By MICHAEL BAGINSKI/ Fifteen years ago when I wrote about Dina Bertolo’s (first) retirement from Thomas Cook North America, I dubbed her “Queen Dina” – a name that not surprisingly stuck. But just when she thought she was out, the travel industry, as it does, pulled her back in, and another dozen eventful years at Air Canada Vacations ensued.
By MICHAEL BAGINSKI/ Readers (and pretty much anyone who has ever met me) will have heard me reflect on many unique and sometimes unusual two or three degrees of separation from Rush, including most notably having gone to the same high school as Geddy and Alex (though not at the same time). That particularly includes my wife, who has her own connection to a great (sort of) Canadian band – The Cult.
By MICHAEL BAGINSKI/ Every year, Saint Lucia’s Coconut Bay Beach Resort & Spa does “a ton” of enhancements to ensure the popular all-inclusive remains fresh for guests, and this year is no exception. During the resort’s annual fall closing, CBBR will totally renovate its family side – the Splash wing – following 2025’s makeover of the adult’s-only Harmony side.
By MICHAEL BAGINSKI/ An expected group of 300 agents and supplier partners across Goway’s roster of 20-plus destinations in Asia is convening today (Tuesday) at the Chelsea Hotel in Toronto, at the tour company’s inaugural Asia Forum, reflecting just how popular the region is right now for travellers, says Goway VP for Asia, Moira Smith.
By MICHAEL BAGINSKI/ Held every July and early August, Antigua and Barbuda Carnival is far more than a festival, it’s a living expression of the islands’ history, identity, and spirit.
By MICHAEL BAGINSKI/ A casual conversation at an industry luncheon the other day (long story) revealed that my considerably younger colleagues were oblivious to the existence of Live Aid, the epic, generational concerts in London and Philadelphia in 1985 that were organized to raise funds for Ethiopian famine relief. (Woodstock was vaguely recognized).
By MICHAEL BAGINSKI/ Never mind MAGA, Amarillo, Texas has embraced a different vibe: Make America Cowboy Again. Located in the heart of the state’s northern Panhandle, the city is having a moment in the West Texas sun thanks in part to the booming interest in western and cowboy culture generated by the hit TV show “Yellowstone.”
By MICHAEL BAGINSKI/ At IPW – U.S. Travel’s biggest event of the year – it’s the host destination that always resonates with regular attendees long after the business part of the signature trade show ends. News comes and goes year after year, and meetings have a business-as-usual demeanor, but it’s the events and galas, the weather, the food, the vibe, that stick.
By MICHAEL BAGINSKI/ With “elbows up” tourism in full force, as well as increasing interest in Canada from abroad, Rendez-vous Canada (RVC), wraps up in Toronto today (Friday) having hosted a record number of international travel buyers and Canadian tourism sellers – a peak performance symbolized by an opening night reception attended by many of the 1,500 delegates at the top of the CN Tower.
By MICHAEL BAGINSKI/ “Stateboro Blues” is remarkably still as a staple, nearly 100 years after the song was written. Stick with me here: the modern version of the song is most notably a classic Allman Brothers tune, pre-eminently known from the band’s iconic 1971 album “At Filmore East” (considered by some the best southern rock album of all time).
By MICHAEL BAGINSKI/ Even as U.S. Homeland was threatening travel chaos by withdrawing U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers from airports in U.S. “sanctuary cities, the U.S. Travel Association’s signature annual travel trade show IPW 2026 wrapped up on Friday, having drawn nearly 5,000 delegates from over 60 countries, including Canada, over the event’s four full days last week in South Florida.
By MICHAEL BAGINSKI/ The Big Texan Steak Ranch and Brewery Is more than a restaurant, it’s an empire. The family-owned establishment in Amarillo serves over 600,000 lbs of beef a year to more than 600,000 guests and ranks as arguably the top attraction in the Texas Panhandle city that is also home to the famed Cadillac Ranch art installation immortalized in song by Bruce Springsteen.
By MICHAEL BAGINSKI/ The Eagles were blessed with three great singer-songwriters: Don Henley, Glenn Frey, and Joe Walsh. And then there as Randy Meisner, who quietly penned, or contributed to some memorable efforts, not least one of the band’s signature hits, “Take It to the Limit.”
By MICHAEL BAGINSKI/ IPW, the U.S. Travel Association’s signature annual trade show, kicked off Monday in sunny Fort Lauderdale with thousands of industry delegates from around the world on hand to buy and plan future product, but also to suss out for themselves just what’s happening in America at this moment, and yes, to enjoy the incredible warmth and hospitality (and entertainment) that is always on display from both the hosts and exhibitors from across the entire country.
