Cyber Monday travel deals, plus Dubai's latest plan to rule the (tourism) world

Well, it's Cyber Monday. But my inbox isn't exactly overflowing with travel deals. I think there are a few to be had, so I'd advise sticking by your computer today.

The best deal I've seen so far today is from the terrific Kimpton hotell chain, a deal offering 30 per cent off on stays from Thursday to Sunday between now and Dec. 30. It's a pre-paid, non-refundable deal that's valid only at certain hotels and you need to use the word "CYBER" as your rate code.

I found a room for Dec. 21 and 22 at the Kimpton Palomar in downtown Phoenix for $139. Rooms at the outstanding Burnham Hotel in downtown Chicago, which I reviewed in the Star a few weeks ago, were going for just $140 on weekends in early December. It's a fabulous, historic hotel with a cool bar and a nice vibe in a good part of town and very much worth checking out.

I also spotted a series of deals at Expedia.ca, including rooms in Las Vegas for $16, hotels in Montreal from $66 and from Vancouver from $70 and Canmore/Banff from $84. Further afield, there were rooms in Punta Cana, D.R. from $90 and a three-star spot in Paris for $107, which is quite impressive. The deals must be booked today, Nov. 26 for travel by Dec. 31.

DUBAI ON THE RISE?

I had to shake my head at a Reuters report over the weekend, talking about Dubai's latest announcement for a monstrous tourism and retail development.

I don't particularly love Dubai as a destination but I guess it's a good sign for world tourism that Dubai thinks it's gotten over the corporate debt crisis that brought it (almost) to its knees three years ago. For those who missed it, the latest plan calls for the largest shopping mall in the world to be built on the outskirts of what passes for Dubai's current downtown area. There's also supposed to be a park that's 30 per cent bigger than Hyde Park in London.

A retail complex named the "Mall of the World" will be able to host 80 million visitors a year and include over 100 hotel facilities, officials said. A family entertainment centre linked to the mall, developed with Hollywood's Universal Studios would be designed for six million visitors each year.

It's all fine for Dubai, but just because a park is 30 per cent bigger than Hyde Park doesn't make it better. Ditto for the malls. I went to the big shopping mall in Dubai a couple years ago, the one with the indoor ski hill, and was utterly underwhelmed. Aside from the cosmpolitan group of customers, it may as well have been the Mall of America in Minneapolis with higher-end stores or the West Edmonton Mall in Alberta.

The historic centre of Dubai is fun and quite interesting, and there's a nicer beach than you might think to go with some sumptuous resorts. But the downtown feels like Houston without the southern charm and the majority of the developments that march ever onward make you feel like you're in Vegas, minus the crazy guys in costumes and the wedding chapels. Also without the girls and the gambling.

Still, folks seem to flock there and it is quite safe and there's a lot to do for kids, including a fun water park I tried out a couple years ago. They're clearly doing something right to warrant this kind of tourism plan....

 

 

 

You have to think they’re not hockey or basketball fans. Or soccer enthusiasts, for that matter.

The folks at Travelzoo Inc. released its 2012 Travelzoo Awards list on Thursday and there was a rather large surprise in the category of “Best Overall Provider of Entertainment Experiences in Canada.” The winner? Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment.

I had to give my head a shake. At first I thought it was an award for “best condo builder.” But no. Then I thought it was “most outrageously profitable entertainment experiences where fans are continually hosed by owners who don’t care if their teams win.” But no. It was “best overall provider of entertainment experiences.” IN ALL OF CANADA!!

MLSE? The folks who struggle to put even a mediocre product on the ice and the basketball court and the soccer pitch? The laughingstock of North American sports? The organization that's part of a league that isn't even playing this fall?

You gotta be kidding me. Yes, Real Sports is a great sports bar. Yes, the Raptors dance pack features some pretty hot routines. And yes, the Raptor himself continues to dazzle (I think, I haven’t seen a game in a couple years).

But this is an organization that has run Toronto FC into the ground and can’t field a hockey playoff team and a basketball team that's consistently below average with a general manager that is riding on his success in Phoenix a century or two ago.

Good concerts at the ACC? Maybe that’s what did it, but not if you judge that category by the feedback from fans at this week’s mysterious Bob Dylan show.

The other Canadian categories in the Travelzoo awards were for best overall provider of Airfare (Porter), best overall provider of hotel deals (Sutton Place, Vancouver, which is often on sale on various websites) and best provider of vacation and cruise packaging (Cruise Connections, Inc.).

 

QUEBEC CITY HOTELS KICK BUTT

Congrats to Quebec City for having the highest rated hotels in the U.S. and Canada.

