Canadians Zoom to Scotland

Vivien Devlin recently experienced direct flights between Toronto, Halifax and Glasgow on this enterprising new airline created for the 21st century traveller

It's a fact. There are now almost as many Scots living in Canada as in Scotland with more Scots in Ontario than in Glasgow and Edinburgh combined. In the Canadian census 2001, more than four million Canadians ticked the ‘Scottish Origin' box.

It's heart-warming to hear of such patriotic pride. Many may well be descended from the first Scottish settlers who left the Highlands and Islands during the late 18th and early 19th century on board the emigrant ships heading for Charlottestown, Prince Edward Island and Pictou, Nova Scotia.

It's staggering to think that more than half a million Scots emigrated to Canada between 1901 and 1930 – no wonder that the vast majority of people in Scotland have friends and family living in Canada.

With Scottish ancestral research now a popular pastime as well as the importance of extended family gatherings – and for all Canadians wishing to visit Scotland, the good news for 2004 is the launch of Zoom airlines. Based in Ottawa, this privately owned company was developed to provide superior, low cost scheduled flights between Canada and Europe.

You can now fly Zoom direct from Toronto, Halifax, Ottawa, Calgary and Vancouver to Glasgow.

The company was set up by Scottish brothers Hugh and John Boyle, who have had long experience in the travel and tourism business. From 1975 their first company Falcon Leisure pioneered cheap flights, a concept which led to the development of Direct Holidays. This became one of the leading holiday companie...

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• By : Vivien Devlin
• In : Travel
• Issue : 18
• Page : 64
• Words : 925