Canada and our changing climate

Canada took a stand on the climate at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) in Sydney, Australia.

Read more about their pledge to stop human activity from causing dangerous changes in the climate in The Montreal Gazette.

Ottawa Parliament Building. Photo by Sue Frause.

GST refunds eliminated in Canada

Somehow, I missed the fact that refunds for Canada's GST or value-added tax that applied to a majority of goods and services was eliminated on April 1, 2007.

The Visitor Rebate Program provided GST relief for goods exported from Canada by non-residents, short-term accommodation (hotels) and certain tour packages for visitors. Some property and services taxes used in the convention arena were also eliminated.

It all has to do with the Canadian government's package of "specific spending restraint measures" announced on September 25, 2006.

In this statement from the Tourism Industry Association of Canada released on Oct. 18, 2006 it's clear that TIAC is not happy about the cost-cutting decisions:

Eliminating the GST/HST Visitor Rebate Program will put Canadian jobs, economic growth and tax revenues at risk. That's the message the federal government got today from the VRP (Visitor Rebate Program) Coalition, a broad-based business group formed to fight the planned measure, announced last month as part of a wide-ranging series of spending cuts.

"Canada's competitiveness as a tourism destination is at stake," said Randy Williams, President and CEO of the Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC), which is leading the multi-stakeholder initiative. "While other countries are going out of their way to attract visitors, Canada is essentially rolling up the welcome mat. All of our major competitors have visitor rebate programs and a number of them have, in fact, been expanding those programs and making them easier to access."

Visitors will no longer receive a six percent savings on goods and accommodations in BC and other provicnes. That loss, along with the US and Canadian dollars almost being at par, could play a factor in the ongoing decline of Americans crossing the border into Canada.

The press release concluded with these final thoughts:

The industry is already struggling with a substantial decline in visitation from the United States, Canada's primary international tourism market, which was 28% lower in 2005 than in 2000. Factors include a stronger Canadian dollar, rising fuel prices, an underfunded national tourism marketing effort, and confusion about border documentation requirements under the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative. Now, by canceling the GST/HST exemption for convention, group and tour business, the government is effectively revoking tourism's status as an export industry.

"The Canadian tourism industry is working hard to reposition itself in a market that has changed radically in recent years," said Mr. Williams. "Canceling the Visitor Rebate Program is an additional blow that could prevent it from doing that. The federal government is kicking the industry while it's down."

What a shame.

With the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games only a few years away, the Canadian suits need to rethink this action.

And soon.

The Vancouver skyline overlooking Coal Harbour from Stanley Park's Seawall Park. Photo by Sue Frause.

USA Today lists top travel changes

Used to be I read USA Today only when I was on the road.

These days, I subscribe to their daily e-travel alerts, which land in my mail box and are generally a fun, newsy read.

Today's alert is titled:

Top 25 Changes in the way we travel

No surprise that the number one big change is online booking.

The rest of the list of innovations and annoyances includes everything from TSA airport security and e-tickets to flying beds and the end of supersonic travel.

Planning a trip to NYC. Photo by Sue Frause.

Vitamin V : Get a daily dose for free

If you're a fan of Vancouver like me, keep up with what's going on in this cool Canadian city by subscribing to the online vitamin v.

The online lifestyle magazine arrives in your mailbox Monday-Friday with news about health and beauty, fashion and decor, arts and culture, dining and nightlife and travel and leisure.

And it's free!

Coal Harbour, Vancouver. Sue Frause photo.

Mama's milk and ciggy lighters

Effective August 4, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will allow most types of cigarette lighters in carry-on luggage.

The ban has been lifted on disposable butane lighters, such as Bics, and refillable lighters, such as Zippos.

Torch lighters, which have a hotter flame, will continue to be banned.

The TSA is also modifying the rules associated with carrying breast milk through security checkpoints.

Mothers flying with, and now without, their child will be permitted to bring breast milk in quantities greater than three ounces as long as it is declared for inspection at the security checkpoint.

A controversial poster at The Quebec Museum of Folk Culture in Trois-Rivieres.
Photo by Sue Frause.

Find the lowest fare out there

Farecast.com is the first airfare prediction website.

They help with that bothersome question, "Buy now or wait?"

Farecast offers airfare predictions from more than 75 U.S. departure cities to top domestic destinations.

It's not Orbitz, Travelocity or Expedia. Here's what they do:

Tell travelers if fares are rising or dropping. Based on their predictions, they provide a recommendation to buy now or buy later.

Help travelers buy directly through the airlines' websites.

I have yet to try it, but next time I'm in the market for purchasing an airline ticket, I'll go to their website.

