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People around the world are feeling overwhelmingly more optimistic about travelling in 2023 compared to 2022 and, despite some current instability felt globally, nearly three quarters (64%) of Canadians report that travelling will always be worth it, says Booking.com in its annual travel predictions report. However, travelling still won’t be easy, as consumers – and agents – will have to navigate “contradiction and chaos” in their travel choices.

If 2022 was about the triumphant return of travel, 2023 will be about creatively reimagining it amidst the chaos, and nothing will be off limits as everyone seeks to find the right balance in a world of contradictions, says the online travel agency, which commissioned extensive research with more than 24,000 travellers across 32 countries and territories (including more than 500 in Canada), combining it with its insights as a leading digital travel platform to reveal seven emerging travel predictions.

“If the last few years have taught us anything it’s that travel should not be taken for granted,” says Arjan Dijk, Sr. VP Booking.com. “This year’s travel predictions research shows the undercurrent of intentional paradoxical behaviours that will put us all more comfortably in the driving seat amid relentless instability.

“It also demonstrates a desire for travel to be a way to seek unapologetic moments of happiness and escapism to counteract the heavy realities of our news feeds.”

Conducted at “a time of general upheaval, where war, increased societal polarization, rising inflation and urgent concerns about climate change are all continuing to radically change the world, people are finding themselves in a multi-directional tug-of-war, working to reconcile what is important to them with the demands of everyday life,” says the report, which adds, “The 2023 travel predictions reflect this sentiment, revealing that the needs of travellers are moving in a lot of different directions to adapt to changing times.”

Here are Booking.com’s ‘Seven Predictions for the Creative Reimagination of Travel’ in 2023:

Preppers in Paradise

Almost a third (29%) of Canadian travellers want their travelling experiences to have a more back-to-basics feel and are looking for ‘off-grid’ style vacations to escape from reality (52%), and switch off and experience life with only the bare necessities (29%). Travellers are also keen to use travel in 2023 as an opportunity to learn survival skills (54%) including how to source clean water (38%), light a fire from scratch (37%), forage for food in the wild (24%) and even prep for an apocalypse (25%).

Expect to see more eco-friendly, earthly stays springing up to accommodate burnt-out city dwellers searching for simplicity, as well as accommodations offering guidance for guests on how to be more self-sufficient, e.g. sourcing and preparing their own meals during their stay. An increase in wilderness survival schools where travellers will learn essential skills needed to live through a cataclysmic event are also predicted to pop up around the world.

‘Off-grid’ in 2023 won’t necessarily mean roughing it though. There is a common perception that this means giving up luxuries (63%), however there is a strong desire to combine the two with 44% only considering travelling ‘off-grid’ if it can be at a more indulgent stay.

And how unplugged is off-grid really for the traveller of 2023? Over half (53%) will have a non-negotiable requirement: phone and internet connection at their destination is essential – so expect this cohort to be weathering the wilderness with 5G.

Virtual Voyagers

A third (31%) of Canadian travellers report that they will be turning to virtual reality next year to inspire their vacation choices with a quarter (23%) of travellers keen to embark on a multi-day VR or AR travel experience. The Metaverse will be more than ‘try before you buy’ – it is expected to educate, entertain, and inspire people, opening the door for infinite adventure.

Travellers will also become bolder in their real-life trip choices after being able to visit them in the Metaverse first via their online avatars – handy for those who might feel anxious about trying somewhere new, with 31% more likely to travel to destinations that they wouldn’t have previously considered after virtually experiencing them.

While the Metaverse will offer a new way to experience travel in the year ahead, it won’t stop people from booking a ticket to their next destination, as three quarters (74%) quite rightly believe that a virtual experience is not fulfilling enough to check it off the bucket list.

Delight in the Discomfort Zone

Whether it’s bottled up energy, pent-up frustration or a new lease on life, the world is ready to dive into other cultures and new experiences head first. A third (34%) of Canadian travellers want to experience complete culture shock in 2023 – be it travelling to somewhere with completely different cultural experiences and languages (40%) or exploring lesser-known cities with hidden gems that aren’t already on the radar (25%).

Forget the usual favourites, in 2023 travellers are expected to seek unique vacations that shock, surprise and delight. With 59% looking forward to experiencing ‘out of comfort zone’ travel that pushes them to the limits, there will be an influx of niche experiences encouraging people to push their travel escapades to the extreme. Over a third (39%) are on the hunt for the world’s most exotic delicacy such as the hottest chilli pepper, while 26% want to use their vacation for extra-terrestrial exploration on UFO or alien spotting tours.

Unsurprisingly, this ‘culture shook’ traveller is also partial to throwing caution to the wind, with three in ten (19%) wanting to buy a one-way ticket in 2023 and follow their instinct wherever it takes them.

Glamourizing the Good ol’ Days

Amid global instability and the desire for escapism, people intend to carve out travel experiences that harken back to simpler times, with nostalgic getaways (84%) that provide the thrill of reliving the glory days top of the wish list in 2023. There’s a desire – even for millennials and Gen-Zs who never lived it – to disappear into the romanticism of a pre-digital era, with 19% of Canadian travellers chasing experiences that evoke (faux) emotive memories of days gone past, such as visiting landmarks or attractions featured in iconic retro films or opting for a bus as a primary mode of transport to live the group spirit of school trips.

Travellers are no longer forfeiting play in favour of rest and relaxation, increasingly seeking the adrenaline rush of theme parks (57%), and drawing on the imagination with activities such as escape rooms, scavenger hunts and building fortresses with giant building blocks.

Millennial travellers will be first to book emerging era-themed accommodation that transport them back to a time they hold close to their hearts, and will likely be doing so with family by their side (54%) with ‘family reunion’ multi-generational trips top of the travel agenda in 2023.

