He is known as the French Banksy – or simply JR. Now the artist popular across France for large-scale projects, from photographs to graffiti and street art, has transformed Paris’s most famous bridge, the bustling Pont Neuf, into a walk-through “cave.”
In the first four months of 2026, Embratur says Brazil achieved the best results in the history of international tourist arrivals from 10 of the main source markets to the country. In April alone, Colombia, China, Mexico, Portugal, Peru, Canada, the UK, Chile, Australia and Uruguay sent together more than 1.1 million visitors to Brazilian destinations. The total number of arrivals in the first four months of 2026, was 4,333,423.
A structural checkup on Tyra the Dinosaur has determined she’s retaining water, has breathing issues, a fever and wrinkles – but is otherwise far from extinct.
By MICHAEL BAGINSKI/ Brand USA, the destination marketing organization for the United States, has launched a new initiative to encourage travel to the country while at the same combatting “misperceptions” that may give potential visitors pause.
Temperature records toppled as a spring heat wave continued to scorch parts of Western Europe on Tuesday, triggering government warnings about risks to life. Several drownings were reported in Britain and France as people tried to cool down.
The Kingdom of Bhutan will host its first-ever travel exhibition June 11-13 at Zhichenkhar, Thimphu, designed to facilitate tourism to the emerging “Thunder Dragon Kingdom.”
By MICHAEL BAGINSKI/ Last year at IPW, the U.S. Travel Association ducked “the Canadian question.” In fact, it ducked the media altogether. But this year, full marks to the organization (and Brand USA) for facing the music and comprehensively answering the question that Travel Industry Today asked on behalf of all Canadians and the Canadian travel industry: “Where does Canadian travel to the U.S. stand at this moment and what do you have to say to Canadians that might make a difference?”
Rendez-vous Canada (RVC) kicks off today in Toronto with Canada’s largest international tourism trade show set to welcome a record number of international travel buyers and Canadian tourism sellers over the next three days.
With vibrant greenery, blooming flowers and dramatic Atlantic views around every turn, islands across the Atlantic archipelago offer a sensory escape unlike anywhere else in Europe.
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.
Hotel industry and tourism groups in Toronto are optimistic that FIFA World Cup matches will bring many people to the city and boost the local economy despite a lack of surge in hotel bookings and high ticket prices.
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.
Caribbean tourism is entering a new strategic phase, one defined less by rapid post-pandemic recovery and more by the need to diversify demand, capture higher-value travellers, and unlock growth beyond traditional peak periods.
The Costa Rican Tourism Board (ICT), alongside Costa Rican tourism partners and the Canadian team at VoX International, welcomed travel advisors, tour operators and airline representatives to an immersive “Energía Pura Vida” trade networking event last week at Arcadia Earth in Toronto’s The Well.
By CINDY-LOU DALE/ Tokyo’s food is layered: Edo pragmatism, Meiji experimentation, post-war reinvention. These 15 dishes trace the capital’s culinary DNA – but they are only a beginning. In Tokyo, every neighbourhood writes its own menu.
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.
The Dominican Republic Ministry of Tourism hosted the DR Tourism Roadshow Toronto on May 12 at the Four Seasons Hotel Toronto, bringing together travel advisors, tour operators, airline partners, media representatives, and tourism stakeholders for an evening dedicated to showcasing the destination’s latest tourism developments, experiences, and growing connectivity with the Canadian market.
Havana’s broad avenues are empty at night. Theatres are closed. Bars and cafés have curtains lowered. It’s hard to find lights in the streets or Cubans making money entertaining tourists.
At the top of Signal Hill in St. John’s, Nfld., on a recent afternoon, a steady stream of people walked around a rocky cliff and gasped. Some cheered, some took out their phones to capture the moment – a rush of awe as an iceberg floated in the ocean below, cleaved off from a Greenland glacier and delivered by the Labrador current on a cloudless spring day.
Over 50,000 Canadians have visited three casinos in Downtown Las Vegas during the last three months, coinciding with a promotional dollar at par program, which is set to will continue to Aug. 31.
Orlando welcomed 76.7 million visitors in 2025, over one million of them from Canada. The total was the highest ever for the theme park mecca and represented a 1.8% increase over 2024. Canadian visitations, however, declined by 13.3%, but still remained Orlando’s top international market.
Colombia recently brought its tourism momentum to Canada with a multi-city initiative designed to connect travel professionals with the South American country’s most dynamic and fast-growing tourism offerings.
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.”
The flowers in that bright-purple lei you received on your last Hawaii visit almost certainly weren’t grown in the Aloha State. The vast majority of those odorless orchids are imported from Thailand, where it is cheaper to grow and string them into the garlands synonymous with Hawaiian culture.
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.
With travellers increasingly prioritizing value when planning vacations, Visit Myrtle Beach is launching a new destination-wide promotion designed to help visitors get more from their getaway. Through the new “Make More Myrtle Moments” campaign, participating accommodations across South Carolina’s Grand Strand are offering complimentary lodging nights on qualifying stays, making it easier for travellers to extend their time at The Beach while keeping their trip budget-friendly.
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.
Grenada may be known for its beaches, but the island’s natural side is what makes it unforgettable. Travellers can step away from the coast and discover a greener landscape where waterfalls tumble into natural pools, crater lakes sit quietly in the hills and hiking trails lead you to sweeping rainforest views.
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:
Milan has added the title of Olympic city to its long-held monikers as Italy’s fashion and finance capital, a legacy that crowns two decades of growth that reshaped the skyline and boosted investment, tourism and cultural life.