CheapHotels.org released a survey this week of 30 destinations north and south of the border. It was based on evaluations written by customers over the past 12 months following their stays.

To ensure proper comparisons, the study was based only on 3-star hotels (the kind most of us stay in most often) in the city centre. Two booking sites, Expedia and Priceline, served as the aggregator from which reviews were drawn.

The winner, with 75 per cent positive reviews, was Quebec City. Next was Washington D.C. at 73, followed by Chicago (72) and a tie between Boston and Montreal at 71. So, good on La Belle Province for a great showing.

The bottom five were Las Vegas (61), Honolulu (59), Ottawa (a terrible 57 score), Atlantic City (56) and, at the very bottom, Miami at 54.

Sounds like theirs food for thought down Florida way….

For the record, Toronto was pretty much in the middle (slightly above average) at 67, one spot behind Niagara Falls (68), although the study doesn’t say whether that’s the U.S. or Canadian side of the falls.

New York City was at 65.

 

THIS AND THAT

Fairmont is opening its first-ever property in the Philippines, which seem to be getting more and more travel press these days. The Fairmont Makati opens Dec. 3 in Metro Manila. Fairmont Makati will have 280 rooms and suites with a Filipino design. The tower housing the Makati also is home to the 32-room, all-suite Raffles Makati and to condos under the Raffles Residences brand. Raffles is a sister brand of Fairmont under the parent company Fairmont Raffles Hotels International … Kudos to Cabot Links on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia for being named best new golf course by SCOREGolf. It’s a no-brainer, really, as it’s by far the best new course opened in this country in some time. It’s a true links course, the only one in Canada, and it’s absolutely marvelous.

 

Canucks flock to New Orleans and Louisiana/Canadian hotels crack world's top 100

Things are looking pretty good down in New Orleans and Louisiana. At a Louisiana tourism lunch this week it was revealed that Canadian visits to the state are up 24 per cent over the past two years; a huge increase.

That bodes well for a state that looks to have finally recovered (mostly) from the devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina a few years back.

It looks like a busy couple months coming up down there, as Mardi Gras will be in February, as usual, and the city also is hosting the Super Bown for the first time since Katrina came in 2005.

There's a new streetcar line in town that will connect the Louisiana Superdome and the French Quarter by trolley; an important link. Streets are being repaved in the legendary French Quarter, the airport is undergoing a huge renovation and work crews are out fixing streetlights, sidewalks and potholes. Sounds like we could use them up here ...

FODORS TOP 100 SHOWS SOME LOVE FOR CANADIAN HOTELS

Congrats to four Canadian properties for cracking Fodors List of the top 100 hotels in the world. Included in the list is the new Shangri-La on University Ave. in Toronto, which was lauded in the "city chic" category for its cool, Asian design style and food options. Making it in the "global icon" category was the Fairmont Chateau Frontenac in Quebec City, a beautiful, historic and glamorous property that's always a delight (see photo at left). Two B.C. properties also made the list. In Vancouver, the stunning and newly renovated Rosewood Hotel Georgia made it in the "Fun for All Ages" category, while Sparkling Hill resort, in the hills near Vernon, B.C., got in in the "Trendsetter" category.

CHRISTMAS SHOP IN DETROIT AND SAVE

The Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau (DMCVB) launched its Shop Greater Detroit marketing campaign today to attract Toronto-area consumers to greater Detroit this holiday season. The campaign highlights the many reasons to shop and stay overnight in the greater Detroit area and rewards participants with a $50 Visa card.

 In a press release, the bureau said the top reasons Canadians should stay, shop and save in greater Detroit are:

• Detroit is less than a five-hour drive from Toronto, with two international crossing points, Sarnia and Windsor.
• Detroit’s sales tax is only six percent. In comparison, Buffalo, N.Y. has an 8.75 percent sales tax.
• Recently increased duty-free allowances and Canadian tax exemptions on purchased goods are better the more time shoppers spend in greater Detroit: $200 for 24 hours and $800 for 48 hours.
• From malls, to outlet stores, to walkable downtown shops in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties, greater Detroit has a wide variety of quality shopping options with greater selections.
• Plus, qualified participants are rewarded with a $50 Visa card.

 

To participate in Shop Greater Detroit, Ontario residents must complete a stay at a greater Detroit area hotel for one or more consecutive nights between Nov. 15 and Dec. 31, 2012. In order to qualify for the $50 Visa card, participants need to fill out an online registration form and mail their original hotel receipt and online registration confirmation to the DMCVB. The submission must be post-marked before Jan. 31, 2013. The promotion is limited to the first 1,000 qualified participants.

