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.
Italy continues to hold the world’s highest number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites – 61 in total – with Italian cuisine added to the list of intangible heritage in 2025. Its standing as a leading global cultural destination is firmly established. The deeper story lies in how travellers are interacting with that heritage: which cities are strengthening their appeal, how demand is redistributing geographically, and whether growing visitor volumes are affecting experience quality.
VoX International Inc. has been reappointed as the agency of record for the German National Tourist Office (GNTO) in Canada, effective April 1, 2026, marking the official return of in-market representation following a temporary pause.
Rome’s Colosseum has a bright new look following a restoration using the same travertine marble of ancient Rome to recreate parts of columns from 2,000 years ago. Thousands of Romans once flocked to this arena to watch gladiators battle each other and wild animals. The structure still captures the public’s imagination; it is Italy’s most popular tourist destination, with 9 million visitors in 2025 alone.
With Toronto set to host six matches of the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2026, new research from Destination Ontario highlights significant opportunities for the tourism industry across the province to entice visitors beyond the city around the June 12 to July 2 game window.
Grenada delivers the beach escape vacationers picture when they think of the Caribbean, with a safe, welcoming atmosphere and enough variety to keep every day feeling exciting. The island’s coastline ranges from iconic, postcard-worthy stretches to quieter and secluded bays with warm water and laid-back energy that makes it easy to stay a while.
Vancouver’s council has approved a 250-room floating hotel on the city’s waterfront that proponents say would bring more accommodation capacity and generate economic activity, despite concerns that it would mar water and mountain views.
By CINDY-LOU DALE/ Safari cuisine was once the weakest link in an otherwise extraordinary experience. Lodges typically relied on colonial-era menus, imported ingredients, and dishes that bore little connection to the landscapes in which they were served. But across Africa, that model is being rapidly replaced. A new generation of chefs and lodge operators are reshaping bush dining by embracing indigenous produce, heritage recipes, and hyper-local sourcing.
By MICHAEL BAGINSKI/ Ireland’s tourist board and a host of road show partners wrapped a successful week-long “whistle stop tour” of Eastern Canada at an elegant reception at the Residence of Ireland Toronto Friday after stops in St. John’s, Halifax, Moncton, and Montreal.
The trouble started with a beautiful photo. Social media was soon awash with the lovely view of Japan’s snow-capped Mount Fuji looming over a red pagoda and the short-lived cherry blossoms that herald the approach of spring.
By MICHAEL BAGINSKI/ With new VISIT FLORIDA president and CEO Bryan Griffen headed to Canada for his first official visit in the coming days, the tourism organization’s annual media mission called ahead in Vancouver and Toronto last week to assure that the sun is still shining in the state and that Canadians are still most welcome to come to visit – when they’re ready.
Battered camera phone from 2003? Your thumb appears in every shot? Photos that are somehow ALWAYS slightly out of focus? Decapitate your subjects with terrible composition? If any of this sounds familiar, consider that Icelandair is on the hunt for people with a very specific skill: the ability to take absolutely terrible photos. And it’s willing to pay someone US$50,000 to try to do so.