Florida travel up thanks to Canada, Brazil ... Four Seasons Orlando breaks ground

Next time you make the drive down I-75 or arrive at Tampa or Miami airport, look for one of those "Florida Welcomes You" signs.

They really mean it.

With the world economy seemingly staggering from one crisis to another, the folks at Visit Florida this week were able to announce that, following a tough couple years, tourism is up a solid 4.6 per cent in the first nine months of this year. In 2010, the first three quarters found 61,736,000 visits. This year, that number was 64,564,000.

Domestic visits are up 3.1 per cent, which is great, especially when you consider 85 per cent of all visits are from Americans. But the real polish comes from Canada and Brazil. Canadian numbers for the first nine months of 2011 were 2,643,000 - up 7.7 per cent. Overseas numbers jumped - leapt actually - a whopping 16.9 per cent to 6,751,000.

Officials said visits from Brazil were up by a third, thanks to a strong middle class and a booming economy. Usually, UK visitors rank only behind Canadians. But, so far this year, Brazil is outpacing the UK, which has slapped high exit taxes on travelers to North America and other regions as a way to help their beleaguered chequebook.

Florida Pandhandle beaches, which suffered from the BP oil spill or feelings that they MIGHT be affected, have bounded back nicely, officials sayd. Bed-tax revenue in Panama City was up 20 per cent in the first three quarters of this year.

St. Petersburg/Clearwater, always a fave among Toronto folks, was expecting a 1 to 2 per cent hike in visits this year but instead is running 8 per cent ahead of last year.

Among other factors? The opening of the hugely successful Harry Potter exhibit at Universal Studios Orlando (see photo). It's so successful that they're building another one in southern California and expanding the Florida version. No kidding.

As encouraging as the numbers are, tourism types say they still haven't reached pre-recession levels. So get down there and do your part already.

Speaking of Florida (we love a good segueway), the folks at Four Seasons Hotels broke ground this week on their first-ever property INSIDE Walt Disney World. The 444-room hotel, part of Disney's Golden Oak residential subdivision, will include a rooftop restaurant with views of the Magic Kingdom (great for fireworks, no doubt), plus a 14,000 square-foot spa, three pools, a lazy river and event/meeting space.

It's the first Orlando property for Four Seasons, which is based, of course, here in Toronto.

NEW HOTELS IN DETROIT AND SAN FRANCISCO, PLUS AN ANNIVERSARY IN GEORGIA

Detroit is getting its first-ever downtown boutique hotel; a sure sign of economic improvement in the Motor City. The first Aloft hotel in the state of Michigan is slated to go into the David Whitney Building in Grand Circus Park downtown. Aloft, part of the worldwide Starwood chain that also includes Westin and Sheraton and W Hotels, is partnering with Daniel Burnham design on what's billed as a hotel with 108 rental apartments. Look for an opening in July, 2014.

Detroit's monthly occupancy rate hit 64.5 per cent in October, the highest level since a 68.7 per cent mark in 2000, according to STR, a Tennessee-based hotel information company.

A firm called TravelClick is said to have projected Detroi's hotel scene as the second busiest in the U.S. for next year, based on advanced booking figures. And that's certainly good news for Motown.

Out in San Francisco, meanwhile, they announced the Inn at the Presidio, a Waterford Hotels project that will be in the middle of an urban park. The Presidio is an old military outpost in the city of San Francisco and they'll be using the old bachelor's office quarters as the building for the hotel, slated to open in April 2012.

The drawings look pretty spiffy. If it's anything like the one they built across the bay in Marin County - the lovely Cavallo Point - it should be a smash success. The Inn at the Presidio is promising historic buildings, miles of trails, abundant wildlife and "stunning" bay and Golden Gate Bridge vistas, with the city of San Francisco's charms right outside the gates.

Probably the sort of place you'll want to have a car, or at least cab money, as it's not exactly in the centre of town. But it's only a short distance to some great neighbourhoods, including Geary St. and downtown, and it's close to Golden Gate Park and to the bay itself.

Finally, I see they're celebrating 125 years of history at the Jekyll Island Club Hotel in Georgia. It's a truly wonderful property; very historic and quiet and serene, with a great location on the inland waterway and just a couple blocks from the beach. Terrific golf is nearby, as well as wonderful food both on property at the hotel restaurants and across the bay at some of the local barbeque joints. Try the Georgia Pig, for sure.

 

 

 

AIR CANADA TO ST. KITTS

Air Canada begins direct service to the lovely island of St. Kitts starting next Friday, Dec. 23. I haven't been but I hear good things about the golf and the Marriott Resort and Royal Beach Casino....

