.3 per cent. Car rental rates in Europe should climb about 1.2 per cent, but the cost of a high-speed rail ticket likely will go up 4.5 per cent, so keep an eye on that.

$22.6 BILLION IN BAG FEES AND SKINNY BLANKETS

Wow. A report says that 50 worldwide airlines last year brought in $22.6 billion in ancillary revenue through fees for bags and other services. Not only is that a huge amount of money on its own, it represents a 66 per cent increase from what airlines brought in two years ago, according to the study by IdeaWorks, a consultant specializing in ancillary revenue and brand development.

So, if you have the feeling that you’re getting nickel and dimed and quartered and dollared to death, you’re pretty much bang on.

Amazing, isn’t it? I mean, $22.6 billion?? That’s a lot of extra bags and skinny blanket fees and tinny headphone rental fees, folks.

Want to avoid the fees? You might want to skip United, which brought in $5.2 billion in ancillary fees. Next on the list was Delta at a relatively paltry $2.5 billion, followed by American Airlines and Qantas, which I didn’t realize was so heavy into the extra fee policy.

Figures for Canada weren’t available, but there were no Canadian airlines in the top 10 fee earnings list.

 

The "old" downtown Los Angeles beats the new one by a country mile

There’s a lot of talk in p.r. circles about the new, downtown Los Angeles.

Yeah, it’s come a long way. But it still ain’t anything to write home about.

The Frank Gehry designed Walt Disney Hall is nice, but it’s way up in the north part of downtown surrounded by government buildings. The Staples Center is nice and the convention center is gleaming, sure. And the new L.A. Live complex has swanky hotels and fancy restaurants. But it’s a commercial development that could be in Detroit or Phoenix. There’s no there there; no street form like Roncesvalles in Toronto or SoHo in New York.

I don’t quite get it, to be honest.But the old downtown L.A., thankfully, is still around. Gritty? You bet? Down on its heels in part? Sure. But there’s tons to see in a couple hours, which is what I had on Sunday.

I started off with lunch at old favourite, Philippe’s Original – home of the French-dip sandwich. Awesome roast beef and other sandwiches in a place that invented the phrase “time has stood still.” They still have pickled eggs and 45 cent cups of coffee, not to mention awesome sandwiches.

It’s on Alameda, maybe two blocks north of Union Station; which is a beauty and definitely worth checking out. Across the street is Olvera Street and the old Los Angeles mission area (see photo above), which I remembered from the 1970s as being somewhat tacky. Not true. At least not on Sunday, when I thought it was outstanding.

It’s part of the old mission lands from when Los Angeles was founded, and there’s a ton of history, not to mention gracious squares and small parks with overflowing pink bougainvillea and grizzled Mexican-American men in cowboy hats. They were celebrating a Mexican Heritage day on Sunday, as well as the 82^nd anniversary of Olvera Street, so there were mariachi bands playing gaily in the April sun and kids and parents and balloons and all sorts of fun.

Down Olvera, there are tons of shops offering luggage, Mexican wrestling masks, colourful red, green and yellow and black blankets, colourful, miniature guitars ($9.99 with your name inscribed), plus wallets and t-shirts and more. There are several small, family-run places to munch on tacos or burritos, of course. And the bands were out in force in their shiny uniforms, pumping out tunes on guitars and trumpets and violins as folks sauntered past.

Also on the list of things to see downtown is Angels Flight, a short funicular ride (see photo) that goes up Bunker Hill? It’s only a few seconds on an old-time tram, but it’s also only 50 cents,  so it’s a definite must-do.

Across the street from the bottom part of Angels Flight is the Grand Central Market. It’s a fun, vibrant spot where they have Chinese and Mexican restaurants, a “grain” shop that sells everything from garlic powder to sasparilla to other, exotic stuff you’ve never heard of,  plus tons of local produce; including a place where two pounds of tiny, perfect limes sells for a measly buck.

 

Vancouver rocks the Trip Advisor 2012 hotel awards ... World hotel prices rising

Either nobody who uses Trip Advisor comes to Toronto, or our hotels really suck in this town.

Okay, that's a bit of an exaggeration. And I know that we have some mighty fine hotels in the T-dot. But, hoo boy, does British Columbia ever take us to the woodshed on the new Trip Advisor Travelers' Choice hotel ratings for Canada. Ditto for Quebec.

The newest ratings, out a couple days ago with little fanfare, show the top-rated hotel in the true north, according to Trip Advisor site users, is L'Hermitage in Vancouver (see photo below right). "Sublime," wrote a woman, Laura C., from Calgary. "Everything seems to be on a more human scale. The rooms are excellent. The service is brilliant. Nothing is rushed.”