For information, go to www.shopgreaterdetroit.com

 

 

More top American cities in Travel + Leisure survey; what about Canada?

More today from the recent issue of Travel + Leisure, which each year ranks American cities in various categories. As I mentioned on Friday, New Orleans took the overall top city trophy this year, and it's hard to argue with that.

Here are some other categories from the survey:

Top City for Friendly People: Nashville

Top City for Attractive People: Miami (see South Beach photo at right)

Top City for Tech-Savvy Folks (what a dull category that is): Seattle

Top City for Stylish People: New York

Top City for Barbecue: Kansas City

Top City for Pizza: Chicago

Top City for Fine Dining: Charleston

Top City for Ethnic Food: San Francisco

Top City for Microbrew Beer: Portland, Oregon

Top City for Cocktail Lounges: Las Vegas

Top City for Sports Bars: Chicago

Top City for Museums/Galleries: Washington D.C.

Top City for Free Attractions: Washington D.C.

Top City for a Romantic Escape: Charleston (see photo)

Top City for a Cultural Getaway: Santa Fe, New Mexico

It's a nice, fun list. But what about Canada? How do our cities stack up? Well, sadly we don't have as many of them, do we. But we can maybe make a go of it. I'm not claiming this as definitive as I haven't been to all our major cities. And we don't have so many to begin with. But you could at least argue that I'm in the ballpark on these, so here goes....

Top City for Friendly People: St. John's. (I will hear no argument on this because I'm right.)

Top City for Attractive People: Toronto (Only because we have so many from around the world.)

Top City for Tech Savvy People: Calgary (You have to be tech savvy to entertain yourself in winter.)

Top City for Stylish People: Montreal (Hands down, right?)

Top City for Barbecue: Not saying much but I'll go with Toronto. (Maybe we should say best city for poutine and give it to Montreal).

Top City for Pizza: Toronto (We have the most Italians.)

Top City for Fine Dining: Toronto.

Top City for Ethnic Food: Toronto. (Sorry, sheer variety and size wins again for Hogtown.)

Top City for Microbrew Beer: Victoria

Top City for Cocktail Lounges: Montreal

Top City for Sports Bars: Edmonton (it IS the ciity of champions, notwithstanding yesterday's rout by the Argos)

Top City for Museums/Galleries: Ottawa

Top City for Free Attractions: Vancouver (the beach, Stanley Park)

Top City for a Romantic Escape: Quebec

Top City for a Cultural Getaway: Toronto

That's TOTALLY off the top of my head and I'm more than willing to entertain thoughts from folks with broader experience than I. I'm sure Saskatoon would be up on my list for friendly people if I went there.

Just for a bit more balance, let's toss in a few categories that pertain to us:

Top City for Outdoors Types: Calgary

Top City for Adventure Seekers: Whitehorse

Top City for Lovers of the Sea: Halifax

Top City for Hockey Lovers: Winnipeg (sheer exuberance wins it)

Top City for folks who'd rather have their mayor coach football than attend council meetings: Toronto

Top City for Municipal Corruption: Montreal

Top City for Sushi: Vancouver

Top City for Job Seekers: Saskatoon

Top City for Wine Drinkers: St. Catharines

Top City for finding an Australian in Winter: Whistler

Top City for bloggers who put too much emphasis on the great things to do in Toronto: The capital of the universe.

 

 

 

 

 

Most of November/December a great time for travel bargains N. America, Europe

Had a coffee today with Hotwire vice president Pierre-Etienne Chartier, and boy does this guy have an idea where to find travel bargains.

Chartier, a Canadian living in California, said there are remarkable bargains to be had right now in Europe and in some large Canadian and U.S. cities.

"Toronto prices are a bit high in November because of the Grey Cup," Chartier said, "but I've seen deals in the last couple days for five-star hotels in Vancouver (see photo) for less than $100 and four-star hotels for $89. Most of the next couple months are pretty open in Vancouver and Victoria, too, and most days you'll find great deals."

Montreal is a bit higher but Chartier said you can find four-star places on Hotwire for $105.

He's also seen great prices in Boston and Chicago, with Boston four-star properties listed at less than $100 and some in Chicago from $110 to $120.

In Orlando, you can find three-star places for $70 and four-star for $80, while Miami also is seeing some pretty good deals.

One of the secrets to bagging travel bargains is to book right after American Thanksgiving but before Christmas. Business travel drops considerably in that period, so properties will discount rooms by large amounts to get bums in the beds.

It helps not only in Canada and the U.S. but also in Mexico, where the lack of American travellers means more room for Canadians and often better deals.