 

Another Toronto Olympic bid (this time 2024); maybe third time is the charm?

I try to stick to travel on my travel blog (what a concept). But sometimes I can't help delving into other topics for a bit, especially when it's something as global and political and fascinating as the Olympics.

I headed up the Star's coverage of Toronto's 1996 bid against Atlanta, et al..., and also our coverage of the 2008 bid against Beijing. Both, as I recall, were losing efforts on Toronto's part. I also covered Vancouver's bid for the 2010 Winter Games, which had a happier ending.

It is, therefore, with great interest that I see yet another bid in the making. Bob Richardson, the chief operating officer for the 2008 Toronto bid and an unabashed Olympic junkie, is talking up a bid for the 2024 Summer Olympics.

He'll have to get the okay from Mayor Rob Ford, and probably from the province and also from the feds. First up would be the city, without which nothing happens.

Mayor Ford's team turned away Richardson's effort to drum up support for a 2020 bid, saying the city's financial situation didn't allow for such things. It's a fair point, but in August Councillor Doug Ford - the mayor's brother and sometimes political spokesman - said he'd be open to a bid at a future date.

There was talk of a Quebec City bid for the 2022 Winter Games, which would've put Toronto on ice. But Quebec's mayor ruled out a bid a couple months ago, clearing the decks for a Canadian entry for 2024, at least in theory.

There's still a huge need for better amateur sporting facilities in Canada, especially of the summer variety and most notably in our most populous province. The Pan Am Games would help, but the Olympics are a star of a much greater intensity and would, if handled properly from a financial standpoint, bring in that much more.

I don't know if the security costs are worth it these days, but if you don't mind a billion dollars or two in federal/provincial/local money for fences and x-ray machines and police overtime it could work.

The issue becomes, of course, whether 2024 is winnable. Toronto 1996 bid leader Paul Henderson was right when he said Athens wasn't guaranteed the 1996 Games, notwithstanding it was the 100th anniversary of the birth of the modern Olympics, held in Athens in 1896. He was right, but it was Atlanta that elbowed its way into the winners circle for the 1996 Games.

The Toronto folks knew they were up against it for 2008, when they took on the behemoth Beijing bid. They shot themselves in the foot with Mayor Mel Lastman's talk about cannibals in Africa, but they were never going to win the 2008 Games unless China did something really stupid on the international front. They didn't, and they ran a very good Games, albeit one lacking in soul (see photo of the famous Birds Nest stadium in Beijing).

So now we come to 2011. The last Olympics in North America were the largely forgettable 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City, Utah. The last Summer Games - and the IOC tends to think of their two babies as separate entities - on our continent were the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.

Here's how the Games have gone since Atlanta: Nagano, Sydney, Salt Lake, Athens, Turin, Beijing. Vancouver. Next: London, Sochi (Russia), Rio de Janeiro and Pyeongchang, South Korea (the 2018 Winter Olympics).

Those bidding for the 2020 Summer Games? Doha (Qatar), Rome, Madrid, Istanbul, Tokyo and Baku, Azerbaijan. The short list comes out next May and the vote will be in 2013.

None of those cities are in North America, of course. But there’s talk of Denver or Reno-Lake Tahoe for 2022, as well as Munich and Norway (a sentimental favourite given the now-legendary status of the Lillehammer Winter Olympics).

The IOC and the United States Olympic Committee still aren’t on the best of terms given disputes over television money and other issues, but there’s at least a possibility of a North American winner. That might scupper a Toronto bid, but, given the vagaries and outright unpredictability at times of the International Olympic Committee, it might not.

Either way, 2024 appears at this early stage to be a lot more winnable than the 2008 effort.

Is it worth doing? I don’t quite know yet. Is it worth watching? Absolutely.

 

 

 

 

Canada in good company as Bay of Fundy falls short in "New 7 Wonders" vote

Admit it. You spent the entire weekend pouting because the Bay of Fundy was left off that new list of the "New 7 Wonders" of nature in the world.

Yeah, I didn't think so.

It was an interesting campaign, this latest version of the age-old New 7 Wonders polling. There were 28 finalists from around the world, and there were pleas from all over for folks to get out and vote. The premieres of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, which share the Bay of Fundy and its magnificent, powerful tides, pleaded for votes last week.

But it wasn't enough. On Friday, the New 7 Wonders folks announced the (provisional) seven finalists: Table Mountain in South Africa, Halong Bay in Vietnam, Iguazu Falls in Argentina and Brazil (see photo below left), the Puerto Princesa underground river in the Philippines, Jeju Island in South Korea, Komodo park in Indonesia and the Amazon basin.