By Michael Baginski/ Bruce Springsteen’s “Cadillac Ranch” (1980) wasn’t a radio hit, but the upbeat rocker quickly became a beloved song in the Boss’s repertoire and a concert staple. But who knew it was based on a real place?
By MICHAEL BAGINSKI/ TravelBrands celebrated its surprising “145 anniversary” at an evening gala at the swank Boulevard Club in Toronto Tuesday evening. And with a ballroom brimming with staff and industry partners – many with long connections to the company – in attendance for the milestone, what better occasion to unveil a new look for the company as it heads into the future?
By MICHAEL BAGINSKI/ Canadian visitations to the U.S. have bottomed out and are set to rise for the next five years, according to the latest U.S. Travel Forecast. Newly released by the U.S. Travel Association, the report says the turnaround has already started (2026), but it won’t be until 2030 until visitations surpass the heady pre-pandemic numbers of 2019 when 20.7 million Canadians crossed border.
By MICHAEL BAGINSKI/ Nothing says love like tender sliced brisket, smoked ribs, corn bread and a hearty helping of “the best mac and cheese in the city.” And while served up in T.O. rather T.X. (at the delightful SmoQue N’ Bones on Baldwin), the feast was designed to provide a literal taste of the State – or, put another way, perhaps, “barbecue tourism.”
By MICHAEL BAGINSKI/ Some situations just call for Bad Manners. The band, that is. And I think the world could use a little more of the effervescent British “two-tone” outfit led by the irrepressible singer Douglas Trendle (aka Buster Bloodvessel) right about now.
By MICHAEL BAGINSKI/ Surprising San Antonio – which offers its own unique twist on what it is to be a Texas town – at last boasts direct service from Canada – courtesy of Air Canada, which now flies three times weekly (through Oct. 23) from Toronto to the state’s most colourful destination.
By MICHAEL BAGINSKI/ Finnair celebrated the inauguration of a new direct flight from Toronto to Helsinki on Monday (May 4) with the arrival of Finnair flight AY 31 to a traditional water salute at Pearson airport in the early evening. The service marks a return of Finland’s national carrier to Canada after an 11-year absence.
By MICHAEL BAGINSKI/ There’s no better time to be a travel advisor, says the head of one of Canada’s leading IC organizations, Trevello. In fact, it’s sexy, laughs Zeina Gedeon, who has seen both sides of the coin – as a top gun at Air Canada/ACV and now as CEO of the former TPI – which has been around for over 30 years in Canada, yet is still energetically building for the future.
By MICHAEL BAGINSKI/ Canadian travel to the U.S. may be down, but tourism types from the Big Apple regard the dip simply as a momentary “pause” in long-standing relationship between neighbours and friends that has withstood the test of time, and will withstand current circumstances.
By MICHAEL BAGINSKI/ The Gunter hotel in San Antonio, Texas, wears its musical heritage on its sleeve. So much so that every room in the 116-year-old property (part of the Marriott portfolio since 2018) is furnished with its own turntable and copy of a record album by Robert Johnson, “King of the Delta Blues.”
By MICHAEL BAGINSKI/ Nexion’s first dedicated Canadian conference was a big hit this week – literally – as many of the approximately 125 attendees concluded the two-day event at the Toronto Airport Marriott by busing to the ballpark to see the Jays beat the Red Sox on Tuesday night.
By MICHAEL BAGINSKI/ Air Canada has wrapped up its first season of flying to Guadeloupe from Toronto, but that hasn’t stopped us dreaming about returning when the flights resume next winter. But what we’d really like is to be there right now. Enjoy this photo essay:
By MICHAEL BAGINSKI/ It’s hard to believe that its been almost 20 years since Robert Plant and Alison Krauss first collaborated on the album “Raising Sand” (2007), uniquely pairing the Led Zeppelin icon with the bluegrass goddess icon (Union Station).
By MICHAEL BAGINSKI/ Charlie Watts had a life beyond his day job – keeping time for The Rolling Stones. In fact, the late Watts was a dedicated jazz drummer, who led his own band, The Charlie Watts Quintet.
By MICHAEL BAGINSKI/ More than 70 members of the Canadian travel trade turned out – or up, more accurately – for a Bermuda Tourism Authority event at the top of the CN Tower last week that, fittingly, offered the latest updates on what continues to make the mid-Atlantic island a top travel destination.
By MICHAEL BAGINSKI/ Grenada Tourism Authority director of sales Sekou Stroude was holding forth at an event in chilly Toronto last week when he surmised that many of those in the audience might just be wondering, “Why am I here in this cold?”