Peace and Pleasure Pilgrimages
Travel is set to take ‘mind, body and soul’ wellness to the next level in 2023 – a fully immersive, no-holds-barred approach to attaining peace and pleasure including less conventional ways to feel bliss. Seeking to recentre the mind, meditation and mindfulness getaways are ever popular with Canadian travellers (33%), while a quarter (24%) aim to find peace at a silent retreat and 27% are keen to go on a health hiatus that focuses on mental health, transformative health or that helps with life milestones such as menopause or pregnancy.

For those seeking enhanced spiritual experiences to stir the soul, alternative substances such as cannabis or plant-based psychedelics like ayahuasca or mushrooms will become a more mainstream offering, with 31% keen to try this kind of experimental wellness experience as part of their 2023 travels.

Increasing conversations in the public sphere around sexual wellbeing, pleasure and orientation are encouraging more people to take time away on an erotic escape (23%). Polyamorous retreats, bondage camps and resorts dedicated to helping people discreetly delve into specific fetishes and kinks are predicted to become more mainstream in 2023, providing a safe space for travellers to explore their sexual desires away from home.

From Daily Grind to Great Company Escape

A step change from the ‘work from anywhere’ policies that are now almost as commonplace as annual leave, employees are increasingly keen to preserve vacation time for complete escapism. A significant amount (71%) want their trips to be strictly work free in 2023, and while almost half (48%) are not interested in working while away, they would consider clocking in for a company retreat or trip.

Travelling for business will be back on the agenda in 2023. But unlike the business trips BC (before COVID), employees are seeking more opportunities to build team camaraderie in real life – and away from the office – reflecting a growing demand to incorporate work travel with productive play. In fact, 35% of the Canadian workforce is looking forward to their employer planning a ‘real life’ work trip to bring people together and almost half (46%) would like to see their employer use the money saved from the shift to remote/hybrid working models spent on corporate travel or retreats.

In response, 2023 will see a rise in destination business retreats where the focus will be on strengthening relationships and corporate recreation rather than work. Employers will gamify the retreat experience and immerse staff in a world where teamwork is the only option. Think ‘survivor’ themed trips at luxury cabins or country farmhouses complete with communal cooking and outdoor adventure activities, or crime-centric escapes where spy school, detective courses or CSI simulations double as a sight-seeing scavenger hunt.

Businesses stand to see benefits, too – half (52%) of workers in Canada believe exploring new places will inspire them to be more productive at work.

Saving to Splurge

With the background of global economic uncertainty, travellers in 2023 will continue to prioritize travel but will be more mindful over how to make the most of their travel budget and what takes precedence. People will still place carefree getaways at the top of their agenda, with almost half (45%) of Canadian travellers saying that investing in a vacation remains very important to them. But being budget conscious is key, with nearly seven in 10 (65%) travellers continuing to prioritize travel while seeking more bang for their buck.

2023 will see financially savvy itinerary curation at its finest, with people planning travel budgets more tightly by taking advantage of deals, hacks and smartly timed travel (63%) and prioritizing value for money with discounts and loyalty programs (61%). Over half of Canadian travellers (52%) will look to save money by considering off-season destinations or longer routes on the journey, while the majority (57%) will be planning travel more in advance in the hope of securing a better deal. Half (51%) believe the best use of their budget is to opt for one or two longer vacations instead of several short breaks.

Within this context, many travellers are also surprisingly prepared to dial up their spend – and even splurge – on the components of their trip that mean the most to them. Close to half (42%) admit that they plan to be more indulgent in their spending habits while on vacation to make up for the lack of travel during the last couple of years, while 32% plan to spend lavishly to ensure they maximize their trip and every experience is worth it.

First published at Travel Industry Today

First published at TravelNewsHub.com – Global Travel News

Amongst last week’s news, ACTA put in its wish list for the upcoming federal budget; Air Canada revealed flights and destinations for Summer 2023; Holland America kicked off 150th anniversary celebrations; MSC announced new options for rooms at the upcoming World Cup; and New Orleans revealed FAM rates for agents during December.

NEWS

ACTA submitted a pre-budget consultation paper to the House of Commons Finance Committee for parliamentary review earlier last week. The submission included several key priorities including increased funding for travel and tourism labour support; improving the traveller experience through additional investments in airports, security, passport, and NEXUS services, allocating funding for hard-hit travel and tourism businesses, including travel agencies and independent travel agents, should border measures return; federal emergency loan deferrals and forgiveness for pandemic programs including CEBA and HASCAP; the implementation of a federal policy to protect travel agent commission in all future airline support programs; and more.

The UNWTO reports that international tourism continued to show strong signs of recovery in the first seven months of this year, with arrivals reaching nearly 60% of pre-pandemic levels. According to the latest UNWTO World Tourism Barometer, international tourist arrivals almost tripled in January to July 2022 (+172%) compared to the same period of 2021, at the same time recovering 57% of pre-pandemic levels.

A third cruise ship, the MSC Opera, has been hired to operate as a soccer fan hotel docked in Doha Port, Qatar, adding much-needed rooms for the World Cup of Football – one of the largest sporting events in the world – which is scheduled to start on Nov. 20. The 1,075-cabin MSC Opera will be available from Nov. 19 to Dec. 19. Prices are listed on MSC’s website starting from 470 Swiss francs ($650) p.p. per night during the group stage, with a minimum two-night stay.

BORDERS

The government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines has announced the removal of Covid-19 protocols for cruise passengers during the upcoming 2022/23 season. According to the tourism minister, St. Vincent and the Grenadines took the decision to relax its health protocols for arriving cruise passengers following a period of low infections globally and low Covid-19 related admissions to the island’s health facilities.

AIR

New European services to Brussels, Toulouse and Copenhagen highlight the strategic expansion and restoration of Air Canada’s international network for 2023. The carrier will also resume key Asia services to Tokyo-Haneda and Osaka as well as restoring frequencies to popular destinations in the Atlantic, Pacific and South America regions. Increased frequencies to Toronto to LHR, Edinburgh, Copenhagen, Barcelona, Madrid, Dubai, Tel Aviv, Algiers, and Narita; Montreal to Frankfurt, Geneva, Nice, Sao Paolo, and Narita; and Vancouver to Brisbane, Hong Kong, and Seoul.