Best news yet, if you can afford the air fare, is Europe.

The Canadian dollar is down a bit against the Euro but you still can get a Euro for about $1.27 Canadian, which is quite a lot below the $1.70 or more we were seeing a few years ago.

Chartier said a combination of the post-Olympics drop and uncertain economics means less Europeans are travelling in Europe. Which means hotel operators need more Canadians.

Chartier said room prices in several European cities are down more than 20 per cent from a year ago. Istanbul prices, he said, have fallen a remarkable 42 per cent in the last year. Prague prices have dropped 25 per cent and Dublin prices 23 per cent. Rome isn't down as much but a 16 per cent price drop still is pretty attractive.

"I saw the other day that you could book a four-star hotel in Brussels for $60, and it's a beautiful city," he said. "I've seen five-star Paris places for $172. I saw a four-star place in Madrid for $53."

Fifty three dollars? I pay more than that for a cab from Yonge and Lawrence to Pearson.

There are no dramatic trends in Canadian travel right now, but Chartier said folks in this country have stated a stronger intention to travel now than they were a few months ago. On the other hand, they don't have more money to spend so they're looking for bargains more than ever.

While hotel prices have fallen in some spots for this time of year, those prices likely will jump after New Years', especially in warm weather cities and destinations. Chartier also mentioned that air fares haven't increased so much lately, which is good news.

Hotwire research shows airfares in Canada actually are down about three per cent right now compared to this time last year, he said.

Interesting stuff....

MORE TROUBLE FOR NEW YORK AREA

The latest storm to hit the New York City area has forced cancellations of some flights to the area. Air Canada has had a couple cancelled, while Porter had to cancel a few to Newark and one to Boston. WestJet also had to cancel a few flights today and one tomorrow from Toronto to New York LaGuardia.

As always, be sure to check your airline's website or check www.torontopearson.com for information on your flights.

 

 

 

More cross-border airport hopping ... New Four Seasons Toronto opens today

In the wake of that terrific Conference Board of Canada report that shows millions of Canadians are avoiding high fees and fares in Canada and flocking to U.S. airports for their holiday trips came a good follow-up from Expedia.ca.

They offer dedicated Cross Border Deals from Buffalo, Detroit, Burlington Vermont, Seattle and Bellingham, Washington and note that big savings can be had if folks don't mind the drive. Most of us here in Toronto have a good two hour drive to get to Buffalo-Niagara. If you live in Oakville or Hamilton or Niagara, it's a heckuva lot closer. Oshawa? Not so great an option.

Expedia says Bellingham is just an hour from Vancouver and is most popular for flights to Las Vegas, Honolulu, Los Angeles, Phoenix and San Diego. The top five destinations Canadians fly to from Buffalo are New York City, Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, Boston and Chicago. As for Burlington, about two hours from Montreal, it's used mostly for flights to Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, New York City, Las Vegas and Tampa. Seattle is about three hours from Vancouver and is used by Canadians mostly for flights to New York, Los Angeles, Orlando, San Francisco and Fort Lauderdale. Detroit is about 2.5 hours from London Ontario and just across the border from Windsor. The most popular Detroit flights for Canadians are those heading to Orlando, Las Vegas, Fort Lauderdale, Phoenix and Tampa.

The conference board report says Canadians save about 30 per cent by flying out of the U.S. versus flying from Canadian airports. For Montrealers, the cost of a flight to U.S. destinations from Burlington is often half the cost of leaving from Montreal, which is amazing.

Of course, driving to the U.S. is not without its issues. There's the time involved, although lineups might be shorter and security simpler in Buffalo than in Pearson, for example. You have to cross the border, of course, which can be time consuming depending on the time of day. You might have to pay for parking at the airport if you're not staying at a hotel. If you do stay at a hotel you might get free parking but would have to, of course, pay for your room.

Expedia.ca recommends checking for hotels with free parking and free airport shuttles. They also point out that coming home to Buffalo and then facing a wait at the border and a two or three-hour drive might not be the ideal ending to your holiday. Yeah, probably not, but worth it for a savings of $400 on your tickets for a family of four, I'd think. Maybe you'd save more than that.

About the same time Expedia was listing some good information about cross-border trips, the folks at Cheapflights.ca sent me a list of the most searched flights for October getaways. They found three places that had more than a 200 per cent increase in flight searches over the last month. Searches for Fort Myers, Florida, home of wonderful islands, good food and great beaches, were up a whopping 456 per cent. Searches for Phoenix jumped 302 per cent, possibly due to cooling weather in Arizona that makes the fall a great time to enjoy the golf, hiking, spas, shopping and other activities. Searches for New Orleans were up a solid 286 per cent as folks gear up for events such as the Voodoo Music Experience, which runs Oct. 26-28 and features the likes of Neil Young, Green Day and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band.

