Five places business travel has changed post-pandemic
Ranked ninth in overall business bookings for this year, Canada has been seeing more remote workers in its resort destinations and longer business stays, according to rental property managers. While much of this so far has been driven by Canadian citizens taking advantage of remote work (more than 27% of employed Canadians are said to be taking a workcation this year), international travel here is expected to grow even more: the country removed its testing requirement in April for vaccinated travellers, which some expect will result in an influx of foreign workers and more international conferences.
“We have noticed business travel becoming an ever-increasing part of our business,” said Vancouver resident Connor Griffiths, owner of vacation-rental company Lifty Life. “This is driven by remote workers choosing to make medium-length stays in the off-season, and our move into larger metropolitan cities such as Kelowna and Calgary.”
Griffiths warns that Canada has the highest mobile data costs in the world, so business travellers should come prepared with an internationally supported plan, if possible.
Depending on the industry, business travel tends to focus on Vancouver and Calgary in the western part of the country and Montreal and Toronto in the east. In Vancouver, the boutique OPUS hotel gives guests free cruiser bikes to explore the city and offers a zero-waste cocktail programme. Toronto resident Baruch Labunski, CEO at Ontario-based marketing company Rank Secure, recommends staying at Hotel X Toronto for its green ethos.
“It’s LEED certified, has green rooftops, recycles everything possible, and it’s situated in gorgeous parks and gardens,” he said. “Sure, you could stay at a faceless chain hotel, but I think we should celebrate the return of business travel by cultivating cool experiences, even while we’re working on the road.”
BBC Travel’s As the World Opens highlights the latest destinations opening their borders and explores the exciting things travellers can do there – safely and sustainably.
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