In the province of Ontario the travel and tourism industry is thriving. It is a 22 billion dollar a year business of tremendous importance to the province’s economy. This year, roughly 436,300 Ontario workers will be employed either directly or indirectly in the travel and tourism industry. Additionally, Statistics Canada reports that overnight travel in Canada last year reached its highest level in more than a decade. While some may be concerned about the short-term negative effect of the highflying Canadian dollar on tourist traffic coming from the States, the long-term forecast for the travel industry is bright. Much of this optimism is due in large part to Canada’s rapidly growing population of senior citizens. Over the last four years, leisure travel among Canada’s baby boomers has increased by a whopping 25 percent. This trend will continue as the population of Canadian seniors is expected to grow from 4.2 million in 2004 to 9.8 million in 2036. Due to an increasing number of senior citizens travelling, the Ontario tourism industry is making changes to help accommodate this changing market.

This trend with an increase in Canadian seniors travelling is good news indeed for Ontario’s tourism industry. Although industry studies have shown that Canadian seniors are travelling internationally in record numbers, the vast majority of trips taken by seniors are within their own home province. Seniors prefer to drive their own car and they tend to vacation for longer periods of time than the rest of the population. This is particularly beneficial to tourist operators in Ontario resort communities, like Muskoka and the Kawarthas, where the huge population base of Southern Ontario’s Golden Horseshoe is located only a few hours away by car.

Many in the tourism industry have begun to realize the significance of the seniors travel market in Ontario and have started to specifically target this segment of the population. Senior travellers are not only important to the industry because of their sheer numbers; they are important because of their discretionary buying power. Today’s seniors have both the money to spend and the time to spend it. Retired vacationers do not have to restrict their holidays to weekends and the summer months. Rather, they are able to travel off-season and during the week, times when many hospitality properties have higher vacancies and are happy to have their rooms filled with free-spending seniors.

So you may be asking yourself, “how is the Ontario tourism industry changing, due to the increase in senior citizen travel?” The answer is simple, senior friendly travel agencies, tour companies, resort properties, cruise-lines, and even small country inns have begun offering specialty services and packages that cater specifically to a senior clientele. Due to this change, and catering to a slightly different market, the tourism industry of Ontario is discovering that many senior travelers are even prepared to pay a slight premium for age-specific services.

While many businesses will continue to cater to a wide range of tourists including, those seeking romantic couple weekends, small conferences, special functions, and wedding parties, senior travellers are becoming a larger segment of the hospitality industry’s business. Because senior citizens tend to stay at hospitality properties during quieter times, off-seasons, and midweek while booking for longer periods of time, this is simply a market that many businesses cannot afford to leave out. Unlike other age groups, seniors and older guests appreciate the convenience of having their meals onsite and many indulge in on-site activities including spa services. This brings even more funds to the inn or hotel; due to this, the increase in senior travel will continue to shape the way that Ontario’s travel industry functions.

Over the next couple of decades, as the senior population itself ages, further changes will be necessary if Ontario’s tourism industry is to continue to flourish. Vacation accommodations with assisted living and seniors’ tours that cater to individuals with mobility issues may be viable marketing ideas in the years ahead.

With airline travel increasing in record numbers, more people are experiencing the frustration of understanding the airlines industry language, and leaving them feeling that they need an interpreter for the travel information they’re receiving from the airline industry!
It seems that air companies think that every individual that flies should have to understand all that travel Jargon they place on their flight reservations, and maybe it’s about time we figure out what they’re talking about, because it’s costing you money and valuable time!
Once you learn all the airlines travel terms, you won’t be dependent on your local travel agent anymore, and he/she won’t be able to collect all the wonderful service fees from you for being your traveling interpreter.
The price of your travel flight is based on many intricate components that the airlines reservations department implement, not to purposely confuse you, but to formulate their airfares and determine what they need to charge each passenger for all flights taken.
Now if you already know most of these airlines flight terms, then that’s ok. However, there are many people that are new to traveling, and are now beginning to use online air suppliers to capitalize on the great deals they offer. But when you’re making that reservation, you want to understand why the flight you selected is so cheap, and what are the reasons for the low pricing.
Misunderstanding in Airline Terms can cost you more money!
Most of the airlines service terms you will come across will play a big factor on whether you pay an expensive price for you ticket, or getting the discounted travel deals you’re looking for in the first place. I will explain the most common industry terms that many people get confused about:
Nonstop versus Direct or Through Service: Don’t get this one confused, because many airline companies don’t explain this properly. Nonstop means exactly that, and most travelers want these flights, so they book-up quickly. You fly from your origin and land at your desired destination without any stops in between.
Direct or Through Service: This can get a little confusing to many individuals. The aircraft even though is en route directly to your destination, it may be making some routine stops on the way, and all passengers must remain on the plane at that time. There are many times when you print your ticket that it will not list the cities that it will be landing in, so it is always wise to investigate a little further, and see how long the stop is going to be in each individual city.
Connecting Flight: When you’re on this type of service flight, now this is treated differently than the other services above. With this type of flight the plane travels from one city to another, however, the passengers must change aircrafts at some point between the origin city and the destination city.
On-line Connections: This is when you change an aircraft but continue to fly with the same carrier. So if you’re flying form Los Angeles to New York on American Airlines. If you make a stop for example in Denver, you will change planes at that airport, but with the same American Airline carrier.
Interline Connection: This is when you as a passenger changes airplanes, but instead of boarding the same company plane you will be on a different airline. For this example, you’re flying from Seattle, Washington en route to San Antonio, Texas. If you were on a United flight, you will have a stop in a city in-between your origin and destination, and let say you have to get on an American carrier to continue your journey. The main reason for this is that the particular airline company may not be flying into certain cities due to particular business reasons, so then they share with competing airline business companies.
Open Jaw: No it’s not when you see the price of your ticket and your jaw drops. This trip is one in which you depart out of one city, and later return from another city. For example: you fly from San Diego, California to New York City, and then return back home from the city of Boston back to San Diego. This can dramatically increase your airline ticket, so if you’re looking to visit a family member in another city that you arrived in, and then depart out of another city where your families live, then carefully check and make sure you understand this term.
Consolidators: A consolidator can be your friend if you understand how they work. Simply put, they purchase tickets from an airline at a rate less than the tariff, with the intention of reselling the tickets to either you the public or travel agencies. They buy tickets in bulk from air carrier companies, and therefore offer substantial savings. If you happen to be wondering what a tariff is, it’s basically set pricing, rules, and regulations all put in place by authorized organizations in the airline industry.
Lets talk types of Fares! If you’re searching for fares online, you will come across a list of different terminologies for your ticket, and it will reflect on the price you end up paying. The airlines distinguish certain fare prices by the terms normal or restricted.
Normal Fares: A normal fare is first class, business class, and economy. These have no restrictions such as advanced reservation requirements or minimum stay stipulations. Such flights are valid for one year from the date of the first flight and can be extended if not used within that period.
Restricted Excursion and Discounted Fares: These have certain restrictions, and that is why they are cheaper to purchase. They’re sold with a number of conditions attached, which most require advanced reservations, and there is normally a minimum and sometimes a maximum stay requirement. Travel dates are pre-determined, and any changes in most cases are subject to a penalty, or at times you can’t make any changes at all!Airlines limit the number of seats at these fares to encourage travelers to book early.
With an understanding how the air travel industry communicates, and how they determine a flight schedule and pricing, you will eventually be able to speak their language, prevent air lingo confusion, and obtain the best flight itinerary and price with this new knowledge!