This week: Some TICO renewal fees are rising; ACTA introduced its regional council members; redtag.ca unveils its new MICE division; moving up at Virtuoso; and Bermuda has launched travel advisor specialist program; and Brazil is upping the incentives for its agent specialists.
Long-time Canadian travel industry leader (and Travel Industry Today columnist) Mike Foster has joined Travel Industry Solutions (TIS) as Director of Strategic Partners. TIS is a travel-industry legal and payments-technology platform that provides Canadian advisors with compliant client agreements, secure credit-card collection, and real-time fraud detection at the payment-vault level.
UN Tourism reports that international tourist arrivals (overnight visitors) grew by 4% in 2025, as most destinations worldwide posted solid results. According to the first World Tourism Barometer of the year, an estimated 1.52 billion international tourists were recorded globally in 2025, almost 60 million more than in 2024.
Fasttrack is a new initiative from Ensemble designed to help aspiring travel agency owners build sustainable, profitable businesses. The program is designed to support individuals new to Ensemble at the earliest stages of agency ownership through a connection with a host agency within the consortium’s network that best aligns with their needs and goals.
As a new wave of travel advisors enters the industry, the Globus family of brands has released a comprehensive guide to help newer sellers build confidence, capabilities and sustainable businesses from day one.
VisitBritain is hosting more than 70 international buyers – including delegates from Canada – on educational trips across England, Scotland and Wales this week as it seeks to boost growth in its inbound visitor economy, worth an estimated £34.6 billion in 2025.
As Canada warns travellers of food and electricity shortages in Cuba, experts say any move by the U.S. to overthrow the island’s communist leadership would put Canada in a bind much worse than the aftermath of the American armed intervention in Venezuela.
Experts are casting doubt on U.S. President Donald Trump’s ability to ban new Canadian-made aircraft from American skies in a proposed move that would deal a blow to plane makers, airlines and travellers on both sides of the border.
By Michael Baginski/ The salsa dancing inside contrasted with the foot of snow and bitter temperature outside the Lula Lounge in Toronto last week as a small delegation representing Miami tourism reacquainted with close to 80 members of the Canadian travel trade who brave the weather for a colourful evening.
Sunwing Vacations is expanding its portfolio with five new and renovated all inclusive resorts across Mexico and the Dominican Republic, offering travel advisors new options for clients seeking family vacations, adult-only escapes or elevated beachfront relaxation.
By Michael Baginski/ With two feet of snow and wind chill of -30 outside, a young Canadian’s fancy turns to thoughts of… golf. And so it was over the weekend at the Toronto Golf and Travel Show, where the travel trade from this country, and further afield, turned out to inspire thousands of winter-weary attendees dreaming of escape to a sunny destination – and an emerald green golf course.
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.
Demand for cruises remains strong for 2026, with clear signs that younger travellers and luxury consumers are reshaping the industry, according to research from Internova Travel Group, with new data from the leading travel service company revealing rising interest in luxury yachts, short cruises and expedition voyages.
Trump says Venezuelan airspace will reopen to commercial travel and Americans soon can visit. President Donald Trump said Thursday he has informed Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, that he will open up all commercial airspace over Venezuela and Americans will soon be able to visit.
A new survey reveals that 30.4% of Canadian flyers have had luggage misplaced by airlines – the most among travellers from Australia, Canada and the U.S. Moreover, the majority of flyers with lost luggage did not get reimbursed by their airline and the bags were likely to take days to be returned, if at all.
The Bayeux Tapestry, the 11th-century artwork depicting the Norman conquest of England, is set be displayed in the U.K. for the first time in almost 1,000 years. The treasured medieval tapestry will be on loan from France and arrive at the British Museum in London, where it will star in a blockbuster exhibition from September to July 2027.
By Michael Baginski/ The sky may be falling, but that isn’t stopping travellers from taking flight, according to Travel Leaders Network. And that is the best reason for confidence in a world where everyone always seems to be heading into the wind.
From Quito to Copenhagen, Air Canada has announced more flight options for travellers in next winter’s schedule. Among them are increased winter services to Latin America destinations, a new destination in South America, year-round service enhancements to Europe, and two sun destinations from Calgary.
Indian authorities say that they had contained a Nipah virus outbreak after confirming two cases in the eastern state of West Bengal, as several Asian countries tightened health screenings and airport surveillance for travellers arriving from India.
Buoyed by both surging international arrivals and elbows-up domestic tourists, a record 28.2 million visitors came to Toronto in 2025, generating a record $9.1 billion in spending in Canada’s most-visited city.
Intrepid Travel signed a landmark partnership agreement with the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada (ITAC), committing $500,000 over the next five years to support the growth and promotion of Indigenous tourism across Canada.
With the FIFA World Cup set to kick off in June and Summer Olympics on the horizon (after February’s Winter Olympics), the growth and popularity of once-in-lifetime sports travel is sure to continue for Canadians, even as fans continue take in all manner of annual sports, from hockey to baseball, football, basketball and golf in roadtrip excursions across the continent.
Tourism in Cuba is plummeting at a time when the island desperately needs that revenue, with the number of visitors dropping by more than half since 2018. For almost two decades, a steady stream of visitors sparked a boom in tourism, only for the COVID-19 pandemic and severe blackouts to hit, coupled with increased U.S. sanctions.
For decades, guided travel was framed as niche – something travellers “aged into” later in life. However, new data and market indicators show that perception is not only outdated, but also wildly off base, says the globus family of brands.
G Adventures has announced that Cambodia will be the new host for its 2026 GX Summit in Septmeber. Having originally been set to take place in Morocco, the Toronto-based tour operator says the decision to change location reflects GX’s core mission to use travel as a force for good by supporting destinations where community tourism can have the greatest positive impact.
This week: Ensemble helps with hotel groups; Friesen Travel Group celebrates success; MSC Cruises Canada recognizes “excellent” agents; Encore Cruises launches an air booking solution; and the Selling the USA 2027 incentive from Canuckiwi and partners.
Air Canada Vacations has launched its inaugural ‘Europe, Asia, Oceania, South America and Beyond, 2026 Travel Agent Toolkit,’ bringing together several continents and cruises in one place.
Tourists visiting the Trevi Fountain are now going to pay more than just the legendary coin toss over their shoulder to get a selfie in front of one of the world’s most celebrated waterworks. Starting Feb. 1, the city of Rome is imposing a 2-euro ($3) fee for tourists to get close to the fountain made famous by Federico Fellini’s “La Dolce Vita” during prime-time daylight hours.
Canada’s biggest airlines are opposing a court challenge to rules that advocates say prevent travellers from sharing the outcome of passenger complaints made to the country’s transport regulator.
Canadian airlines continued to cancel flights by the hundreds following a record-breaking snowstorm that blasted southern Ontario and Quebec on Sunday and Monday before whirling farther east.