News that has caught Chris' eye in the Travel World

Changes to the Travel Industry Act in Ontario (8 January, 2017)

Here in Ontario, the year starts with an important and very positive change for travellers. New rules for all-inclusive pricing in the Travel Industry Act come into force, meaning that at long last “the price you see is the price you pay

From January 1, 2017 Ontario travel agents and travel wholesalers will be required under the Travel Insurance Industries Act to display the total price of travel to consumers. These new consumer protection rules will be administered by the Travel Industry Council of Ontario, otherwise known as TICO, and this decision puts Ontario in alignment with Federal all-inclusive pricing rules that are already in place for airfare advertising. 

The requirements apply to any ads by a registered travel agent or tour operator that refer to the price of travel services. This includes print, television, radio and online advertising.

What does this change really mean to you? Well, for a start, no more of the silly pricing whereby a cheap last-minute vacation package to the Dominican Republic, for example, has a headline price of say $400….but with an additional $450 taxes and fees in the small print. 

With an estimated 73% of consumers using websites for their trip bookings, this also means no nasty price surprises on the final payment page of websites – wherever the price is stated, it will now include all those taxes and other fees. It will also be far easier to compare prices from one travel agent or tour operator with another.  

MasterCard and Canada Post launch Cash Passport (December 15, 2016)

MasterCard and Canada Post are teaming up to offer travellers an alternative way to take holiday money abroad. It’s called Cash Passport, and it’s a pre-paid Mastercard that can carry up to seven different currencies at any one time. It’s secure, convenient and reloadable, and will be accepted anywhere that Mastercard is accepted. The cards will feature a CHIP and PIN number. Cards will be available for purchase from February, at an initial cost of $15, at two and a half thousand Canada Post retailers. Once owned, the card can be reloaded at any of 6,000 Canada Post outlets for a nominal fee of $3.  

Currencies that can be loaded on to Cash Passport will be Canadian and US dollars, euros, British pounds, the yen, Australian dollars and pesos. And, once loaded, currency exchanges will be locked in, giving travellers peace of mind when it comes to budgeting. Travellers will be able to use the pre-paid cards to pay for hotels, flights, excursions, gifts, souvenirs and meals in more than 200 countries, or withdraw local currency from ATMs. Lost or stolen cards will be replaced within 24 hours. Sounds like a very convenient and safe way to carry money on your next trip.

Air MIles reward miles no longer scheduled to expire (December 7, 2016)

Air Miles collectors no longer have to worry about using up their rewards points before they expire. The company has backed away from its policy to eliminate unused miles older than five years.  Customers had expressed anger over the looming deadline when they would lose long-held points. The expiration policy, which was first announced in 2011, was set to take effect next month.

Air Miles has 11 million active cardholders, who have earned more than $2 billion in points over the past four years.  Last month, a private member’s bill was introduced that would make it illegal for companies offering loyalty rewards programs in Ontario to eliminate unused points based on the passage of time. The Protecting Rewards Points Act would also force companies to restore any points that expired on or before Oct. 1st this year. Air Miles Execs have of course expressed their opposition to the bill. Reaction to the surprise announcement on social media has been mixed. While many Air Miles collectors are applauding the decision, a number of customers are now regretting cashing out their older miles to avoid expiry.

Appetite to Discover in 2017 (November 25, 2016)

Inspired by a wealth of data, traveller endorsements, reviews, preferences and insights as well as industry leading understanding and innovation in e-commerce travel technology, the experts at Booking dot com have announced their travel predictions for 2017 and what will be shaping the future of travel.

And one of their biggest hot new trends is what they call: “Appetite to Discover”. The discovered world has many undiscovered places and 2017 promises to see travellers unleashing their inner explorer like never before. In fact, 45% of respondents plan to be more adventurous in their choice of destination in the coming year, while 47% would like to explore corners of the globe that none of their friends have been to.

Whether it’s trekking into a remote mountain village or finding a gem of a guest house on the other side of tracks, they are seeing evidence of an ever-growing appetite to embrace undiscovered environments in an authentic way. Over half (56%) of the travellers would like to do more independent travel in 2017.