BY THE NUMBERS

Once again London Heathrow is Europe’s busiest airport. While still not at pre-Covid numbers, The UK’s largest airport saw 5.8 million passengers during September, and while that beat Paris, Amsterdam, Frankfurt and Madrid it was 15% below 2019 passenger traffic. The London airport handled more passengers than other European hub between July and September.

DEALS

Rocky Mountaineer is offering $150 off per couple on select journeys in Spring and Fall 2023. Bookings made by Oct. 31 for travel in April, May, and October on both SilverLeaf and GoldLeaf service are eligible.

Clients booking their getaways to select Be Live Hotels in the Dominican Republic with Sunwing by Oct. 31 can take advantage of reduced rates and travel perks as well as have a chance to win one of two all inclusive vacations. The Be Live Advantage includes Distinctive Be Live Advantage bracelets, preferred room locations, weekly cocktail party exclusive to Sunwing travellers, Canadian sporting events broadcasted live every weekend at the resorts’ sports bar, poutine bar available at least three times a week, and free 24-hour Wi-Fi resort-wide. Travel counsellors can also earn 3X STAR Agent Reward Points on all new seven-night bookings to Be Live Hotels in Punta Cana, Puerto Plata, and La Romana, plus the exclusive chance to win a seven-night hotel stay with Be Live Hotels.

TOURS

With Japan reopening to tourists for visa-free, individual travel on Oct. 11, TTC Tour Brands, Trafalgar, Contiki and Luxury Gold are reporting Japan itineraries are filling up fast with several departure dates already sold out. “We’ve seen a rush to book with several of our itineraries selling quickly for 2022 and 2023,” says Melissa DaSilva, President TTC Tour Brands North America. “It’s encouraging to see yet another highly sought-after location become accessible to travellers once again…”

RESORTS

Grand Wailea, a Waldorf Astoria Resort has announced the phase-one completion of its property-wide refresh, marking the most extensive renovation since its launch more than 30 years ago. The iconic resort, perched along 16 hectares of lush, tropical gardens fronting Maui‘s Wailea Beach, presents a newly revitalized Botero Lounge at the heart of the resort, a total revamp of Grand Wailea’s exclusive Napua rooms, suites and private lounge, and the transformation of two popular dining venues into brunch restaurant, ‘Ikena, and grab-and-gourmet market, Loulu. A completely reimagined wellness and Spa experience will be revealed in 2023.

Sunwing’s Best of the Best List has added more featured content on destinations based on travel expert recommendations, star ratings and customer feedback. “Featuring more than 100 all inclusive resorts, destinations and local attractions, agents and their clients can use Sunwing’s Best of the Best List as a useful tool for vacation planning, whether for their last minute or future getaways,” says Andrew Dawson, President of Tour Operations for Sunwing. Final content will be published this week (Oct. 17).

HOTELS

The newly transformed Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel earned a 5 Key Eco-Rating from Green Key Global, marking the hotel as a leader in sustainability in the hospitality industry. To earn the rating, Sheraton met all five of Green Key Global’s pillars of sustainability, initiating several new sustainability practices, many of which directly resulted from the hotel’s largest renovation in its 50-year history.

World of Hyatt loyalty members planning upcoming travel to destinations in Latin America and the Caribbean can register for Bonus Journeys through Nov. 15 to earn double points on qualifying stays of two or more nights at over 1,100 participating Hyatt hotels globally for stays completed by Dec. 20. Each Tier-Qualifying Night completed on eligible stays at more than 65 participating Inclusive Collection properties in the Americas during the same travel period will also count as two nights towards World of Hyatt status instead of one.

CRUISE

Holland America Line is celebrating the kick-off of its 150th Anniversary this month with an offer that includes popular perks and a sweepstakes where the grand prize winner can choose from among a selection of cruises up to 21 days. Through Nov. 15 guests who book 2023 and available 2024 cruises will receive up to a $150 onboard credit, a complimentary Alaska shore excursion and 50% reduced deposits. The 150th Anniversary offer is combinable with HAL’s “Have It All” premium package that includes shore excursions, specialty dining, a beverage package, and WiFi.

A well-known fixture on the Carnival Ecstasy is on the move. With the ship’s retirement this month, its vintage 1934 Rolls Royce will be relocated to Carnival Celebration, the cruise line’s newest ship, set to sail in November. The classic car has inspired thousands of passengers and photographs for over three decades.

FAMS & INCENTIVES

New Orleans & Company is offering travel advisor FAM rates to visit the Big Easy during December, inviting agents to experience the city during the festive holiday season. The offer includes special hotel rates across the city, plus offers from the extended hospitality community. “The holidays in New Orleans are an experience like no other,” says Kim Priez, Sr VP of tourism at New Orleans & Company. Travel advisors can also request a VIP Pass which provides discounts and special offers at restaurants, museums, and other popular attractions around New Orleans. To register for the travel advisors FAM trip, click HERE.

EVENTS

The world’s largest cruise trade conference, Seatrade Cruise Global, will host its 2023 conference and exhibition at the newly renovated Greater Fort Lauderdale Broward County Convention Center, March 27-30, 2023. The four-day event is expected to attract more than 10,000 attendees, bringing together cruise professionals, thought leaders and innovators from all facets of the industry.

PEOPLE/APPOINTMENTS

Nexion Travel Group-Canada named its 2022 Rising Star at its recent annual conference CoNexion, held at Disneyland Resort. This year’s winner is Anita Gray, owner of Bliss Travels, Toronto. Awarded annually, the award is presented to a Nexion member recognizes a new talent with great potential. “Anita is one of the most disciplined travel advisors I know,” said Mike Foster, President of Nexion Canada. “She has a passion for travel and loves to learn. Anita understands that successful travel advisors are the products of a lot of hard work and establishing positive supplier relationships, and that’s what propels her to the top.”