Rounding out the top five search list for the month were Key West, Florida (awesome place, with searches up 258 per cent) and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, with searches jumping 245 per cent over September figures.

FOUR SEASONS OPENS TODAY

The latest in the five-star hotel assault wave on T.O. takes place today, when the new Four Seasons Yorkville officially opens its doors. Luminaries and media folks will be on hand in droves, I suspect, and I'm hoping to make it if they'll let me past security.

The Star's Susan Pigg has a good story on the hotel in today's business section, so you can check that out here. There's also a cool graphic on the hotel in this month's Toronto Life, which reveals that there are 300 silent-close toilet seats on the property and that they take eight seconds to close. They also note that security staff learns something called "verbal judo" to disarm aggressive guests, and that sounds intriguing as hell.

You can take the slippers home with you for free, but the robes are supposed to stay behind. Ditto for the free iPads they lend out to folks for their stay, which is becoming a trend in the industry for high-end hotels. Not so much the Comfort Inn at the Airport. Not yet, anyway.

 

 

Canadians flocking to U.S. airports a huge issue. So let's do something already

Maybe this time the Prime Minister is listening.

The Conference Board of Canada gave a boost to this country's struggling tourism industry on Wednesday when it issued a hefty and strongly worded report warning the feds about the increasing number of Canadians fleeing high taxes and airport fees in this country and flying out of airports across the border. The board, which is extremely well respected across the country, said some five million passengers cross the border annually to fly from U.S. airports to escape fees and taxes that result in much higher prices for Canadian flights.

“Cross-border air-fare shopping is being driven by a perfect storm of factors that also includes differences in wages, aircraft prices, and industry productivity as well as U.S. aviation policies,” said the study’s author, Vijay Gill. “For air carriers flying from American airports, these add up to a 30 per cent cost advantage.”

The board said the average flight to a common U.S. destination (whatever that is) out of Toronto costs  $318 for the base, plus $114 in fees and taxes for a $432 total. To reach those same destinations from Buffalo would cost a flier $265 in base fare plus $59 for a total of $324. That's a difference of $108 per ticket. Multiply that by four for a family and you're at almost $450. No wonder Orlando tourism officials tell me that 17 per cent of Canadians who fly to central Florida use American airports such as Buffalo-Niagara (see photo at right).

You can stay at a hotel in Buffalo the night before a flight and often park for free. Sure, you'll spend $50 on gas and $150, maybe, for the hotel room. But if you can park for free in Buffalo you could save on your parking or on the horrendous cost of a cab to Pearson, plus you'd come out maybe $200 ahead on your airline tickets even when you take the hotel and gas cost into account.

You think it's bad in Toronto? Ha. Look at the numbers for Montreal. According to the Conference Board, a flight to the U.S. from Montreal averages a whopping $573 in base fare (WOW) plus $124 in taxes and fees for a killer average of $697. Montrealers can drive to Burlington, Vermont (a two-hour drive) and pay just $327 for that same ticket; LESS THAN HALF the price of flying from home.

This has been talked about before. The Star wrote a good story about it not long ago. But I'm thinking the weight of the Conference Board might actually be making an impression in Ottawa this time.

“Yes, we are concerned about that,” Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said Wednesday when asked about the new data.

“(Transport) Minister (Denis) Lebel has been working on a consultation project with the airlines, with the airport authorities in Canada, who are very important on this issue, to try to see what we can accomplish, and we’ll hear more from him over time,” Flaherty told the media.

The Star's Ottawa bureau reports Flaherty did not give any details on what is being considered or when the public might hear what Ottawa hopes to accomplish. Nor did he give he any details on who Denis Lebel is. Or better yet Maxime Bernier, the minister for small business and tourism, who's virtually invisible but appears to enjoy having his picture taken at tourism events at which he can hold models of planes.

 

The fact that tourism is even part of a ministry associated with small business is completely and utterly LUDICROUS.

For its part, the Tourism Industry Association of Canada has (very quietly) been asking folks in the biz to step up and fight against "significant" cuts to the Canadian Tourism Commission budget. In a note on the TIAC website, officials state that "the proposed CTC budget for 2013/14 is $57.8 million - a decrease of 41.5% in just a decade."

"Funding the CTC is more important than ever," TIAC says. "Tourism continues to grow globally, but Canada's share continues to erode. We have slipped from 7th to 18th in the world for international visitors and we are one of only five countries to experience a drop in arrivals in the last 10 years. With less money to promote Canada in key markets, we will unquestionably struggle to take advantage of the growth in international travel.

