VisitBritain is set to host more than 120 international travel trade on educational visits across the UK as part of its flagship ‘Showcase Britain’ event. Starting today (Jan. 23) at Hampton Court Palace outside London, the showcase event will include a delegation of a dozen Canadian retail tourism representatives and VisitBritain staff, along with Travel Industry Today.
If I didn’t know before, I know it now: I want to live in Tahiti – as do, I’ll warrant, the three dozen or so travel advisors who turned out on the coldest day of the year (can you say polar vortex?) in Mississauga Tuesday to get the latest news on the South Pacific destination courtesy of The Islands of Tahiti, a collection of a dozen suppliers whose job it is to inspire people, if not to live, but at least visit the idyllic islands.
The world’s second-most visited country got even more popular in 2024, with Spain’s tourism minister announcing that a record 94 million international travellers visited last year, making it the best year for tourism in the country since records started.
Canadian travel advisors are being urged to unleash their selling potential with an exclusive opportunity to “Sell Your Way to the USA.” The incentive program will see 12 top-selling agents invited on one of a series of FAM trips in 2025 sponsored by Brand USA, in collaboration with Travel Nevada, Travel North Tahoe, Visit Reno, Utah Office of Tourism, Visit Salt Lake, Visit Seattle, and Travel Oregon.
For centuries, Florence’s 16th-century Vasari Corridor was a secret passage that was only accessible to dukes and lords. Now, the raised passageway that connects the Italian city’s Uffizi Galleries to the former residence of the powerful Medici family has reopened to the public after an eight-year restoration project.
2024 was the best year in history for international tourism in Brazil, according to Embratur. The country reached the record mark of 6,657,377 foreign tourists in the year, an increase of 12.6% compared to 2023. In December alone, the country received more than 690,236 international visitors, a number 11.1% higher than that recorded in the last month of 2023.
Nassau Cruise Port (NCP) has broken its annual passenger record, welcoming 5.6 million cruise passengers in 2024. This marks the second consecutive year of record- breaking growth for the port, reflecting global interest in travel to Nassau-Paradise Island and the Bahamas.
Mind the pants. Hundreds of Londoners headed down to the Underground on Sunday afternoon, stripped down to their underwear and travelled around a bit, trying to look as though nothing unusual was going on. As if.
With Italy celebrating a Jubilee year in 2025, Globus says it is setting a new benchmark for travel to the country with its most in-depth portfolio of tours in the country ever. With 33 unique itineraries covering 13 regions, 99 cities, and a multitude of travel styles, Globus declares it is “truly IT when it comes to Italy.”
Thailand’s Cabinet has approved a draft bill legalizing casinos with the aim of boosting tourism. Some forms of gambling, such as betting on boxing and horse racing, are allowed but casinos remain illegal in the Southeast Asian country.
The US Virgin Islands Department of Tourism reports that the destination, which includes of St. Croix, St. Thomas, and St. John, achieved record-breaking passenger arrival numbers in 2024, closing out the year on a high on Dec. 28, on which 4,606 passengers arrived, surpassing the single-day arrival record set earlier in March, 2024.
With an increase in flights this fall/winter season, including a direct Air Canada flight from Montreal that started in December, Los Cabos is anticipating an increase in Canadian visitors to the already popular sun destination on Mexico’s Pacific coast.
New York’s much-debated plan to charge drivers to enter the centre of Manhattan is now in effect, following years of bureaucratic and legal roadblocks. The goals of what is known as “congestion pricing” are designed to reduce gridlock and pollution and raise revenue for public transit.
An undiscovered gem in the mid-Atlantic that boasts European culture and style, lush landscape with plentiful outdoor activity options, great food and wine, year-round moderate climate, and direct air service from Canada (with free stopovers!) – what’s not to love about Portugal’s amazing Azores islands?
The twin-island nation of Antigua and Barbuda has become the first Wellness Destination officially recognized by the Wellness Tourism Association (WTA), satisfying all nine of the WTA’s stringent criteria.