GOOD DEEDS

TravelBrands recently hosted its 7th Annual Charity Golf Classic at Eagles Nest Golf Club north of Toronto in support of the SickKids Foundation. With the support of partners and industry colleagues, the tour company raised $283,515 for the Labatt Family Heart Centre at The Hospital for Sick Children.

DESTINATIONSOne of New York’s most popular attractions has reopened to the public. The National Park Service began allowing visitors to go up into the Statue of Liberty’s crown last week, more than two and a half years since it closed during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. Other parts of the statue including the observation deck had reopened previously. Due to the popularity of the crown, visitors are required to make reservations in advance and there is a limited number of tickets available each day.

The Peak Tram, Asia’s oldest funicular railway and a must-visit attraction in Hong Kong, is again taking visitors on a scenic ride to the Peak with a redesigned tramcar, terminus ushers and upgraded facilities. The new Peak Tram offers passengers with a mesmerising panorama of Victoria Harbour and a fresh, enhanced experience, making it one of the latest developments in Hong Kong’s tourist scene.

LAST WEEK IN TRAVEL HISTORY

In 1913, the first commercial inter-city flight in Canada was made by W. Robinson from Montreal to Ottawa.

Send info to baginski@travelindustrytoday.com

First published at Travel Industry Today

First published at TravelNewsHub.com – Global Travel News

Stellenbosch, about 50km from Cape Town, is one of the country’s oldest wine growing regions. It is also the creative Mecca for thought-leaders, who craft and design in a way that changes the world. It’s festooned with art galleries, exhibiting themes covering South Africa’s landscape, indigenous people, and social commentary, in mediums from Realism to Abstract.Johan Nepgen, my Stellenbosch On Foot guide, walks me around this gorgeous oak tree draped town, introducing me to artists like bronze sculptor, Stephen Rautenbach, who’s studio (housed in a historic building) is an intimate affair, cluttered with beautiful and unusual sculptures. His inspiration is derived from nature, stories, literature, mythology, and rhyme, and thrown into the mix is classical portraiture and the rare classical nude.

Numerous fine art galleries – Art on Church, for instance, are heaving with unimaginable talent. Like wildlife artist, Alan Ainslie, who captures the characteristics of a wild animal in a three-dimensional form – suspending his sculptures by cantilevering them, freeing them from their bases. And contemporary artist Vincent da Silva, who’s impaso sculpting style brings texture and a sense of movement to his bronzes.

On the sidewalk, outside an elegant boutique named ‘African Silks’ two ladies are spinning a scarf from silk. Nokwakla Ndlangalavu and Vuyokadi Foca speak of their silks and how it’s cultivated on silk farms in Mpumalanga, supporting unemployed women. “To make this scarf needs around 3,000 Mopani month silk pods – and plenty of time!” announces Nokwakla proudly.

Discovering art in the most unlikely of places.

I’m at Amazink, South Africa’s first township theatre-restaurant, lunching on traditional spicy chicken (think Nando’s, but better) and pap (maizemeal), served in a cardboard box. With me is Paul Roviss Khambue, social entrepreneur and champion of Kayamandi, a suburb on the outskirts of Stellenbosch.

Paul’s a softly spoken, gentle man, who speaks of the early 1950s when, as part of increased segregation under the apartheid government, Kayamandi was created. It was originally built to exclusively house black migrant male laborers employed on the farms in the area.

“Although apartheid ended +30 years ago, its aftermath is still evident as the youth suffer the consequences which deny them progress. We need to confront and address the past, acknowledge it, talk about it, forgive it, and move forward, walking the road together,” says Paul.

His solution is to showcase and applaud life in the townships surrounding Stellenbosch through the medium of Sport and Performing Arts. “This creates opportunities for the youth”, says Paul, “discovering talent and giving them a platform from which to grow.”

Paul speaks of the role that Amazink plays in this. “This is the place where the community comes together to celebrate performing arts – Gembe drumming, poetry, theatre, and choral music – the type made famous by Ladysmith Black Mambazo, the internationally known South African male singing group.”

Kayamandi has traditionally been considered by tour operators as off limits, secreted away on the outskirts of a prosperous wine-town. A no-go zone some mistakenly presumed dangerous. But that’s not the case at all – in fact, that assumption is dead wrong as the locals welcome visitors into the community.

Whilst eating dessert (ice lollies), Paul continues: “Here in Kayamandi we have fruit and vegetable corner shops, hairdressers, barbers, tailors, mechanics, street food vendors, township guides, local ladies who host lunches in their dining rooms, preparing local food, telling their guests stories about life in the township. Some even offer home-stay experiences – should their visitors want to live traditionally, hear the township noises, meet the colourful characters, experience the ripeness of it all, the togetherness.”

These are not the words I would have associated with a township where the homes are still mostly shacks and the poverty is immediately visible. But true they are as wherever I walk, I am greeted and smiled at – kids striking a pose for the camera, ladies hanging over their kitchen stable door’s shouting a welcome and giving a wave.

As if on cue, Leletho Zulu, a performer and drummer of note, begins singing a tribal song of forgiveness and hope.

Since the early 1600s Stellenbosch is known as the centre of South Africa’s wine industry.

At the Cellar Door, a deli-style restaurant on the 164-hectare Jordan Wine Estate, I’m sitting under a giant oak tree. Golden shafts of light cascade through the branches which hang heavy with autumnal leaves. A sun kissed vineyard stretches before me, as does the long day, described by Jeanneret Momberg, CEO of Visit Stellenbosch.

I’m getting ready to have my ideas of a tasting redefined and head off on a ‘wine safari’. The estates Thea van der Merwe takes the wheel of a 4×4 open safari-type Land Rover. We bounce up a steep dirt track, finding suitable vantage points to take in the spectacular 360° tasting experience – one overlooking False Bay, and another Table Bay (and Table Mountain).

When the corks pop, Thea speaks of why the Jordan terroir is unique by nature’s design. When I introduced ‘Nine Yards’ to my lips, I stopped listening, as I could totally get what Sir Richard Branson meant when he proclaimed their Chardonnay (which they were yet to find a suitable name for) as them having gone “the whole Nine Yards”.