In second spot was Auberge Le Vincent in Quebec, followed by Echo Valley Ranch and Spa in B.C. and Sonora Resort on Sonora Island in B.C., which apparently you reach by helicopter (la and dee and dah). Gotta admit I'd never heard of it, but it looks impressive on paper/web.

B.C. took the 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 spots in the top 10. Quebec had #2 and #10. Ontario? Our first mention was way down at 16, the Harbour House in Niagara-on-the-Lake (which always seems to get top ratings for some reason). Next from Ontario was Le Germain Maple Leaf Square, a deserving number 18, followed by the Cambridge Suites in Toronto in the 21st spot. It's not fancy, but the rooms are big and it's RIGHT downtown; an ideal family spot. Next was the new Ritz Carlton on Wellington, perhaps the top hotel in Toronto but not affordable for many folks, at #22.

And that was it. No Hazelton. No Thompson. Nothing else for the Big Smoked. And, surprisingly, nothing else for Niagara, at least not in the overall hotel category.

Here's the full top 25 hotel for Canada in case you want to put it on your fridge - or maybe in your birdcage: 1. L'Hermitage, Vancouver, 2. Auberge Le Vincent, Quebec, 3. Echo Valley Ranch and Spa, B.C., 4. Sonora Resort, B.C., 5. Fairmont Pacific Rim, Vancouver, 6. Opus Vancouver, 7. Wedgewood Hotel and Spa, Vancouver, 8. Pinnacle Hotel at the Pier, North Vancouver, 9. Abigail's Hotel, Victoria, 10. Auberge Saint-Antoine, Quebec City, 11. Hotel Le Clos St. Louis, Quebec City, 12. Pan Pacific Whistler Village Centre, B.C., 13. Nita Lake Lodge, B.C., 14. Shangri-La, Vancouver, 15. Four Seasons Whistler, 16. Harbour House, Niagara-on-the-Lake, 17. Magnolia Hotel and Spa, Victoria, 18. Le Germain Maple Leaf Square, Toronto, 19. Brentwood Bay Resort and Spa, B.C., 20. Sundial Boutique Hotel, Whistler, 21. Cambridge Suites, Toronto, 22. Ritz-Carlton, Toronto, 23. Hotel Quintessence, Tremblant, Quebec, 24. Hotel Le Crystal, Montreal, 25. W Hotel, Montreal.

For those keeping score at home, that's 15 for B.C., six for Quebec and four for Ontario. Notice there's nothing for Banff or Jasper or Calgary/Edmonton and nothing for the prairies in general and nothing east of Quebec City.

I do wonder about these things. I understand the fancy spots such as the Ritz are going to suffer from a site such as Trip Advisor, which is built on mass appeal. And there's nothing wrong with that. In fact, it's kinda refreshing that they also do budget hotels and other categories. It's just that it seems awfully skewed, in this category, to Vancouver and B.C. Great places but there's not a chance that they have 60 per cent of the top hotels in Canada. Fifty eight or fifty nine? Maybe. But not 60.

The Cairns Motel in Summerside PEI (we wrote about it in the Star last year) came in at number one for bargain hotels in Canada. But at least Ontario was number five (the High Falls Motel and Cabins in Wawa). And Ontario was tops in the relaxation and spa category, with top honours falling (deservedly) to Ste. Anne's Spa in Grafton (see photo at left).

Ontario also fared well in the B and B/Inns category, with the two through five spots all inside the province (Britaly Bed and Breakfast, Niagara-on-the-Lake; Greystone Manor, Niagara Falls, La Toscana di Carlotta Niagara-on-the-Lake and Accomodations Niagara Bed and Breakfast, Niagara Falls).

SPEAKING OF HOTELS, MAYBE YOU SHOULD BOOK NOW

An item I spotted on travelmole.com (the European/UK edition) says global hotel rates rose by an average of four per cent in 2011. Hotels.com gathered information from 142,000 properties in more than 85 countries for their study, which shows some pretty remarkable and wild swings.

Asia, which is quite affordable in most cases already, found a two per cent dip in prices. Tunisia was down nine per cent due to political problems, while rooms in the Egyptian resort of Sharm El Sheikh were down a whopping 30 per cent. Amsterdam hotel rates jumped nine per cent, while rooms in Venice and Barcelona rooms went up an average of eight per cent. Prices skyrocketed by 40 per cent in Ibiza (I have no idea why), but they fell 10 per cent in Athens.

The study said US hotel rates went up by an average of three per cent  in 2011, but the rise was steeper in some American cities, with San Francisco up 14 per cent and Las Vegas rising 11 per cent. Average prices rose 13 per cent in Australia last year and there was a 12 per cent increase in New Zealand, fuelled by the Rugby World Cup.

