By MICHAEL BAGINSKI/ With record visitations by Canadians in 2025 and this country accounting for 9.3% of all international visitors to Los Cabos, Canada has become the second-largest international source market for the west coast Mexican destination (after the U.S.), say tourism officials. And with airlift continuing to grow, there is no end in sight.
With Cuba currently facing repeated nationwide power outages, including the March 16 island-wide blackout that left roughly 10 million people without electricity, Intrepid Travel says it is cancelling its upcoming trips to Cuba through April 30.
Major U.S. airlines say they are not expecting a significant dent in quarterly profits despite soaring jet fuel costs tied to the war in the Middle East adding hundreds of millions of dollars in expenses. That because strong ticket sales are helping offset those higher costs, executives from Delta Air Lines, American Airlines and United Airlines told investors this week, with all three carriers reporting record bookings this year.
News nuggets, airlines, hotels/resorts, cruising, tours, events, FAMS/incentives, deals, destinations and more are covered in our weekly round-up of travel industry news you may have missed.
A new poll suggests that most Canadians want the government to ban or regulate the use of algorithms to set prices – a common practice in travel – with half of respondents saying the practice of dynamic pricing is unfair because it can result in people paying different prices for the same product.
Cuba is preparing to receive its first shipment of Russian oil this year, just days after the government announced it was operating on natural gas, solar power and thermoelectric plants as severe power outages continue to hit an island whose power grid is crumbling.
Four Seasons opened its first hotel on March 21, 1961, in Toronto. Sixty-five years later, the luxury hotel and hospitality giant boasts a global portfolio of 135 hotels and resorts and 61 residential properties in major city centres and resort destinations in 47 countries.
Finland has once again been ranked the happiest country in the world in the United Nations’ World Happiness Report 2026, marking the ninth consecutive year the Nordic nation has topped the global ranking. (Canada ranked 25th). This year, the message from Finland is simple: happiness starts with switching off, preferably somewhere by a lake and far away from notifications.
Canadians remain passionate about exploring new destinations, but changing global dynamics are reshaping how and where they travel. According to CAA’s Travel Wise National survey, more than half of Canadians (51%) now say geopolitical and economic factors, such as instability abroad, a perception of the U.S. as being less welcoming, and rising travel costs, are influencing where Canadians choose to travel.
WestJet and Air Transat are extending their suspension of flights to Cuba, which was struggling with an island-wide blackout this week amid a ballooning energy crisis.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) released its Long-Term Demand Projections (LTDP) for air travel, showing that global air passenger demand is expected to more than double by 2050.
Travel disruptions continued south of the border as airlines worked to recover from a powerful storm system that had already snarled flight schedules earlier in the week while the partial government shutdown continued to fuel long lines at security checkpoints.
Perhaps signifying a new trending in touring, one of the best-preserved ancient Roman homes on the Palatine Hill is now open to the public for the first time, albeit via a livestreamed tour of its hard-to-reach underground frescoes and mosaics.
Donald Trump turned away from Iran long enough on Tuesday to pledge imminent action against Cuba’s socialist government as his moves against the island bring the U.S.’s longtime opponent deeper into crisis.
Business travellers believe travel for work will get easier over the next five years with optimists (44%) outnumbering naysayers (17%) by more than two to one. And they expect AI to play a key role in improving the business travel experience and trust AI to streamline expense management, according to new research from American Express Global Business Travel (Amex GBT).
The CEOs of American Airlines, Delta, Southwest and JetBlue, are imploring U.S. Congress to restore funding to the Department of Homeland Security and embrace a bipartisan solution to pay federal aviation workers including airport security officers during the partial government shutdown.
This week: TTAND tunes in to luxury; Virtuoso unveils 21 Canadian cruise “icons’; KVI Travel also “evolves” with enhanced luxury offerings; Uniworld University introduces a new course; and Coconut Bay Resort & Spa in Saint Lucia has a bonus for advisors.
By JEN SAVEDRA/ 2026 is proving to be an exceptional year for the Dominican Republic, with official data showing that an amazing 1.22 million visitors arrived in January alone. This “unprecedented surge” represents an 8.7% increase over the previous year, and a 61% increase compared to pre-pandemic levels.
As fears of a global energy crisis rose on Monday, Donald Trump said he demanded about seven countries send warships to keep the Strait of Hormuz open as Iranian strikes continued to rain down on Gulf countries as the week began.
According to new data from the non-profit Angus Reid Institute, the recent acrimonious U.S.-Canada trade relationship, fueled by the economic hostility of the Trump administration, is not reflected in the general views of Americans. Three-quarters (73%) in the U.S. say they have a favourable view of Canada.
More than one in three travellers are thinking about retiring outside their home country, according to the latest Global Rescue Traveller Sentiment and Safety Survey. The results show strong curiosity about international retirement among younger and higher-income respondents, with only about half of all travellers saying they plan to retire domestically.
As the 2026 wave season nears its end, TRAVELSAVERS Canada reports notable double-digit increases in cruise sales across virtually all major categories compared with the same period last year. The strongest gains during the first two months of the year came from expedition and river cruising, which posted year‐over‐year increases of 40% and 15% respectively. Luxury cruise sales increased 14% and ocean cruises grew nine%.
Antoine Gordon has been named the new Business Development Manager, Alberta, Manitoba and Northwest Territories for Sandals Resorts and Beaches Resorts. Based in Calgary, he takes his post immediately.
As spring unfolds across Japan, the nation’s most beloved seasonal spectacle – cherry blossoms (sakura) – progresses northward from the southern islands toward the country’s cooler regions. While the earliest petals have already appeared in parts of Kyushu and Shikoku, the peak of blooming is advancing steadily through central and northern Japan, with many regions just entering their most anticipated viewing period.
Travel agents in the Greater Toronto Area say the economic and political uncertainty in Cuba, fear of violence in Mexico and the impact of a devastating hurricane in Jamaica have forced many people to change their March Break vacation plans, with some choosing to go to new countries and others deciding to stay put.
Ever since the Donald Trump launched his war against Iran on Feb. 28, Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand has said her top priority is helping Canadians who want to leave the Middle East. According to her department, as of Friday, nearly 8,500 Canadians and permanent residents have made it home to Canada from the region, while more than a thousand have left the Middle East for safe third countries.
Formula 1 and its governing body FIA said the Grand Prix races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia will not happen in April because of safety concerns related to the Iran war. F1 was due to race in Bahrain on April 12 and in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah on April 19.
With jet fuel prices rising above $100 as the war in the Middle East disrupts global oil supplies, the cost pressure on airlines intensifies as the summer travel season approaches. Experts say it’s not a question of if airfares will go up, but when, for how long and by how much. The impact may be felt most on long-haul international routes, which burn significantly more fuel than shorter flights.
Trinidad and Tobago’s government has received House of Representatives approval to extend a state of emergency for three months, as the twin-island Caribbean nation struggles with a high level of crime.
News nuggets, airlines, hotels/resorts, cruising, tours, events, FAMS/incentives, deals, destinations and more are covered in our weekly round-up of travel industry news you may have missed.