Sleep

The Lanzerac Wine Estate, on the outskirts of Stellenbosch, is a historic landmark – a Cape Dutch icon. Shaded by giant Oak trees, its five-star manor house hotel surrounded by dramatic mountains, and countless rows of ancient vineyards. The estate’s cellar and outbuildings have been converted into bars, lounges, dining areas, and hotel rooms.

With 330 years behind its name, this Stellenbosch landmark oozes old-world charm. Think boutique, antique, and unique. This super chic heritage property is the place to be seen and is a destination in its own right.

I enter the estate down a long Oak-lined driveway, and could almost feel time slow down, and history settling in around me. Every hotel has a barman, a doorman, or a concierge – keepers of secrets – who all came out in force. One parked my Jaguar, a second whisked my luggage away, and yet another led me to the reception with the promise of a cold drink.

Luxury has become a much over-used word because extravagance always needs to outdo itself, which my opulent suite did. A blend of understated grandeur and modern amenities. Sumptuous opulence personified.

I met a few girlfriends for dinner in The Taphuis – one of the hotel’s dining options – a country-inspired gourmet pub, complete with a roaring fireplace, rich texture, rough stone walls, brick floors and exposed wooden ceilings. On the menu everything is, of course, zero miles travelled.

Explore more at South African Tourism https://www.facebook.com/southafrica.uk/

First published at Travel Industry Today

First published at TravelNewsHub.com – Global Travel News

Attention bar flies, there’s a new horse in town. For the first time since the World’s 50 Best Bars list was created in 2009, a bar outside of New York or London earned the No. 1 spot on the list. So, without further adieu for 2022, please lift a glass to:

Paradiso, Barcelona.

Announced on Oct. 4 at a live awards ceremony in the Spanish city (banner photo), Paradiso was notably one of a trio of Barcelona bars to make the top 10 this year, including Sips and Two Schmucks, ensuring that the Catalonian capital is one of the top cities in the world to enjoy a libation.

Being The World’s Best Bar, it follows that Paradiso was also named Best Bar in Europe.

Shockingly (if one can be shocked by such things), reigning repeat winner (2021 and 2020), the Connaught Bar in London, not only dropped to eighth place, but was also second in the British capital behind Tayēr + Elementary, which held its second-place ranking from last year.

Sponsored by Perrier, the 14th annual awards is designed to “unite the global bar community in recognition of the bartenders, bar owners and brands at the forefront of the international cocktail scene.”

This year’s list features bars from 26 cities with 14 new entries spread across Athens, Bangkok, Buenos Aires, Chicago, Dubai, Florence, Hong Kong, Lisbon, London, Naples, and New York. And for the first time, bars from Florence, Lisbon and Naples feature in the 50 Best list. (There were no Canadian entries on the list, but read on for Maple Leaf moments).

The top 10 (with additional designations):

1. Paradiso, Barcelona (Winner: Best Bar in Europe)
2. Tayēr + Elementary, London
3. Sips, Barcelona (Winner: Highest Climber)
4. Licorería Limantour, Mexico City (Winner: Best Bar in North America, Legend of the List)
5. Little Red Door, Paris (Winner: Sustainable Bar Award)
6. Double Chicken Please, New York (Winner: Highest New Entry)
7. Two Schmucks, Barcelona
8. The Connaught Bar, London
9. Katana Kitten, New York
10. Alquímico, Cartegena (Winner: Best Bar in South America)

Paradiso

Of the overall winner – last year’s No. 3 – awards organizers stated:

“Hidden behind an antique refrigerator in the back of an unassuming pastrami shop in Barcelona’s trendy El Born district, Paradiso offers a truly masterful take on the speakeasy, combining technique, precision, and creativity with an unwavering sense of fun. In stark contrast to the understated exterior, the majestic front bar welcomes guests into a strikingly playful space, complete with dramatic glass light fittings and Gaudi-inspired curved-wood ceiling.

“At the bar, myriad meticulously crafted cocktails served in outlandish vessels take centre stage. Paradiso signatures, such as the Supercool Martini, uses ‘supercooled’ gin to build an iceberg in the glass before tailoring the final product tableside for a uniquely personal guest experience.

“From creating coasters and bar tools from single-use waste to hosting the first Paradiso Sustainability Summit, owners Giacomo Giannotti and Margarita Sader and their outstanding team showcase their unwavering commitment to ongoing sustainability, both within Paradiso and the wider industry.”

Mark Sansom, Content Director of The World’s 50 Best Bars, added, “Since being named One To Watch in 2017 a year after opening, Paradiso has been a firm fixture of the 50 Best list, enhancing its ranking year after year. It is an honour to name it as The World’s Best Bar and the win is credit to Paradiso’s outlandishly inventive cocktail program, sustainable ethos, work in the global bar community and brilliant sense of fun.”

Other fun facts

• New York led the list with a whopping six bars, more than any other city in the world, including two in the top 10: Double Chicken Please at No. 6, which is also awarded the Disaronno Highest New Entry Award, and Katana Kitten rising one place to No. 9. The city also has Attaboy at No. 22, Overstory at No. 34, Dante at No.36 and Employees Only at No. 47. Chicago returns to the list for the first time since 2018 with Kumiko at No.25 and Miami’s Café La Trova has risen 7 places to No.21.

• Licorería Limantour continues to spearhead the meteoric rise of Mexico City’s emerging cocktail scene at No. 4, claiming the title of The Best Bar in North America for the second year in a row as well as being named Rémy Martin Legend of the List. It is joined by neighbours Handshake Speakeasy (No. 11), Baltra Bar (No. 32) and this year’s Michter’s Art of Hospitality Award winner Hanky Panky (No. 13)

• While no Canadian bars made the Best 50 list (or were subsequently listed in the 51-100 addendum), a dedicated North America list in the summer ranked Toronto’s Civil Liberties 10th and The Keefer Bar in Vancouver, 25th; other Canadian entries included Toronto’s Mother at 38, Bar Ravel 41st, Bar Mordecai, 48th; and Montreal’s Cloakroom Bar 45th and Bar Kismet in Halifax 49th.