Vagablonds-R-Us!

I write for a website that's all about luxury travel, food, wine and shopping.

It's called Vagablond and it's a whole lotta fun!

Check it out sometime.

Bizarre onboard behavior

Somehow I missed this news story about the mother and child who were kicked off an airplane.

It will make for an interesting entry in the kid's baby book, that's for sure.

You can read the USA Today article here.

Navigating passport hell

The headline of the Fodor's article caught my eye.

So I clicked on the link and found it to be chock full of good info for those in the throes of applying for or renewing passports.

Good Luck!

Liverpool, England has been designated a European Capital of Culture in 2008, also its 800th birthday. Photo by Sue Frause.

See the world, but don't lose your passport

I'm probably a bit too casual about tossing my passport in my bag when I travel.

Here's an item I spotted online in the Seattle P-I this morning. It's a passport holder, but not totally dorky looking.

Those folks clomping around airports with big 'ol passport holders strapped around their necks are akin to people who put leashes on their kids.

What's even better is for folks in the Pacific Northwest, it's designed by a local world traveler, Tom Bihn.

And it's only ten bucks.

Earth Day is celebrated at Bayview Corner on Whidbey Island. Photo by Sue Frause.

New 7 World Wonders: Unesco not happy

The New7Wonders organization has announced the New 7 Wonders of the World.

This was the first ever global election, with 100 million people voting by Internet or telephone.

The top seven include:

The Great Wall of China
Taj Mahal - India
Machu Picchu - Peru
Statue of Christ Redeemer - Brazil
Colosseum - Rome
Mayan ruins at Chichen Itza - Mexico
Petra - Jordan

But everybody is not happy with the list.

UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) slammed the selections, as reported today on news.com.au out of Sydney, Australia.

Machu Picchu. Photo by Max Frause, May 2007.

Passport problems not going away

If you're a US citizen and have a passport, you're probably not concerned.

But if you've applied for one, need to renew one or are thinking it's time to be a global traveler, here is some good information.

Read an informative article by Kristin Jackson in the July 1, 2007 edition of The Seattle Times.

On the road at Montreal-Trudeau Airport. Photo by Sue Frause.

Signs of the times

I'm in Honolulu and scheduled to fly back to Seattle this afternoon.

The news about the incident at Glasgow Airport is not good. Especially since it happened one day after the car bombing in London's nightclub district.

I'm not changing my travel plans this summer.

Terrorism is all about scaring people. I'm not scared.

But fortunately, I have no plans to fly until the end of September, when I'm off to Montreal.

Flying in the summer sucks, even when the skies are supposedly friendly.

I'm scheduled to fly to London, Manchester and Frankfurt in October.

I'm not changing my plans.

Travel is part of my life. It's part of who I am.

A sign in Honolulu. Photo by Sue Frause.

Gas prices on the rise

With a busy summer travel season predicted, a new travelhorizons™ survey co-authored by the Travel Industry Association and Yesawich, Pepperdine, Brown & Russell examined the impact of escalating gasoline prices on the travel intentions of Americans.

The results reveal that Americans remain upbeat about their travel plans even as the price at the pump continues to rise. They also reveal the “tipping point” for the majority of Americans is likely to be $3.50 per gallon, at which price the slight majority of travelers state they would reevaluate their summer travel plans.

“The good news is that we expect more travel this summer,” TIA president and CEO Roger J. Dow said. “But if prices rise above $3.50 per gallon, it appears that many Americans may change their travel plans.”

Here are highlights of the survey:

* Leisure travelers are planning to take slightly more trips this summer than last (1.8 versus 1.6);
* 9 out of 10 (87%) leisure travelers expect gasoline prices to rise this summer;
* The price per gallon at which the majority of American leisure travelers state they would “change their vacation plans” is $3.50. Fully 6 out of 10 (61%) leisure travelers say they would change their vacation plans if the price at the pump reaches $3.75 per gallon;
* When asked how their plans would change, the most frequently mentioned responses were “take fewer trips this summer” (35%) and “cancel my trip” (31%). One out of four (26%) leisure travelers said “drive a shorter distance” or “postpone my trip until the price of gas comes down;”
* Fully 16% of leisure travelers said they would not alter their summer vacation plans regardless of the price of gasoline.

The national survey of 1,546 leisure travelers was conducted in March 2007, and the estimated margin of error is +/-2.2% at the 95% confidence level.

The Travel Industry Association is the national, non-profit organization representing all components of the $700 billion travel industry. TIA's mission is to promote and facilitate increased travel to and within the United States.

Small car spotted in Hamburg, Germany. Sue Frause photo.