All pretty good candidates, although I can't quite see Table Mountain in the top group when you consider what was left off: The Galapagos Islands, The Great Barrier Reef, The Grand Canyon, Uluru (Ayers Rock) in Australia, Mt. Kilimanjaro and the Matterhorn, among others.

Polling was done by the New 7 Wonders Group out of Zurich, and it was based on text messages and Internet voting. Which means the whole thing was open to bloc voting and all kinds of strange stuff, versus being a panel of experts or, even better, a mix of the two.

It's interesting that there aren't any finalists in Europe or North America, and that's probably just as well considering how much those two continents tend to dominate the world in so many other matters.

Still, I have to think it's a just a little goofy. And I read this morning that a couple of countries, including the Maldives, withdrew their entries and accused organizers of forcing them to pay "surprise feees" of up to $500,000.

Hmmm, is The New 7 Wonders office in Zurich anywhere near FIFA?

Maybe we in North America or Canada should start our own 7 Wonders campaign. I'd be curious to know what folks think are the 7 natural wonders of our great country.

Certainly, you'd have to give a nod to the Rockies, Niagara Falls and the rainforests of Vancouver Island, not to mention Miss Congeniality- the Bay of Fundy. That's four. Toss in the Nahanni River, Gros Morne National Park in Newfoundland (see photo at right) and the Saguenay river fjords in Quebec, plus a personal fave that I've never seen but would like to - The Athabasca Sand Dunes in north Saskatchewan, and you're in great shape for a contest?

Down south in the states? The Grand Canyon for sure, also Yosemite, the Florida Keys, The Grand Tetons, Yellowstone National Park and maybe the Mississippi River, plus at least one of Zion or Arches National Parks down in the Utah/Arizona area with all those red rocks and crazy shapes. Once again, excellent material to work with.

It's 2012 travel list time & Lonely Planet goes goofy ... Also Berlin/Vienna news

There's frost on the pumpkin here in Toronto and that can only mean we're getting close to the year-end. And that can only mean it's time for more travel lists.

I like Lonely Planet a lot. I know they've kinda taken over the world, but you can't fault them for putting out good guides.

I do, however, have to wonder about their latest group of lists. They sent me an item today to say that their top 10 cities for 2012 travel are London, Muscat (Oman), Bengaluru (India), Cadiz (Spain), Stockholm, Guimaraes (Portugal), Santiago (Chile), Hong Kong, Orlando and Darwin.

You can always argue with things like that. I don't know where Bengaluru came from and I don't know Guimaraes at all. I kinda like that they chose Orlando, which is featured in Star Travel this Saturday and has a lot more going for it than the Mouse.

But the Lonely Planet folks also sent me their list of best-value destinations for 2012, and it's quite, well, stupid. They have a heading on the press release that says the following: "If past years (or recessions) have sucked up your travel budget, plan smart and get more bang for your buck in 2012)."

They then go on to list, in the number one spot for VALUE, the NorthEast USA. Yep, the home of New York City and Boston, two of the pricier cities on the continent.

Number two is more like it: Tajikistan, followed by Lesotho (see photo below) and the Mekong Delta of Vietnam. Number five? SAN FRANCISCO!!!!

I adore San Francisco. It's a fabulous place. But VALUE?

I guess you could argue that any city that great is worth the price, so it's a good deal. San Francisco has tons to offer and you CAN find cheap places to eat and great places to wander for free. Ditto for New York. But hotels in both cities are pricey, and neither is a destination most folks would consider as "great value," at least not in the traditional way of thinking of the phrase.

I mean, if you put Lesotho in there and Tajikistan, you clearly don't mean high-end, popular destinations that cost a fair bit but still deliver a strong punch.

The six through 10 spots in the value destination are Japan (usually expensive but probably a better deal since the horrible tsunami they had), Ohrid in Macedonia, Merida in Mexico, Iquitos in Peru and Porto, Portugal.

I understand maybe they wanted some American destinations, but value destinations in the U.S. would, I think, be someplace like Las Vegas or maybe Austin, Texas or Myrtle Beach or Milwaukee, which, incidentally, is a pretty good town. Definitely NOT the Northeast USA or San Francisco.

