Smarter, kinder, safer

Nine predictions from Booking.com on the future of travel

There’s no doubt that the world has been and is continuing to be reshaped by the impact of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) and in releasing its predictions for travel in 2021 and beyond, Booking.com notes that innovation within the travel industry will accelerate faster than ever to respond to marked shifts in travel expectations and behaviours. The digital travel company observes that...

 

What’s next? Be patient, better times are on the way

FLEMMING FRIISDAHL Founder The Travel Agent Next Door (TTAND) What’s Next? Who really knows. If you had said to me in April that we would still be in this mess 9 months later I would have said NO WAY. It will be like SARS or any other viral outbreak and we will be past the worst of it in 3 to 4 months, tops. I guess this time the experts were a 100% correct and then...

 

Welcome to the future… better than it used to be

LUCIE GUILLEMETTE Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer Air Canada At the start of 2020, Air Canada was on a high We had just completed a stellar year with record revenue in excess of $19 billion. We had set a record for passengers carried and record liquidity. [caption id="attachment_145310" align="alignright" width="300"] Guillemette[/caption]There was every...

 

Vaccines: Key to restoring consumer confidence

CHRISTINE JAMES, CTM Vice President, Canada TL Network Best Case: What do you hope will happen in the next 12 months? Why? Understandably, it’s difficult to make a prediction with the dynamics changing daily. That said, there has been some encouraging developments that should have a positive impact on what the future holds for our industry. [caption id="attachment_145305"...

 

Restoring confidence by making it safe

CHARLES (CHUCK) CROWDER Vice President, Sales & Distribution WestJet Best Case: What do you hope will happen in the next 12 months? Why? [caption id="attachment_145300" align="alignright" width="220"] Crowder[/caption] The delivery of a COVID-19 vaccine that is readily available to the general public. The vaccine would be effective and would allow quarantine restrictions to be...

 

Travel 2021: Safety, space and seeking the advice of an agent

WENDY PARADIS President ACTA It is difficult to predict 2021 with any degree of certainty, as we are now in the early days of the colder weather and flu season in Canada – and are also in the throes of a concerning COVID-19 “second wave.” [caption id="attachment_145295" align="alignright" width="220"] Paradis[/caption] This is a new obstacle that we will need to manage through,...

 

Forecast 2021: What’s next?

The industry will persevere, it always does

BOB MOWAT There have been a lot of words spent to describe the travel industry over the years. Definitely, there have been a lot more poured out during the past 9 months. Yet the one word that resonates – whether it’s now or 40 years ago – is persevere. Persevere: to persist in anything undertaken. Persevere: to maintain a purpose in spite of difficulty, obstacles or...

 

Doom at the inn

Closures loom without more government help, HAC warns

  IAN STALKER The president of the Hotel Association of Canada is calling on the federal government to step up support for this country’s beleaguered hotel industry, warning that Canada is on the brink of a rash of hotel closures brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. Susie Grynol said during a Nov. 17 Tourism Industry Association of Canada 2020 Tourism Congress talk that an HAC...

 

Guided By Science

Airline executives urge government to reconsider quarantine rules  

  IAN STALKER Two senior airline officials are questioning the wisdom of having those returning to this country automatically having to self-quarantine for two weeks in case they contracted coronavirus while abroad, saying the practice is damaging to a struggling airline and travel industry and may not be particularly effective. John Weatherill, vice-president of network and revenue...

 

Winter could be magic for Canada’s tourism industry

IAN STALKER Greg Klassen wants to introduce more vacationers to Old Man Winter. Klassen, whose career has included tenures with the likes of the Canadian Tourism Commission and is now with tourism consulting firm Twenty31, told viewers during a Nov. 18 2020 TIAC Tourism Congress discussion that much of this country’s tourism infrastructure is often closed after summer, leading to a...