I get plenty of random e-mail (as we all do) and one of the regular ones persists in advising me who I can expect to see perform at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla., should I be in the neighbourhood, and so inclined. But I must say, the place does present a stellar line-up and in many cases I would if I could, such as an upcoming gig by the great Steve Miller.
By Michael Baginski/ A “reverse” trade mission hosted by New York City Tourism + Conventions last week took on important new meaning as members of the city’s travel trade strived to reverse the current feeling by some Canadians that they are not appreciated or welcome south of the border – a perception perpetuated by well-documented words and deeds of the U.S. president directed towards Canada since taking power (again).
By Michael Baginski/ Clients flying to New York with Porter now have a new option with flights to LaGuardia complementing the carrier’s existing Newark service. And with LGA flights departing from Pearson, travellers can also choose an alternative departure point to the Big Apple than Billy Bishop island airport.
It’s been over 40 years since the heyday of Triumph, but the great Canadian band is still revered, garnering virtually every honorific possible in this country, and now again in the news thanks to the upcoming release (in June) of a tribute album featuring the likes of band devotees Dee Snider (Twisted Sister), Ann Wilson (Heart), Larry Gowan, (Styx), and Sebastian Bach (Skid Row).
By Michael Baginski/ Kicking off today (Monday), a whopping 30 U.S. destinations are taking part in Brand USA’s multi-day Brand USA ‘Canada Connect 2025’ mission, with timely events in Toronto and Montreal that the US DMO acknowledges are taking place at “pivotal moment” amid “shifting travel trends on both sides of the border.”
It’s remembered as the epic coming together of two of the world’s greatest rock bands, The Beatles and Queen. But the momentous jam by Paul, Ringo, Brian May and Roger Taylor – notably aided by a who’s who of musical friends, with a full orchestra, for the rendition of “All You Need is Love” – was so much more.
By Michael Baginski/ Despite cross-border travel woes, the sky is far from falling for travel, according to a panel of top agents at Virtuoso’s recent ‘On the Road’ event in Toronto. Indeed, the biggest takeaway from the session was that travellers are mostly going to travel no matter what, though in the current circumstances, that may simply mean changing destinations – and how agents get them there may require some flexibility and finesse.
By Michael Baginski/ Acknowledging that “you-know-who is trying to stir things up back in D.C.,” California Gov. Gavin Newsom is urging Canadians not to let that “ruin” their beach plans and instead come back to a state he maintains is not only 2,000 miles away from the capital, but also “a world away in mindset.”
By Michael Baginski/ With “passion, pride, and a whole heap of island magic,” the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) celebrated in true Jamaican fashion its 70th anniversary at a gala event in Toronto Monday night with 150 partners and “extended family” at a Harbourfront venue.
My first choice for a Tom Petty song would have been “Free Falling,” but that just seemed cruel coming after the stock market crash. Fortunately, there’s no shortage of great songs from Petty from which to choose, not least “Learning to Fly,” which does fit our travel theme, even if that’s not exactly what he meant by it.
By Michael Baginski/ More than a hundred travel advisors turned out Monday night in Toronto for a gala event hosted by the Moroccan National Tourist Office (MNTO), clearly demonstrating enthusiasm for a destination that is growing in stature for Canadians.
By Michael Baginski/ Virgin Atlantic celebrated its arrival in Toronto on Thursday with its founder Sir Richard Branson at Toronto Pearson International Airport. The route marks Virgin Atlantic’s return to Canada after more than a decade, linking Toronto and London. It is also the third attempt by the British carrier to fly the lucrative YYZ-LHR route.
By Michael Baginski/ Billy Joel was supposed to perform in Toronto in March, marking his first tour date in this country in a decade. Alas, an unexpected surgery forced the Piano Man to cancel the show and several more during his recovery period and he won’t get back to T.O. until next March.
Blue Rodeo needs little introduction. I recall watching them performing at the Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto in the mid-80s – some 40 years and 16 albums ago. Now the beloved Canadian band – whom many would argue is the best ever – has earned every honour there is in this country, from multiple Junos and a Governor General’s Award to being inducted on the Walk of Fame and having a street named after them in downtown T.O.