While we're on the subject of lists, here's what the folks at Frommers have said about top destinations for 2012: Curacao, Chongqing  (China), Fukuoka (Japan), Beirut, Ghana, London's Greenwich neighbourhood, Girona (Spain), Kansas City (not a bad town, either), the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico and, finally, The Bay of Fundy. They listed the Bay of Fundy as being in Nova Scotia, which is partly correct, and say they choose it because it's a "quiet, charming area; perfect for recharging your batteries."

BERLIN AND VIENNA JOIN FORCES

One is known as an edgy city with plenty of history. The other is known as a quiet, historic city with more energy than you might expect.

They make a good couple, Berlin (see photo) and Vienna. So much so that they've joined forces and are marketing themselves together as tourist destinations.

"In Europe we're competitors but not here," Burkhard Kieker, CEO of Visit Berlin, told me over breakfast the other day. "Vienna has old style from the empire but also a great savoir vivre. Berline is edgy but it's the focal point of a lot of history with a young and vibrant crowd."

"Our cities are similar enough and different enough to make the perfect match," said Norbert Kettner, managing director of the Vienna Tourism Board.

Kieker said the two cities are only an hour apart by plane and flights cost as little as 29 Euros.

There are no direct flights from Toronto to Berlin right now, Kieker said, but Berlin will open a new airport next June and he hopes to have service restored and that Berlin will turn into a major European airport hub.

Vienna is an historic and a beautiful city, said Kettner. But it's also got plenty of galleries and nightspots and edginess to it.

"We're old-school but not old-fashioned."

Kieker said world war sites are popular in Berlin but the city is trying to be careful.

"We don't want to do a Nazi Disneyland," he said.

Kieker said Jewish life is increasingly vibrant in Berlin and that his city is the number one foreign destination for Israelis.

The two cities began their joint marketing in Brazil earlier this year and continued it this week in Toronto with a couple media events.

 

 

 

Forbes lists hotels of the world with best views ... and a few of my own ideas

Nothing like starting off the week with a nice list. In this case, it belongs to Forbes, which did something the other day on the world's hotels with the best views.

It's completely subjective, of course, but it's a pretty good list, and not at all USA-centric (as many travel lists tend to be). Here's a look at what they came up with, along with a few thoughts of my own.

- Jade Mountain, St. Lucia - luscious hotel with incredible views of the Pitons; green-clad rock formations that jut out of the blue Caribbean. Often listed on lists such as these. See photo at right.

- Shangri-La, Paris - A relative newcomer, it's said to have stunning views of the Eiffel Tower, the Seine and Les Invalides.

- Le Sirenuse, Positano, Italy - Another spot often found atop world's best hotel lists. A beautiful part of the world, for sure.

- Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge, Peru. Great views of, um, Machu Picchu.

- Salto Chico Lodge, Patagona, Chile. Another one I don't know, but the view of a nearby lake and incredibly jagged mountain-tops look tremendous.

- Enchantment Resort, Sedona, Arizona. A lovely hotel in an area known for dramatic rock formations and, allegedly, one of those geo-magnetic places that bestow healing powers. Or something like that.

- Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong. A recent, towering addition to the Kowloon skyline with remarkable views over to the main island and the bustling harbour.

- Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, Alberta. See photo. Enough said.

- One and Only Cape Town. Pretentious name, but nothing lame about the views of the city's waterfront and picturesque Table Mountain.

- Blanket Bay Lodge, Glenorchy, New Zealand. Great views of Lake Wakatipu and The Remarkables mountain range (which are featured on in Saturday's Travel section in a story I wrote about Queenstown).

Like I said, it's a good list, with representation from all over the world. I was surprised to see they didn't have anything in the South Pacific, particularly Bora Bora or  Moorea. But Tahiti does just fine in these lists most of the time, so what the hey.

The Park Hyatt in Sydney offers stunning views of the Sydney Opera House and the Harbour Bridge, and that's a tough combination to beat. It's also hard to top the views of Waikiki Beach and the Diamond Head volcano crater from the Royal Hawaiian Hotel in Honolulu and the views of Rome from the Hassler Hotel, high atop the Spanish Steps. I guess you could make a point in favour of any of the hotels with great views of Niagara Falls, as well.

Personally, my favourite unsung view would have to be the Park Bled on Lake Bled in Slovenia. It's not a fancy place, but the views out over a crazy-blue-green lake to the castle on the north shore and the small church, with towering, snow-clad alpine mountains in the distance, is one of the great delights of the world. I probably took 100 photos from my balcony in 10 minutes when I checked in a couple years ago.

They also make a great Bled cream cake, which has custard-like cream and vanilla and powdered sugar. Tremendous stuff and a legend in Slovenia.