• London regained its position as the cocktail capital of Europe with a total of five bars on the list. After Tayēr + Elementary (2) and Connaught Bar (8), and a re-entry from Swift at No. 30, the city also saw new entries from Satan’s Whiskers at No. 23 and A Bar with Shapes for a Name at No. 37.

Voting

The list was compiled by votes from The World’s 50 Best Bars Academy, which comprises more than 650 drinks experts (with 50/50 gender parity), including renowned bartenders and consultants, drinks writers and cocktail specialists from around the world. Each voter casts seven votes based on their best bar experiences of the previous 18 months (although if they were unable to travel, they could provide five votes from their home country). Voters are required to remain anonymous and voting is confidential, secure, and independently adjudicated by Deloitte.

The full list –can be viewed HERE.

With glass purposefully in hand, we at Travel Industry Today continue our series on some of the planet’s best bars, patios and rooftop venues. For more articles in the series, click here:

PREVIOUS ARTICLES: https://travelindustrytoday.com/pub-patio/

First published at Travel Industry Today

First published at TravelNewsHub.com – Global Travel News

Regular readers will know how much we love Playing for Change, an organization that promotes peace through music with songs (and concerts) that provide a fresh look and listen to familiar fare through a unique collaboration of global artists that are often led by, or feature, cameos by the original artists.

One of the newest PFC efforts is “Oy Como Va” (approximately translated as “How Goes It”), the now classic 1970 Latin-infused rock song by Santana. The 1962 original, a cha-cha by Latin-American jazz great Tito Puente, was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2002.

In this recent effort, Carlos Santos, joined by his wife and drummer Cindy Blackman Santana, leads an inspiring PFC cast that spans the globe, from California to Colombia and Bahrain to Uruguay.

As you’ll see, it goes well!

First published at Travel Industry Today

First published at TravelNewsHub.com – Global Travel News

The COVID pandemic forced most US casinos to close for months, causing payrolls, revenue, and earnings to tumble. But the forced shutdowns and highly regulated recoveries also taught the industry useful lessons that will endure even after the pandemic is a distant memory, panelists at a major casino conference said Thursday.

Speaking at the recent East Coast Gaming Congress, executives from major gambling companies said the changes they were forced to make because of the pandemic had some benefits.

“We learned lessons that can’t be unlearned,” said Thomas Reeg, CEO of Caesars Entertainment.

“It forced us and gave us the ability to say to our guests that things that used to be viewed as an entitlement, maybe they don’t need them as much as they thought they did,” added Jim Allen, chairman of Hard Rock International. “Do you need a buffet? Should you have a buffet?”

The conference was held in the Hard Rock casino in Atlantic City, whose buffet is still operating. Some of Hard Rock’s casinos in other states, including Florida, offer buffets while others do not.

David Cordish, chairman of the Cordish Companies, which operates casinos in Pennsylvania, Florida, and Maryland, said the pandemic offered his business an opportunity “to tighten the ship.”

“We have not gone back to buffets,” he said. “It certainly wasn’t fun. Being closed for months was horrendous for employees. But there were a lot of lessons learned.

“What we did – and we may need to do it again – is when we were shut, we put in every possible type of health and safety screening you could do,” including hand sanitizers and barriers between player positions at table games, measures that were commonly adopted at casinos across the country.

Cordish said those expenses paid off handsomely once the casinos were allowed to reopen in mid 2020.

“People were fed up with being cooped up and came pouring back to the casinos, particularly when we did these things,” he said. “Since we reopened, business has been terrific.”

Eric Hausler, CEO of Greenwood Racing, which owns Pennsylvania’s Parx casino, said the pandemic opened his eyes to one particular liability.

“We had a restaurant that was open every day for lunch and never made any money,” he said. When the casino reopened after its pandemic-related closure, “We didn’t bring it back, and no one ever said a thing about it.”

Jeff Gural, who owns two racetrack casinos in upstate New York, had a similar experience.

“We had a Subway sandwich place that didn’t work,” he said. “Then we converted it to a pizza place and that didn’t work. Someone suggested converting it to a sushi place – and I don’t like sushi. And it succeeded.”

Gural also said closure helped him realize that spending big money on broadcast ads, billboards and car giveaways wasn’t bringing in the return he expected, making it easier to scale back spending on such things.

Daily housekeeping of casino hotel rooms has become another casualty of the pandemic in some places. In June, Atlantic City’s main casino workers’ union filed a complaint with the state that four casinos were failing to clean guest hotel rooms daily as required by law, and one admitted it did not have enough housekeepers to clean every room every day.

Hospitality industry leaders say the combination of a shortage of housekeeping workers and the reluctance of some guests to allow hotel workers into their rooms during their stay has led to the abandonment of a daily room cleaning standard in resorts across the country.

One lingering effect of the pandemic is smaller payrolls. This is due both to workers who were let go during or shortly after the closures and have not been rehired, and a continuing difficulty in attracting new workers across the gambling industry, as with many others.

Jayson Guyot, president and CEO of Connecticut’s Foxwoods Resort Casino, said he ordered a complete restructuring of the business from top to bottom during the closure – something that would have been difficult to do had it still been operating.

“It enabled us to rebuild our margins from 10 to 13% to 18-20% now,” he said.

But he also voiced a common concern: Foxwoods has not yet returned to its pre-pandemic business levels.

That is a major preoccupation for Atlantic City’s casinos, which collectively have yet to return to 2019 revenue and profit levels for in-person gambling.

Atlantic City has thousands less casino workers than it did before the pandemic struck. It, like virtually every other casino market, has struggled to attract new workers and retain existing ones.

Hard Rock recently made headlines by spending $100 million to give big raises to 10,000 non-tipped workers, most of them in the US. Other companies have given smaller raises recently. Foxwoods has raised its hourly minimum wage from $10.50 two years ago to $14.50 now, Guyot said.