The Las Vegas Visitor and Convention Authority (LVCVA) is visiting Canada this week, with its Eastern Canada mission concluding in Winnipeg Thursday, following gala events in Montreal and Toronto earlier in the week,
By Michael Baginski/ Tiny Anguilla has a big heart. So says Kimberly King of the Anguilla Tourist Board (ATB), who visited Toronto and Montreal last week to update the trade on the most recent developments on the Caribbean island. “(Anguillans) are very, very friendly and offer warm hospitality,” she said. “(Visiting) us is a very authentic experience.”
The 30th anniversary tour by Riverdance rolled through Toronto this week with fitting timing as those of an Irish persuasion – or just plain Irish at heart – continued to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day on Monday. And thanks to Tourism Ireland, several members of the trade were invited to enjoy the iconic show, which has become as synonymous with the Emerald Isle as shamrocks, leprechauns and Guinness.
By Michael Baginski/ Chris Allison simply wants to say, “G’day, Canada!” And Tourism Australia’s VP for The Americas was in Toronto last week, accompanied by a delegation of tourism partners, to say just that on an annual trade mission designed to show his country’s appreciation of this one, and the 100,000-plus Canadians it welcomes annually.
Monday is St. Patrick’s Day, but festivities of course will transpire throughout the weekend. For some of us the days of drinking (swilling?) green beer may be long past, but dancing a jig or two to a fine Irish tune will never be out of fashion.
Sandals Resorts has a lot of friends, and close to a thousand of them turned out for a gala gathering in New York Tuesday evening to celebrate all things Sandals, but notably major news that its Beaches all-inclusive family brand is embarking on a US$1-billion expansion over the next five years.
VisitBritain hosted a blockbuster film-inspired reception for travel trade in Toronto in support of its new global screen tourism campaign this week. The event followed similar gatherings in Dubai and Australia, with over a dozen more to come to launch the ‘Starring GREAT Britain’ campaign, which features a star-studded film drawing on iconic film and TV moments made in the UK.
Anyone who knows me knows I have a strange connection to perhaps this country’s most admired band, Rush. It stems from having attended the same high school (Newtonbrook in the Toronto suburb of Willowdale) as Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson (though they were a bit before my time); but it’s more than that.
Supertramp is synonymous with the ‘70s with a still memorable string of hits like “Give a Little Bit,” “The Logical Song,” and “Breakfast in America,” but the first was “Dreamer,” the British band’s initial hit from what was to become arguably their best (if not top-selling) album, “Crime of the Century.”
Once coveted as a Canadian province (how does that feel now?), Turks and Caicos bears no ill will. Quite the opposite in fact, as Canada rates as the Caribbean islands’ second largest market after this country’s current would-be colonizers, the US.
On an average day, approximately 47% of Air Canada’s flights and 46% of its customers pass through Toronto Pearson – the airline’s global hub. Because many of its aircraft and customers connect through Toronto at some point in the day, the airline says a disruption at Pearson can impact flights elsewhere in the system, creating a domino effect that can also affect flights not immediately travelling to or from Toronto.
As the snow was piling up at home, even in the torrential rain California was a more desirable place to be than Canada. Such was the case earlier this month as Visit California and some 35 destination partners hosted a couple of dozen members of the Canadian trade for a reverse mission in San Diego, followed by post conference FAMs throughout the state.
A relative pause in Middle Eastern tensions in Israel and the easing of Egyptian visa processing is seeing Canadians flocking back to the Land of the Pharaohs in 2025, according to Goway, which reports that bookings are up 250 percent in the past few months compared to the year before – a year blighted by full-fledged war between neighbouring Israel and Gaza.
“Let it snow,” Saint Lucia tourism execs exclaimed while visiting Toronto this week, as the city (and much of the eastern part of the country) continued to dig out from far too much of the white stuff. And to be clear, Saint Lucia Tourism Authority CEO Louis Lewis smiled, there is no snow on his Caribbean island. “Absolutely none!”
Paul Simon was in the news this week. Not only did the incomparable singer-songwriter appear on the Saturday Night Live 50th anniversary special performing “Homeward Bound” with Grammy Award-winning vocalist Sabrina Carpenter, but he also announced that he plans to tour again – seven years after he said he was calling it quits.
2025 will be a year of continuing momentum for France, according to Atout France, which is rolling out across Canada this week with annual roadshow events in Montreal, Toronto, Calgary, and Vancouver. The forecast is no surprise after a robust 2024 when the country cracked the “magic” 100-million visitor mark thanks to such landmark events as the Summer Olympics in Paris, 80th anniversary of D-Day, and the re-opening of Notre Dame Cathedral.