Got any personal faves? Drop me a line at travel@thestar.ca and maybe pass along one of your own photos...

 

 

 

Transat launches new "Discoveries" program aimed at Ontario travellers

It's a tough economic climate, but Transat thinks it's got a winner.

Officials from the Montreal-based company put on a glitzy press conference Tuesday night at an event space near King and Dufferin and announced "Transat Discoveries," its first-ever project aimed (for now) squarely at the solid, English-speaking market in Ontario.

The program will offer "escorted and exotic, long-haul" tours that can easily be customized. Tours will go to Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia in Asia, and to Latin American destinations such as Brazil, Ecuador (including the Galapagos Islands) and Peru. In Africa,they'll do everything from Kenya and Tanzania to Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia. Eastern Europe also will be on the table, including Poland and the Czech Republic, with side tours available for Russia and Croatia.

All properties except remote lodges will be four to five star properties, and most tours will be 10-25 people with English-speaking guides. They've even hired Anglophone telephone operators to man the stations at their Montreal booking office to be sure English-speaking Canadians are comfortable.

"We can customize almost anything," said Dan Prior, Transat Discoveries' Sales Director for Ontario. "You can do a month in January at the beach in Asia if you want. Or do an Iceland spa or a plowing match in Croatia. And, yes, they have plowing matches in Croatia."

The program is aimed at folks in their late 30s, right up to active folks in their 70s.

"We'll do eco-friendly tours to the River Kwai (see photo) or customize a trip to China, Tibet or Sri Lanka," he said. "You can do a 4x4 safari trip or a coach tour or go to the beach in Zanzibar."

Prior said they won't be traditional coach tours but will be more "experiential" so travellers can get a better feel for the country they're visiting and get away from the tourist crowds.

"It's not luxury travel but it's not a mainstream coach, either," Prior said.

"It gives people something more independent, without them having to do all the arrangements themselves," he said, and that sounds pretty darn good for those of us in our mid-50's with interest in going beyond the Uffizi in Florence and Christ the Redeemer in Rio but with little time to plan things in detail.

He said they won't be using charters but will instead use major carriers such as Air Canada, Cathay Pacific and Air France. That's a relief for some travellers who might fear a sardine can in the sky.

The focus is on Ontario for now but they'll take bookings from across Canada.

Asked about pricing, Prior looked a journalist in the eye and said, deadpan, "We'll be cheaper than anybody out there."

He laughed.

"No, seriously, we'll have very competitive pricing."

Booking with cash can save money, and booking early for the coming winter could save up to $1,040 per couple, Prior said.

All in all, it sounds like a winner.

For more information call (416) 620-8066 or 1-855-300-3866 or go www.transatdiscoveries.com.

 

 

Thinking before we travel ... typing at Starbucks ... gap adventures is no more

Interesting conference/presentations in Toronto Tuesday night on the future of tourism.

To celebrate World Tourism Day, the company formerly known as gap adventures, started by the highly engaging and entertaining Bruce Poon Tip (see photo), staged a mini-conference at the Elgin/Winter Garden Theatre on Yonge St.

It was partly serious and partly fun, which is as it should be with travel. I mean, travel is great. But it's not curing cancer. I always tell people to lighten up a bit when it comes to travel and to have fun writing their stories.

But I digress. The evening was pretty good; better than I expected. But not always on topic.

Erika Harms of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council, which also sponsored the evening, talked about taking tours that are mindful of a community and also talked about how travel can change vanishing cultures to enduring cultures.

Travelling to Costa Rica might seem destructive to the environment, but she pointed out how tourism has provided money to set up large tracts of protected forest and has helped establish fisheries in the ocean.

"Tourism is the biggest employer of women in the world," she said.

Shannon Stowell, president of the Adventure Travel Trade Association, compared tourism to a fire.

"If you can keep it in the right place, it cooks your food and keeps you warm. If it gets out of the hearth, it can be destructive."

Stowell said some $200 billion is spent by tourists in emerging markets every year, and that one in 12 jobs on the planet is related to tourism.

Of course, speakers noted that the destinations we love the most are the ones that often fall into trouble. Poon Tip talked about how so many people have moved into cities near Machu Picchu to support travellers, many of them on trips he's helped organize.

To combat some of those problems, he's worked to set up weaving outposts along the Inca Trail so locals can sell textiles and preserve a way of life. They also have built facilities in Cuzco to help feed and shelter local youth, and they send doctors to Tibet each year to perform eye surgery on hundreds of Tibetans.