"As tourism business people, you make vital contributions to the Canadian economy, creating jobs - over 600 000 across the country - and creating more than $78.8 billion in economic activity."

I know a dollar doesn't go as far as it used to, but 78.8 BILLION DOLLARS ain't small business, folks. It's BIG, CRITICAL BUSINESS and deserves a lot more support. And respect. But I guess it's hard for the Prime MInister to provide money for tourism and to grow tourism jobs because he has to fund all those jails we need to protect us from the gangs of roaming thugs who stroll our streets day and night.

A Senate report in June said Ottawa should “stop treating airports as a source of public revenue and start treating them as economic spark plugs.” And amen to that.

Most of the blame for our tourism situation falls with Harper. But I think TIAC and others in the industry need to do more than issue the odd press release tsk-tsking over budget cuts. How about a forum in downtown Toronto with the Four Seasons and Fairmonts and Delta hotels  people - all Canadian companies. How about bringing in cabbies and restaurant owners and Air Canad and Porter and WestJet people and delivering a high-profile blow instead of (or in addition to) quietly lobbying the Jim Flaherty's of the world?

Wouldn't it be a good thing for the Canadian people to know just what's going on in such a vital industry?

 

 

 

 

More great wine tasting spots: B.C., Australia, Hawaii and, of course, France

Yesterday I mentioned a whack of my favourite wine tasting places. Today I'm adding five more, with some random thoughts at the bottom just because it's a Wednesday and we need to celebrate the week is almost half-over. (Speaking of which, I saw an outstanding cartoon in the paper on Tuesday that showed a management type talking with a camel wearing a suit inthe camel's office. There was a calendar on the wall that said "Tuesday, Sept. 25" and the management guy had this great look on his face with a caption above that said something like "If you wish me 'Happy Hump Day' again tomorrow you're fired." Absolutely hilarious, if completely off topic. Because we were talking about wine. I don't know any good wine jokes, but I do remember a great episode of the Tonight Show once where Johnny Carson was talking about a wine and cheese event in Ohio somewhere in the 1970's where they had trays of Velveeta and glasses of wine, thoughtfully with bowls of sugar alongside in case folks found the wines too dry. Also hilarious.

So, anyhoo, with those side issues out of the way, here's my Wednesday look at some of my favourite wine-tasting-sipping-slurping-guzzling spots around the globe.

1. Australia. The Barossa Valley near Adelaide is Australia’s best-known area for high quality wines but you also can try the Yarra Valley near Melbourne for a great variety, including fine sparkling wines at the lovely Domaine Chandon (see photo). Heading further afield? Check out the increasingly high-profile Margaret River region in Western Australia for great Cabs and Shiraz. Only headed to Sydney?  The Hunter Valley is close by and they make very good reds and whites. They also do fun events such as “Jazz in the Vines” and “Opera in the Vineyards.”

2. British Columbia. The Okanagan Valley has great food and fabulous, award-winning wines. In the
south section around dry (think tumbleweeds and cactus) Osoyoos, they make excellent Syrah blends that are big and round, with a bit of California meets France halfway feel. Angels Gate and other wineries further north, near Kelowna, make fabulous Pinot Gris. Not washy, tasteless Pinot Grigio but fine, balanced Pinot Gris that’s excellent with food. An outdoor seat at the restaurant at Mission Hill is about as spectacular as you can get, with rows of vineyards sweeping down to the lake and dusty mountains off in the background. I've yet to find a winery in California with a view as nice as those in the hills above Okanagan Lake.

3. South Africa. I’m not a huge fan of the leathery reds they make (barnyard notes might be more accurate) but perhaps that’s because I grew up drinking fruity, new world wines. I’ve quite
enjoyed the whites I’ve had from SA, however, and they make a great range of Sauvignon Blancs and crisp Chardonnays. Sitting on a patio overlooking the harbour in Cape Town and gazing up at Table Mountain looks to be about as romantic a wine experience as you could have. 

4. Hawaii. Want something truly exotic? Tedeschi Winery on Maui makes surprisingly decent white and red wines, as well as pineapple wine that’s best left to give to Uncle Fred for his 80^th birthday celebration. The quaint and pretty winery/tasting room  is located high up the slopes of Mt. Haleakala in lovely countryside (see photo at right), with rolling hills, cattle, eucalyptus trees and stunning views out over the island of Maui.