First published at Travel Industry Today

First published at TravelNewsHub.com – Global Travel News

In last week’s round-up: WestJet and Korea Air announced a codeshare partnership; KLM implemented a huge surcharge on some European flights; TravelBrands was back with a blast at sold-out roadshow events; and more border restrictions continued to fall.

NEWS

The WestJet Group and the Government of Alberta announced a partnership focused on advancing aviation across the province. WestJet will invest aircraft capacity, designate YYC as its single global connecting hub, grow its mid-range fleet, and strengthen its North American offerings, with its commitment to double capacity in Calgary before the end of the decade.

KLM introduced a surcharge of €250 ($338) on some European flights departing from Amsterdam. The fee increase is an attempt to reduce the number of passengers travelling out of Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport, which like many European airports has been hit hard by staff shortages. The airport also introduced a cap on passenger numbers and asked airlines to reduce schedules.

The European Commission announced four shortlisted destinations for its annual EDEN awards recognizing best achievements in sustainable tourism and green transition practices in smaller destinations across Europe. Nominated for the European Destination of Excellence 2023 award are Grevena (Greece), Kranj (Slovenia), Larnaka (Cyprus), and Trikala (Greece). The winning destination will be positioned as a tourism sustainability pioneer committed to the European Green Deal objectives and will receive expert communication and branding support at the EU level throughout 2023.

BORDERS

The United Arab Emirates, home to global business and travel hub Dubai, has eased requirements imposed over the coronavirus pandemic. The wearing of face masks is no longer required in public places, except for medical facilities, mosques, and public transportation.

As of today (Oct. 11), Individual tourists, not just authorized groups, will be able to easily enter Japan for the first time since the start of the pandemic. A cap on the number of tourists who are granted entry will be nixed altogether. And visa requirements that were imposed in response to the pandemic will also be rescinded.

Taiwan will end quarantine requirement for all arrivals in Oct. 13. The previous weeklong requirement will be replaced with a seven-day self-monitoring period and a rapid antigen test will still be required upon arrival. The current limit of 150,000 visitors allowed to enter Taiwan weekly will also be gradually relaxed.

BY THE NUMBERS

Canadian arrivals in Hawaii have almost reached pre-pandemic levels with July figures from the state showing that 25,684 visitors arrived from Canada compared to 26,939 visitors (-4.7%) in July 2019. At the same time, spending increased by 14% to US$57.1 million during the month compared to $50.1 million in July 2019 with Canadians spending $189 p.p., daily – a jump of 19.6% compared to $158 p.p. in 2019.

AIR

WestJet and Korean Air have expanded their long-standing codeshare agreement with the placement of WestJet’s codeshare on Korean’s flights between both Toronto Pearson (YYZ) and Vancouver International (YVR) and Incheon International Airport (ICN) in Seoul. This is WestJet’s first reciprocal codeshare with an Asian partner.

Sunwing customers can book the Sunshine State for winter travel starting Nov. 1, with weekly direct flights on board Sunwing Airlines, including Toronto-Orlando, daily starting Nov. 1; Toronto-Melbourne, Saturdays and Wednesdays starting Dec. 10; Toronto and Miami, Sundays starting Dec. 18; Winnipeg and Melbourne, Saturdays starting Dec. 10; Montreal-Miami, Sundays starting Dec. 18; and Halifax-Melbourne, Fridays starting Feb. 10, 2023.

Blaming the high inflationary environment and ongoing impacts from COVID-19, the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) will increase aeronautical rates and its airport improvement fee (AIF) at Toronto Pearson on Jan. 1, 2023. Effective Jan. 1, aeronautical rates for commercial aviation, business aircraft and general aviation aircraft will increase by 4%, while the AIF for departing passengers will increase by $5 and $1 for connecting passengers.

DEALS

GoldenEye, the lush Jamaican hideaway where Ian Fleming wrote all fourteen 007 novels is offering 30% off accommodations, plus other perks, for guests booking a minimum four-night stay from through Dec. 19. The 60th Anniversary package is one of GoldenEye’s many offers for this year. Others include License to Chill, an exclusive promotion that gives guests US$500 to put toward dining during five-night minimum stay through Dec. 19.

Clients booking their winter getaways to Mexico, the Caribbean and Central America with Sunwing will save up to 40% on vacation packages and enjoy added luxuries like room upgrades, exclusive beach access at select properties and more.
The “Save More Event,” is in effect for bookings made by Nov. 6, for travel between Nov. 1 and April 30, 2023.

TOUR OPERATORS

TravelBrands’ annual Agent Appreciation Event returned (for the first time since 2019) with two sold-out shows held in both Toronto and Montreal, with the Toronto event live streamed for travel agents across the country. Participants were able to meet with TravelBrands’ top suppliers and learn about developments in products, platforms, and packages, including a revamped Access+ agent platform, brand-new air booking engine with enhanced benefits, and close to 1.8 million hotels from which to choose. “All I have to say is wow,” said TravelBrands CEO Frank DeMarinis of the show, who added the company is seeing a healthy recovery for travel.

African Travel Inc. has unveiled its new 2023 ‘inspiration guide.’ Available digitally, the brochure includes expanded and enhanced tours, the Platinum Collection, plus new safaris, and each itinerary features at least one Make Travel Matter Experience that supports wildlife conservation or local communities. As part of its Advisor Educational Program, qualified advisors can travel with up to three guests and receive 30% saving on African Travel’s 2023 brochure safaris of seven-plus nights. Advisors also receive $200 after their first booking of seven nights or more.

HOTELS

Expected to open in 2023, Tempo by Hilton Times Square, will mark global premiere of Hilton’s newest brand. The 661-room lifestyle hotel is located at TSX Broadway, the city’s new 46-story entertainment and hospitality destination that will also be home to TSX Entertainment, a next generation entertainment company whose mandate is to “empower the world’s most innovative artists and fans to stage the moments that define pop culture.” Guests will have access to programming at the venue.