It's a tough balance, really. I mean, how many carbon offsets does one have to buy to make up for flying to Punta Cana for a family vacation? How many towels do you have to hang up in your hotel bathroom and not have laundered each day to make a difference to the environment? I never ask for hotels to be washed while I'm staying somewhere. But, hell, how much does that really help?

(I'm reminded, to digress again, of one of my favourite M*A*S*H TV episodes. Hawkeye and B.J. are faking a pilot's medical condition so he can't keep riding about Korea in his chopper and buying mementoes from kids who risk their lives in mine fields, or something to that effect. The pilot gives the doctors the evil eye and says, "I'm just one guy. You think you can change the world?" Hawkeye just smiles and says, "No, just our little corner of it." It's a cliche, sure, but those are words I try to live by.)

Some folks Tuesday night talked about the evils of enclosed or all-inclusive resorts, suggesting most of the money goes offshore. True, it's probably better to stay with locals.

Travel writer/blogger Gary Arndt, a superb speaker by the way, talked about how he landed in Saigon and ended up staying with a local family for $15 a night. That money stayed with the family, of course.

He also strayed off topic but entertained folks with talk about how meetings are the biggest wastes of time in history and how pretty soon everyone will be able to do their work while typing at Starbucks. He's got a point.

Ethical travel is important. I think most Canadians travel fairly well. I try to tip generously overseas. I try not to bargain folks down so I can buy a scarf for $5 instead of $6. The extra dollar means nothing to me but it might make a world of difference to someone in Jaipur.

I was on a CBC radio panel with Bruce Poon Tip and other travel experts a while back, and we were talking about culturally acceptable travel. Most of the panellists were pretty liberal and were talking about how we shouldn't go to China because of civil rights and shouldn't go to Myanmar and shouldn't go to God knows where else.

I had had enough at one point and started firing away, more to cause trouble and spark some conversation than anything else. I work hard. When I go on vacation, I don't want to have to worry about a government's politics. I mean, am I supposed to boycott Toronto restaurants because Rob Ford wants to close libraries?

Poon Tip made a similar point last night, saying he's in the business of selling travel all around the world.

"If I ran my business as an ethical tourism company, I'd be out of business tomorrow," he noted. "I couldn't go to China."

He also suggested Barbados might be off-limits because homosexuality is illegal in the country.

There are no easy answers. But it IS important to at least give a little thought before we travel. If we can make a choice between an eco-friendly resort and one that isn't, by all means we should take the low-impact resort.

If one resort employs locals and they've been there for 30 years and they give back to the community, such as the Ka'anapali Beach Resort on Maui, then we should give them some business.

It's not easy. And I'm not about to get on my high horse and tell folks what to do. But it's all food for thought on this incredibly shrinking planet.

Oh, yeah, I almost forgot about gap adventures. They've been battling The Gap in the U.S. for years, arguing that a Canadian gap adventures company isn't hurting the big clothing seller one iota. I'd have to agree, but the courts in the U.S. recently ruled against Poon Tip.

"I've had enough," he told supporters at the conference last night, revealing he's spent $5 million on legal fees and can't afford any more battles against the jeans and khaki goliath from San Francisco. From now on, the company will simply be known as g adventures, but they're keeping the distinctive g with the ampersand around it that has stood out for some time. Poon Tip earlier this year said they'd still be known as the Great Adventure People, so there's still a good link to the past there.

Not a bad solution, but too bad it had to come to this. Poon Tip took more than a few theatrical swipes at The Gap. At one point, he showed a slide with a cowering person or maybe an animal, I don't quite recall since I'm battling a bad head cold, standing up against the giant American beast. Off to one side were the words, "F--k You."

The crowd went wild. Good thing Bruce didn't see the label on the sports jacket I was wearing....

 

 

Sunquest celebrates 40th anniversary with new deals, WestJet says yes to pets

Sunquest is celebrating its Ruby Anniversary (40 years if you're a rube like me and didn't know) with a host of new winter trips, including destinations such as Colombia and Ft. Lauderdale.

Included in the sizeable destination list for 2011-2012 is Cartagena, Colombia, a UNESCO heritage site with fabulous colonial architecture (see photo), great food and a terrific climate. Sunquest will feature one flight per week from Toronto and offers several resorts, including the Hotel Caribe and the Occidental Grand Cartagena, which is on the beach and 15 minutes from the city centre. Packages at the Occidental start at $999 per person.

Starting Dec. 17, Sunquest will have direct flights from Toronto to Ft. Lauderdale on Thomas Cook Canada, which it will operate in partnership with sister company Encore Cruises. Car rentals will be offered with every package in addition to flights and accomodation. Air-only rates start at $199 per person, plus tax.