5. France. Of course. But you already knew that. Bordeaux, Burgundy and Champagne are legendary. Ditto for the Loire, with great, crisp whites. Increasingly good products from Languedoc, and always consistent rose’ from Provence. Oh, don’t forget the versatile Pinot Gris/Pinot Blanc and Riesling
from up near the German border. Bordeaux is the king internationally, so much so that China is now the largest importer of Bordeaux wines in the world. The city of Bordeaux doesn't get a lot of exposure but it's got lovely, old buildings and stately squares and a terribly fun old quarter with cafes that spill out into tiny, pedestrian-only lanes. Awesome food and, of course, good wine lists. The area around St. Emilion is a personal fave. It's a beautiful town (see photo below left) filled with gorgeous, creamy buildings and built on top of enormous caves. There's an historic, underground church and plenty of tasting rooms and lovely, small hotels. Good macaroons, too, if you have a sweet tooth. I haven't been to Burgundy in years but I love small towns like Vezelay and Avalon. There's even a Montreal if you want to have fun with some photos. I haven't spent much time in the Loire but I love a good, crisp Sancerre white - a favourite if I remember correctly of former Star reporter Ernest Hemingway. The wines of Provence aren't as notable, but there are fabulous wines and great tasting opportunities down around the lovely town of Aix-en-Provence, which is only a short drive from the Cote d'Azur. In Aix itself, be sure to tour the former home of Cezanne, who did much of his painting in the home and in the area. It's quite a beautiful spot and there are tons of great cafes and terrific shopping opportunities in the old streets of town.

FURTHER THOUGHTS:

I've never been to South America but Chilean wines are exceptional. A few of the Cabernet Sauvignons at the low end have too much of a green pepper taste for my liking, but most of it is excellent and well-priced. Argentina does wonders with Malbec, also grown in the Cahors region of France, and a good Malbec goes great with a steak. They make some pretty good stuff in Uruguay and even parts of Brazil ... Further north you can get some tasty fruit from Mexico, mostly Baja California ... Back on the continent, Germany and Switzerland make very good whites and even some reasonably hefty reds . The vineyards along the Rhine and Mosel rivers are stunningly beautiful, as are the ones that cascade down the steep hills on the north side of Lake Geneva (or Lac Leman if you choose) in Switzerland… Looking for something different that’s great with food? Try a Gruner Veltliner white from Austria … Spain makes fab reds and terrific white wines. Rioja is king but you also can find good value from the Penedes and excellent sparkling wines for a quarter the price of French champagne … Israel makes some excellent red wine, as does Lebanon … Italy’s a no-brainer. My personal fave for value is Nero d’Avola, with full body that’s more to my North American taste than most Italian wines … Greece makes some lovely, crisp whites that are perfect for a seaside patio … Folks tell me Chinese wines are improving but the stuff I tried when I was last there wasn’t so great … Headed to the States? New York has great wineries in the Finger Lakes. More surprising is the quality of wine in Virginia and even Texas. Oregon and Washington you might know about, with similar grapes to B.C., but also in the up-and-coming market are places like Arizona, North Carolina and Colorado ... I've had some decent whites made on the Ile d'Orleans outside Quebec City, too ... Okay, it's not wine but Japan has won dozens of awards for its Scotch whisky. Something about the water, I guess, and the typical Japanese attention to detail. It's quite tasty.

New Orleans prepares for worst ... Vermont tourism upset by cheap Quebecers

Boy, you gotta feel for the folks down in The Big Easy. I mean, how crazy is it that Tropical Storm Isaac is bearing down on New Orleans and could hit on the anniversary of Katrina?

So far, it doesn't look like Isaac is that bad. But that's the thing about hurricanes; they change. It was thought the storm would hit Tampa. It stayed out to sea and instead is hurtling towards Louisiana.

Google, for its part, is helping out with a crisis map that shows where the storm might make landfall. Again, the operative word is might.

U.S. President Barack Obama today said he has declared a disaster for Louisiana as the storm gets closer. He also called on Gulf coast residents to take official warnings "seriously."

Katrina slammed into an unprepared New Orleans in 2005 on Aug. 29.

It appears virtually all flights are cancelled today into Louis Armstrong MSY airport, so stay tuned to the news for more information. And keep your fingers crossed for New Orleans and Louisiana....

CHEAP QUEBECERS LEAVE VERMONT SEEING RED

Pretty funny (and not so funny at the same time) situation in Burlington, Vermont, where restaurants are again crying over folks from Canada who don't leave enough - or any - tips.

Lesley Taylor in today's Star tells the story of how restaurateurs are at odds about how to handle the situation. Some business people have instituted an extra "tax" to make up for visiting cheapskates. Others say it's discriminatory in the extreme and bad business.