Nordic Hotels & Resorts opened its newest luxury hotel, Sommerro, located in the heart of Frogner in Oslo’s West End. The urban retreat is set within the former headquarters of Oslo Lysverker, the city’s original electrical company, and pays tribute to Norway’s cultural heritage. The 231-room Art Deco hotel includes seven restaurants and bars, meeting and event spaces with capacity for up to 150 people, a 100-seat gilded theatre, wellness space with a fully equipped gym, and the city’s first year-round rooftop pool, sauna, and terrace.

RESORTS

On Oct. 30 Coconut Bay Beach Resort & Spa invites guests to join them as they don their national dress of colourful madras and commemorate Saint Lucia’s biggest cultural festival, Jounen Kwéyòl (Creole Day). The resort’s Bon Fete Kweyol entertainment includes traditional cultural dancers and Saint Lucian musicians playing ‘kweyol’ music on instruments including the Shak-Shak, Boom-Boom and Tambos. A Creole lunch feast is served on the Splash Lawn including Green Fig and Salt Fish (Saint Lucia’s national dish), Accra (fish cakes), Bouillon, Callaloo Soup, Dumplings and Cocoa Tea, breadfruit, Oxtail Stew and much more. On Oct. 31 Halloween hijinks will ensue.

Dreams Flora Resort & Spa in Punta Cana will now begin welcoming guests Feb. 15, 2023. The adjustment in opening date is due to delays due to Hurricane Fiona.

CRUISE

Silversea Cruises has revealed a new collection of 25 voyages for its new expedition vessel, Silver Endeavour, which will set sail in May 2023. Through March of the following year the vessel, dubbed “the world’s most advanced luxury expedition ship,” will journey to 116 of the planet’s most beautiful and remote cold-weather destinations including in Northern Europe, the Arctic, and Antarctica. The series of cruises will include 24 maiden calls for Silversea.

Cruise lovers can be first on board the new MSC Seascape‘s on the vessel’s delivery trip across the Atlantic, departing from Civatavecchia (Rome) on Nov. 19 and making stops in Spain, Portugal, and Bermuda prior to arriving in New York City on Dec. 5, ahead the ships naming ceremony on Dec. 7. The new ship will then offer two different seven-night itineraries: Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve and Nassau in The Bahamas, San Juan in Puerto Rico, and Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic; and Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve, Cozumel in Mexico, George Town in the Cayman Islands and Ocho Rios in Jamaica.

Transitioning from sister line Costa, Carnival Luminosa has officially joined the Carnival Cruise Line fleet today as the newest Fun Ship which will debut from Brisbane, Australia, Nov. 6, 2022.

ATTRACTIONS & THEME PARKS

Canadian residents can enjoy four days of theme park thrills for the price of a two-day ticket with the return of its Universal Orlando Resort’s “Buy 2 Days, Get 2 Days Free” offer. The offer is available through March 2, 2023.

FAMS & INCENTIVES

Seventeen Travel Agent Next Door agents recently took part in the first exclusive FAM trip on a Celebrity ship since the pandemic. The group sailed on Celebrity Edge for seven days from Barcelona to Rome, with stops in Spain, France, and Italy. The TTAND agents were hosted by Brenda Yeomans, Key Account Manager, Canada for Celebrity Cruises. Exclusive workshops were held on board to learn about the product and help grow sales.

Expedia Group’s ‘All Inclusive Your Way’ booking promotion offers members of the Travel Agent Affiliate Program (TAAP) access to a world of all-inclusive hotel possibilities at great rates. At the same time, a grand total of $4,500 of gift cards are up for grabs (one for $2,000, one $1,000, and three $500). TAAP members will be in the running with every eligible standalone all-inclusive hotel bookings made between Oct. 1 and Nov. 30 and used before April 30, 2023. The more agents book, the more chances they have to win. Five winners will be drawn and announced in December.

EVENTS

TL Network Canada is set to host three complimentary in-person regional events for its member agencies this fall. The annual PEAK (Programs, Education, Advisors and Knowledge) events will take place Oct. 26 in Toronto, Nov. 8 in Calgary, and Nov. 10 in Vancouver. Registration is currently open for each event, where advisors will have the opportunity to interact with supplier partners at a sold-out tradeshow, take part in interactive training sessions, and connect with peers.
Spaces are limited, so members are encouraged to sign up early. For more details, visit TLNetwork.ca.

PEOPLE/APPOINTMENTS

Two well-known Canadian travel industry professionals – Brenda Bradley and Aaron Crawford – have joined TTC Tours Brands as members of its Ontario-based sales team. Bradley is the new Sales Manager for Northeastern Ontario (Toronto, north to Barrie and along the eastern Ontario corridor to the Quebec border), while Crawford fills the same role in the Southwestern region of the province (Mississauga, Brampton, the Golden Horseshoe and west to Windsor, as well as covering Northern Ontario). Email brenda.bradley@ttc.com or aaron.crawford@ttc.com.

Royal Irish Tours (RIT) has promoted John Fallon from the reservations department to Sales Manager, Canada. Jonathan Sargeant is now Director of Sales.

DESTINATIONSFor over 100 Years Peru’s famed “Lost City of the Incas” (photo) has been called the wrong name – Machu Picchu (“Old mountain peak” in the Indigenous Quechua language). However, the Inca who built the ancient city likely called it Huayna Picchu, meaning “new or young,” mountain peak. Believed to have been built around 1420, the settlement was an estate for royals living in Cusco, the capital of the Inca empire. Later, when Spaniards conquered the Inca, Huayna Picchu was abandoned and for centuries after, remained hidden in the Andes mountains until American explorer Hiram Bingham rediscovered it in 1911, when it became known to the world, incorrectly, as Machu Picchu.

LAST WEEK IN TRAVEL HISTORY

In 1869, the first postcards were printed and put on sale by the Austrian government.

Send info to baginski@travelindustrytoday.com

First published at Travel Industry Today

First published at TravelNewsHub.com – Global Travel News