They're also adding Thomas Cook Canada flights out of Calgary and Vancouver to Punta Cana and Jamaica. From Calgary only, they'll add direct flights to Cozumel.

Cozumel packages start at $1,289 per person, plus tax, and the program runs from Dec. 14 of this year to April 4, 2012, with eight and 15-night packages available at a variety of hotels.

Also new are WestJet flights out of Thunder Bay to Jamaica (see photo at right of Half Moon, a Rock Resort, near Montego Bay) from Nov. 5, 2011 to April 21, 2012,with all-inclusive pricing starting at $869 per person.

There's plenty more, including new onboard service options. For more information, visit sunquestvacations.ca or www.thomascook.ca.

WESTJET SAYS YES TO PETS ON PLANES

The Canadian Medical Association made waves the other day when it said pets should travel in airplane cargo holds because of folks who suffer from pet allergies.

WestJet Airlines was quick to pounce on the idea, stating Wednesday that it wasn't interested in making the move.

The Calgary-based airline, according to Canadian Press, says it keeps passengers with pets and folks with allergies away from each other on a plane. That's provided, of course, that people tell them in advance about allergies, and that seems reasonable enough.

(If I tell them I'm allergic to people who trim their toenails on board or play video games too loudly will they put me in a different row? Or even business class? I wouldnt' mind, actually).

WestJet says another option is to put allergy sufferers on an entirely different flight, although who wants to be delayed two hours just because someone brings a dog or cat on board a plane?

Anyway, the airline says there have been only a handful of allergy-related incidents on board its planes in the past 18 months.

I haven't seen any immediate word on Air Canada about Fluffygate. Air Canada had a policy between 2006 and 2009 that banned pets on planes but then reversed it.

 

 

Asia, Latin America airlines conquering the world...Conde Nast top hotels list

I wrote a very short item on this for the Saturday Travel section, but it's worth noting that the world's five biggest airlines now come from Asia and Latin America.

It's yet another sign that the times are a changing when it comes to travel.

I had no idea, but the International Air Transport Association reported that Air China is twice the size of Delta and Lufthansa, with a market capitalization of $20 million. Next, and a rather distant second, was Singapore Airlines at $14 million, followed by Cathay Pacific at $12 billion.

China Southern has a market capitalization of $11 billion, the same as LATAM. LATAM, for those unaware, is the Latin American airline that was created by the recent merger of LAN from Chile and TAM from Brazil, and here's hoping their marketing folks come up with something better than LATAM.

Next in line were Delta and Lufthansa, each at $10 million.

I didn't spot any figures for Canada or WestJet. Sorry!

Fascinating stuff. Of course, it doesn't take a genius to see how China's economy is booming. It doesn't have the size of Air China or China Southern, but Star readers might remember a short story I did recently on how Hainan Airlines is beginning direct flights from Toronto to Beijing, putting them in direct competition with Air Canada.

CONDE NAST TRAVELLER GOLD LIST HOTELS

Conde Nast Traveller (UK Edition) came out with their gold list of hotels, and it was nice to see some Canadian content. The Fairmont Banff Springs was noted as one of the top three in the Americas and the Caribbean for its leisure facilities, as was the Bellagio in Las Vegas and the W Retreat and Spa in Vieques, Puerto Rico. The magazine noted the Banff Springs Willow Stream Spa (never had the pleasure) and the 24-hour Castle Pantry deli.

Top hotels in the Americas and the Caribbean for location were The Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman and The Wickaninnish Inn in Tofino, B.C. I LOVE the Wickaninnish, which perfectly represents its place on the beach. Tons of local products are sprinkled about, including furniture made from driftwood that's washed up on the beach. Add in a great spa (a massage where you can hear the waves pounding on the rocks is a wonderful thing), awesome food and rooms with all the amenities, and you've got one of the great hotels in the world, I think.

I spotted a few other notables in the Conde Nast list, or perhaps it would be more accurate to say a few other spots I'm familiar with. Sandy Lane in Barbados got top marks for hotel rooms in the Americas and the Caribbean, and deservedly so. It's an opulent, wonderful place with a great spa, outstanding beachfront location and all the amenities you could ever want.

Brown's Hotel in London was named as a top hotel for ambience and design, and I'll second that motion. I loved my room when I was there 18 months ago; both modern and classic and very solid, with notable books by British authors scattered about the room and a great high tea service to boot.

The Dolder Grand in Zurich was named a top hotel for service in Europe, which isn't surprising. I don't really like the new, modern wing that was grafted onto the old, historic one, but I don't doubt the issue of their service.