Ken’s Pizza in Burlington, Vt., takes the unambiguous approach to prodding stingy Quebec customers to tip: “Tipping is not just something you do in a canoe,” the menu reads.

A tricky situation, for sure. I'm all for encouraging folks to leave good tips in hotels and restaurants. I wrote a column about it a year or so ago and chastised folks who don't leave a couple bucks for the hotel maid.

I got quite a lot of mail on that one. Most folks agreed, but a few people out there still get angry about tipping and feel there are too many folks hanging around with their hands out. Which is certainly the case.

I think the maid at a hotel deserves a tip, but not so much the bellman who runs to the door to open it for me as I walk out in the morning....

There's a story on The Star's website today about tipping so have a look and let me know what you think: jbyers@thestar.ca

 

 

 

Positive outlook for tourisn in Canada this year, but don't expect the moon

The Conference Board of Canada today released a new report on what Canadians can expect from the critical tourism industry in 2012. In a nutshell, modest growth and only marginal increases in the prices we pay to travel in Canada. Both of which are encouraging, but not quite "Woo hoo, let's have a party" forecasts.

"Growth in domestic tourism demand is projected to be modest in 2012, with overnight visits increasing by 1.9 per cent and associated travel spending increasing by 3.6 per cent," the board said. "While the outlook is positive, it is curtailed by many factors.

 

One of these factors is the short-term economic outlook for Canada, which remains cautious. Federal and provincial government austerity measures are expected to kick in this year, and are likely to exert a significant drag on economic growth over the next few years. Consumer confidence also remains weak and is not expected to recover to its historical average level until 2014.

 

 

In addition, prices for food and gas continue to rise. As a result, a greater share of household budgets is being spent on basic necessities, leaving less discretionary income for vacation spending."

 



 

 

The board says tourism from the U.S. - our largest share of customers by far - is expected to grow by just 0.5 per cent. But overseas visitors should jump a healthy 3.1 per cent, "led by robust demand from emerging markets" such as China and Brazil.

 

Looking ahead, the board said that "over the medium term, tourism spending is expected to pick up speed, growingby an average of 4.9 per cent per year between 2012 and 2016.

 Which is why governments need to pay more attention to tourism, in my opinion, and not put folks like former minister Bev Oda in charge of tourism for the country. No offence, but the interview I had with her a few years ago was perhaps the most useless conversation I've ever had with a politician, and I've been having them for 31 years at the Star. Completely pointless it was and incredibly disheartening to think someone like her was (in theory, anyway) in charge of tourism for Canada.

 

The Tourism Toronto folks and the Canadian Tourism Commission both have targetted Brazil and China in their marketing efforts, although they still continue to push the U.S. and with good reason.

It appears that things will remain somewhat tight in Atlantic Canada and Quebec. Ontario will see growth in domestic airport capacity but will be hurt by government cuts. The prairie provinces will probably continue about the way they have been, but it sounds like B.C. and Alberta will get the most growth.

"While the total number of overseas visitors to Canada has remained relatively stable over the past 10 years, there have been dramatic shifts in the source of those tourists," the board said today."Trips from Japan, the United Kingdom, and Germany have dropped, while Canada has welcomed many more Chinese, Indian, and Brazilian tourists. This trend is expected to continue over the medium term. China’s share of overseas visits to Canada will rise from only 2 per cent in 2001 to 10 per cent by 2016, while Japan’s share is forecast to decline from 11 per cent in 2001 to 4 per cent by 2016."

 

The board said B.C. "can expect to see continued benefits from China’s granting of Approved Destination Status for Canada—already a popular destination among Chinese tourists."

The board's report didn't mention it, but I think Toronto will outshine the rest of the province. The new hotels alone have made a pretty good splash overseas, and we're still a month away from the opening (last I heard) of the new Shangri-la downtown (second week in August) and the new Four Seasons in Yorkville (mid-October).

So there you have it. Nothing crazy good. But nothing crazy bad, either. And these days, that's pretty good.

TALK ABOUT AIRLINE ADS

As most of us know, the airlines in Canada have already come around on "all-in pricing," moving to the concept a few months back and scrapping those horribly annoying ads that featured one-way prices and didn't include the bag fees and fuel surcharges (often in the hundreds of dollars) and other fees (let alone the sandwich fees and extra coffee for your creme fees and seat reclining surcharges).

Still, the Canadian Transportation Agency, to its credit, is still pushing ahead with rules to REQUIRE this sort of advertising. And they want Canadians to have their say.

The CTA has posted its proposal in the government's official newspaper, The Canada Gazette. Consumers have until Sept. 13 to comment.