Corporate Travel & Incentives

Sustainability in Incentive Travel

2023/03/09

Sustainability has been a buzzword in travel and business event planning for years. With the return of in-person meetings and events, sustainable business events are more urgent than ever. Destinations around the world are seeing increasingly more planners and attendees prioritizing sustainable events. In order to meet 2050 net zero targets, the entire industry must work collaboratively to implement solutions. Last year, Destination Canada launched its Canadian Business Events Sustainability Plan, a first-of-its-kind national program aimed at improving the…
New Hotel Projects Remain Robust

2023/02/23

Tourism is steadily improving in Canada as both domestic and foreign travellers support a much-needed recovery back to pre-pandemic levels. With hotel occupancies inching up in 2022, hotel construction projects in Canada have never been higher – another positive sign that the hospitality market is rebounding. According to industry analysts Lodging Econometrics (LE), the forecast is for Canada’s hotel construction pipeline to remain strong throughout 2023 despite recent interest rate increases. The top cities in Canada for hotel construction at…
How to Find Joy in Flying Less

2022/11/21

As an event professional, I have a love-hate relationship with travel. I get a lot of joy out of the opportunity my job provides me to visit other places. At the same time, I feel significant guilt about the carbon impact of the flights I take. For a long time I rationalized these trips. They’re “only” 2 per cent of carbon emissions, I’d say (a figure that doesn’t include the full warming potential of all emissions from aviation). And…
The Role of Travel Managers Changing

2022/08/26

During the coronavirus pandemic, travel disruption was felt globally as lockdown measures kept most people at home. Border restrictions, to limit the spread of the virus, further compounded the situation. The massive shutdown cost countries billions of tourism dollars with the travel industry among the hardest hit by COVID. Not surprisingly, business travel and the role of travel managers have changed significantly over the last two years. As business travel returns, many are questioning what changes will become permanent,…
Airport Delays Impacting Return of Travel

2022/05/19

Strong demand for air travel by passengers after more than two years of being grounded by pandemic restrictions is causing long wait times at major airports in Canada. Security lineup delays at Canada’s biggest airports, including Toronto Pearson and Vancouver, is one of many challenges facing the travel and tourism industry as it starts on the road to recovery. Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) CEO Mike Saunders has apologized for the inconvenience to air travellers resulting from the…
Travel Tests Remain a Barrier to Recovery

2022/03/11

As COVID-19 cases continue to decline across Canada and restrictions are eased, the meetings and events industry is eager to see the restart of corporate meetings, conferences and conventions. But a major barrier remains to fully welcoming back visitors and attendees. While the federal government took a step in the right direction by allowing the use of rapid antigen tests for pre-departure as of Feb. 28, it is still not enough, according to travel and tourism leaders. Bridgitte Anderson,…
Accelerating Business Travel Recovery

2021/11/30

Many were hopeful that 2021 would be the year for getting back to travel and back to business. But the road to recovery for business travel wasn’t exactly a straight line this year. There were a lot of hurdles to clear – pandemic surges, the emergence of variants, vaccine uptake, government restrictions and border closings were just a few of the obstacles. But as we look toward 2022, there is optimism for more accelerated recovery ahead. While more of…
Five Hotel Openings to Look Forward to in 2021

2021/01/11

Canada’s hotels have been hammered by COVID-19, with occupancy rates falling as low as 18.8 per cent during the first full week of April 2020, so news of vaccine readiness in November was welcomed by the industry. As immunizations now rollout, there’s renewed hope that existing hotels will recover losses this year and new ones won’t have to offer the deep discounts that have become all too commonplace to fill suites. But although optimistic, there’s no certainty this will be…
What it’s Like to Open a Hotel during the Pandemic

2020/10/06

Despite the COVID-19 crisis and the impact it’s had on Canada’s hospitality and travel industries, several brave brands have forged ahead with ribbon-cutting ceremonies for new hotels. This includes Vancouver-based Northland Properties Corp., which opened not one but two hotels last month, though the celebratory occasions were more low-key. On Sept. 8, the company introduced its first Signature-branded hotel, Sandman Signature Saskatoon South Hotel, in Saskatchewan. On the same day, Atlantic Canada welcomed the Sutton Place Hotel Halifax. “We are…
Moving In: Making the best of your venue set-up

2019/10/01

Prepping for an event can be daunting. And while booking the venue, crafting the itinerary, and arranging guests are all essential steps, so too is ensuring that the move-in day goes off without a hitch. “A lot of upfront planning goes into a conference or meeting, but without considerations for how you’ll actually get through the doors and set up at your venue, you’re leaving a lot of chance,” says Luis Ribeiro, General Manager for Centre Mont-Royal in Montreal, Quebec.…