GENE SIMMONS ROCK AND BREWS RESTAURANT - SOUNDS TRULY AWFUL

Gene Simmons of KISS fame (horrible band, I think) is partnering with some restaurant folks and a concert promoter to develop something truly horrible sounding: Rock & Brews. It's labelled as a backstage beer garden, and I haven't a clue what that means except there's talk of capturing the excitement of rock concerts, along with "The Great Wall of Rock" with posters and rock shows on flat screen TV's.

Okay, it might be halfway decent as long as they ABSOLUTELY FORBID showing anything by KISS, AC/DC or Rush.

The first one (OMG, they may have more???) will be in El Segundo, California - south of LAX. More are planned for Denver, Atlanta, Lahaina Maui (please, no), Tokyo and Los Cabos in Mexico.

Haven't we been through all this with Hard Rock Cafe and Planet Hollywood? And don't you wonder if a place with Simmons' name on it will have tongue on the menu?

 

 

 

Condition normal with Air Canada ... Chicago puts on a great show in Toronto

I hate to see workers lose the right to take job action. But, faced with both a potential strike by ground workers AND a potential lockout of pilots on the Monday of March Break, I guess I can see how Labour Minister Lisa Raitt on Thursday opted to put the (air) brakes on.

In case you somehow didn't know, Raitt on Thursday referred both issues to the Canada Industrial Relations Board, thus ending any chance of Monday madness in Canadian skies.

Her move on Thursday came just hours after Air Canada served formal notice it intended to lock out the airline’s 3,000 pilots at 12:01 a.m. Monday, coinciding with the strike date set by the machinists’ union, which includes 8,600 baggage handlers and mechanics. It would've meant chaos during a hugely popular time for travel in Canada, and Raitt said a work stoppage was “unacceptable” because it would threaten to damage the fragile economy and interrupt March Break holiday plans.

So that's one less thing to worry about. The radio this morning had an Air Canada check-in agent at Pearson saying it was business as usual. "Yeah," she said. "People are arriving at Terminal 1 for flights on Delta in Terminal 3 and they're blaming me for it. It's situation normal, all right."

MY KIND OF TOWN, CHICAGO IS

The folks from Chicago were in town on Thursday for an event at The Windsor Arms, telling us how important Toronto and the Canadian market are to them.

"We're really excited to get back in the market," said the executive director of tourism, Cathy Domanico. "It's long overdue."

U.S. Consul General Kevin Johnson said Chicagoans have for years spoken in a polite, Midwestern voice.

"That's good for people, but bad for marketing," he said with a grin, explaining how the city is now taking a much more aggressive stance about attracting visitors. 

Tourism officials say the city has a wide array of attractions and features, including:

- Thirty ethnic groups of 25,000 people or more

- Three of the top ten hotels in the U.S. and the number one (The Waldorf-Astoria, formerly the Elysian) rated hotel in the country.

- The top rated restaurant in the U.S., Alinea, which also is rated number six in the world.

- Five Tony-Award-winning theatre companies

- 26 miles of shoreline, almost all of it wide open with many great beaches right in town.

Chicago is the birthplace of the skyscraper, with incredible architecture. Not to mention museums, public art, parks, blues and jazz clubs and that fabulous waterfront we wish we had here in Toronto.

We know about Second City, of course, but the theatre scene also is fabulous, said Warren Wilkinson, senior vice president marketing and communications for the Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau.

"People ask us where to find the best theatre, and we say 'Go to 42nd St. (in New York), turn left and go 900 miles," Wilkinson said.

Food and drink are huge, of course.

"We have cuisine for the finest palettes, but you also can get a cold beer and deep dish pizza," Wilkinson said.

Domanico said Chicago attracted 39.2 million visitors in 2011 and is hoping for 50 million by 2020. International visitors are the greatest opportunity, with 3.2 million of them last year. And Canada's their biggest hope, being so close and all. And Toronto, of course, is the biggest prize in Canada.

For more information, go to www.choosechicago.com. For information on Illinois, check out www.enjoyillinois.com.

NO SIGNS OF A MEXICO SLOWDOWN?

This item courtesy of the CBC:

A recent slew of violent attacks on tourists in Mexico has done little to derail interest in the country as a favoured travel destination for winter-weary Canadians, a top Mexican tourism official says.

Last year marked a record-breaking year for tourism in Mexico, with 22.67 million international travellers visiting the country, the Mexican tourism board said.

Canada is an important source of visitors, second only to the United States, said Rodolfo Lopez Negrete, chief operating officer of the Mexico Tourism Board.

In 2005, the number of Canadians who travelled to Mexico reached 794,000, and the figure has risen every year since, according to Statistics Canada. Lopez Negrete said the number of Canadian visitors to Mexico is expected to be "scratching the 1.6 million mark" for 2011, more than double the number in 2005 and a record.