Travel advisors have been called therapists, curators, creators, and “architects of dreams.” Add another honorific: peacemakers. That’s according to Jamaica’s minister of tourism Edmund Bartlett, who spares no hyperbole in describing the important role travel agents play in the world.
The Ulmer Münster in southern Germany is the world’s tallest church. For now, anyway. The Gothic-style Lutheran church’s reign – begun on May 31, 1890 – could end in 2025, when La Sagrada Familia Basilica’s “Tower of Jesus Christ” in Spain is set to be completed.
Every Boxing Day and New Year’s Day, celebrations of Bahamian culture and history take place throughout the destination. Junkanoo, the national cultural festival and parade represents the rich heritage of the African diaspora and is a colourful tradition that speaks to the strength and resilience of the Bahamian people.
Antalya, Turkey, is known for its golden beaches and turquoise waters, but at this time of year, the destination takes on a different persona: the birthplace of Saint Nicholas, the real-life inspiration behind Santa Claus.
Cold temperatures and long nights have arrived in Quebec, but La Belle Province always manages to heat up with a plethora of dazzling festivals and unique opportunities to entice travellers seeking quintessential Canadian experiences during the winter.
Here’s a recipe as essential to Christmas in Britain as turkey, tinsel and mince pies. Mix a fairy-tale plot with topical references, slapstick, song, dance and double entendres. Drench in sequins and spangles, mix vigorously, add some noisy audience participation, and you have a panto.
A new modern art museum designed by American architect Thomas Phifer is now open in Warsaw. The minimalist light-filled structure in the Polish capital is meant to be a symbol of openness and tolerance as the city tries to free itself from its communist legacy.
Air Transat will fly to Berlin in 2025 with the non-stop route taking flight from Toronto on June 10 and operating Thursdays and Sundays on a seasonal basis through Oct. 24. The service will be the airline’s 36th non-stop routes between Canada and Europe or North Africa next year.
Princess Hotels & Hotels celebrated its official opening last weekend in Jamaica, marking the Spanish company’s first property in the country and the biggest hotel on the island in the past 15 years. Not by coincidence, the Jamaica Tourist Board’s (JTB) annual One Love Affair top travel advisor weekend – which included 15 Canadians (and Travel Industry Today) – aligned with the long-anticipated opening, which culminated with a spectacular fireworks display.
The Taiwan Tourism Administration (TTA) in has launched new tourism program designed help Canadian travel agencies working with Taiwanese tourism companies expand their group business to the Asian nation. The Accelerated and Expanded Inbound Tourism Promotion Program offers attractive subsidies to support group travel packages to Taiwan for non-Taiwanese tourists.
Following yesterday’s overview of Porto and the Douro Valley, Travel Industry Today continues its journey through Portugal’s north, which will be serviced by new Air Canada flights to Porto out of Montreal beginning next June. Here’s a quick guide on where to go, what to do, and where to stay in the captivating region.
Universal Orlando Resort has provided a preview of its new 500-room resort, the Universal Helios Grand Hotel, to be located at the Universal Epic Universe theme park, which will open on May 22, 2025. Managed by Loews, the property will have its own dedicated entrance to the park and brings UOR’s portfolio to a total of 11 hotels and 11,000 guest rooms.
“Architect of dreams, therapist, curator and creator…” – all of them rolled into one: travel advisor. And 50 of Jamaica’s best global agents were honoured by the island’s tourist board for being just so over the weekend at the brand-new Princess Grand resort during the Jamaica Tourist Board’s annual One Love Affair celebration and gala.
While many Canadians are familiar with Portugal’s Lisbon and Algarve regions, an amazing abundance of lesser-known tourism opportunities are about to open up in the country thanks to new upcoming Air Canada service from Montreal to Porto, starting in June and running through September.
Despite occasional media focus on disruptions and strikes, 19% of business travellers in North America and 58% in major European markets now opt for trains for domestic travel, according to a new survey. The trend is spurred by new routes, increased productivity and an increasing focus on reducing environmental impact.