Finally, I kinda laughed when I noticed the magazine's top three hotels for location in Australasia and the South Pacific as I stayed in two of them during my recent visit to Australia and had dinner in the third. I can vouch for the perfect locale of Longtitude 131, a sumptuous place with tent-like rooms (see photo at left) just a few miles from Uluru/Ayers Rock. It's got incredible views of Uluru, and fabulous food, plus amazing rooms with a real sense of place. A dinner under the stars was quite memorable.

Also on the list for Australasia and the South Pacific were the Shangri-La in Sydney, which features a water view from every room, and the Capella Lodge on Lord Howe Island.

The Shangri-La has great views of the Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Oprah (sorry, Opera) House. A tasty spot, for sure, and I had a great view of the Opera House. (In fairness, my view at the Park Hyatt in the Rocks district was even better.)

Finally, I didn't stay there but I can vouch for the food and the stupendous views at the Capella Lodge. it's located on Lord Howe Island, the world's most southerly coral reef island. It's about a two-hour flight from Sydney and it's absolutely, ravishingly beautiful. The views of the mountain peaks and the ocean from Capella are as magnificent as anything in Tahiti. My visit there was undoubtedly the highlight of my year.

 

More options for southern Ontario folks to fly to Florida...U.S. bag fee bonanza

The inaugural Vision Airlines flight from Niagara Falls International Airport (IAG) to Northwest Florida Regional Airport (VPS) takes place Friday of this week, Dec. 17.

They're using a Boeing 737 to fly from Niagara to the Destin/Fort Walton Beach area. I went on the website and booked a mythical trip between the two destinations from Jan. 23 to Jan. 30 for about $153 U.S., which is not bad at all.

Vision already flies from IAG to Miami, but it's with a stopover in Ft. Walton/Destin.

For more information go to www.visionairlines.com.

Spirit Airlines (www.spirit.com), meanwhile, will begin flying from IAG/Niagara to Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. (see photo) on Jan. 28, with service continuing through May 3. Beginning May 5 of next year, they'll fly from IAG/Niagara to Myrtle Beach, S.C.

The flight I looked at for February, again one I did just for information, showed flights from Niagara to Ft. Lauderdale for $150, plus bag fees of roughly $20 on up for both carry-on and checked bags (but no charge for personal items that fit under the seat).

There's a bewildering array of options, such as joining the $9 Fare Club for $59.95 and saving $24 on the flight, so be forewarned. Also, the flight I looked at from Niagara to Ft. Lauderdale listed a departure time at 1:55 a.m., arriving in Florida at 5 a.m. Wow.

I also note, with a bit of humour, that when you go to the Spirit website they've cleverly marketed Niagara's airport as "Niagara Falls, NY/Toronto Area (IAG)." It's a bit of a stretch to call Niagara Falls, New York the "Toronto Area," but full marks for the creativity and marketing.

Anyway, there are more options out there if southern Ontario folks don't mind the drive to Niagara and, potentially, a night at a hotel. For a family without too many bags, it could be quite a viable deal.

A recent report on Canadian airports noted that regional U.S. airports near the Canadian border are taking valuable business from Canada. Adding more flights from Niagara/Buffalo certainly has the potential for doing harm to Pearson, which has much higher landing fees and higher fares.

BAG FEE BONANZA SOUTH OF THE BORDER

I spotted a telling item the other day that said that U.S.-based airlines brought in a whopping $4.3 BILLION due to added fees in the first three quarters of the year.

The U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics said airlines collected $1.5 billion in fees in the third quarter alone, up about $143 million from the third quarter of 2009.

Those are just for ticket-changes and for bags, officials said. Other fees - for blankets, pillows, entertainment systems (you know, the stuff we used to get for FREE) - aren't included. One can only imagine how much all the various fees added to airlines bottom line.

Of course, this is only in the U.S. The Canadian government, to my knowledge, does NOTHING like this that gives consumers any awareness or knowledge (read "power") of what's happening with our airlines.

I sent an email to Air Canada to find out how much they get from bag fees and was told that the numbers are "part of the overal passenger revenue amount in our income statement" which is found online, although I don't see it on the Air Canada website. I don't think the site reveals how much revenue comes from bag fees, but I'm trying to find out....

The U.S. figures showed that Delta brought in the most fees just for bags, $733,196 so far this year, followed by American Airlines at $431,773. Southwest was way down at $22,524, mostly because they don't charge for the first two bags. And God bless them for that, I say.