Tourism Ireland, in collaboration with Air Canada and four travel industry partners from Ireland, celebrated the 30th anniversary of Riverdance with travel trade professionals in Vancouver last week, following a similar event in Toronto earlier in the spring.
The European Union and the U.K. have reached an agreement to ease cross-border travel and trade in Gibraltar after years of post-Brexit wrangling over the contested territory. EU Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič called the deal “a truly historic milestone (that) benefits everyone and reinforces a new chapter in the relationship.”
Following its return to Antarctica in October, G Adventures is doubling its polar program with the relaunch of Artic voyages in June 2026, its first operations in the region since 2019. Small expeditions cruises will sail across the Arctic circle, including Iceland, Norway and the Scottish Isles in some of the most remote regions in the world.
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.
The lone passenger to survive the Air India crash Thursday found himself near debris after being thrown out of the plane and walked to a nearby ambulance for aid, a medic said. The fiery crash enroute to London, killed at least 241 people, including one Canadian, and is one of India’s worst airline disasters in decades.
Transat A.T. Inc. hopes to turn Canadians’ aversion to U.S. travel into a boon as it bets on new routes to the Caribbean, Mexico and Europe rather than destinations in the land of Donald Trump. Chief executive Annick Guérard made the case Thursday for a winter schedule that includes fresh flights between Toronto and Guyana, Fredericton and Cancun, Mexico, and Quebec City and Martinique.
Consumer concerns about the economy are sparking changes in bookings, according to a new survey of advisors affiliated with TRAVELSAVERS Canada agencies. Notably, the high cost of travel is the top concern of clients, cited by 62% of the responding advisors. Related, 46% named unfavourable exchange rates as a client concern.
Men plan to take more trips, spend more money, and explore more international destinations than women in 2025, according to the Spring 2025 Global Rescue Traveller Sentiment and Safety Survey. These gender-based differences in travel behaviour point to a clear divide in post-pandemic confidence amongst global travellers.
The federal government is set to announce details of its promised “Canada Strong Pass” next week and the tourism initiative is expected to take effect expected to be available from June 20 until the end of August.
Members of the US travel industry are being urged to oppose a proposed budget cut for Brand USA that would see the organization’s maximum share of the ESTA fee reduced from $100 million to just $20 million, thereby severely limiting international marketing of the United States.
Return trips by Canadians from overseas countries rose 9.8% to 1.1 million in May compared to a year ago, according to Statistic Canada, which reports that, at the same time, U.S. returns fell 24.2% year over year to 488,800.
WestJet and Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS) announced a new interline partnership agreement that enhances seamless connectivity across the Atlantic and throughout the Nordic countries. WestJet guests will gain single-ticket access to 29 destinations across Denmark, Sweden and Norway including key cities such as Copenhagen, Oslo, Stockholm, Gothenburg, Luleå and Malmö.
Donald Trump wants to clear the way for supersonic flights again. To that end, the US president has instructed the FAA to eliminate the 1973 speed restriction that prohibits flights over Mach 1 and replace it with a noise standard.
From A-list celebrities to repeat travellers, it’s well known that the Dominican Republic is rife with luxury, from lavish resorts brimming with top-tier amenities and premium experiences, to picturesque landscapes that hold unlimited opportunities for exploration, and city centres that showcase the impressive architecture of the past while also looking to the future.
By Michael Baginski/ With thousands of travel trade professionals from around the world – typically including well over a hundred Canadians – set to descend on Chicago this weekend for the U.S. travel industry’s signature IPW trade show (June 14-18), the U.S. Travel Association has issued a notable and sign-of-the-times guide to entering the country for delegates.
East coast connectivity is being boosted by the launch of two new routes from Porter Airlines – Toronto to Deer Lake, Nfld., and YYZ to Charlottetown. The former began yesterday (June 10), the latter takes flight Friday (June 13). The flights open up additional travel possibilities across the country, with connecting options via Toronto linking to Western Canada.
By Michael Baginski/ It was a nice gesture – cruising around the islands of Toronto harbour (on a still chilly night in June, egads) – but the Bermuda Tourism Authority’s (BTA) trade event on Monday night certainly made one thing crystal clear: It would have been better to be in those islands (there are in fact, 181 of them).
This week: Carnival Cruise Line is celebrating travel advisors in June; Travel Leaders’ Edge conference has been a SNAP for Canadian advisors; TRAVELSAVERS Canada adds new agencies; Direct Travel unveiled a new commission tracking tool; and WestJet Vacations was busy entertaining and educating travel advisors both at home and abroad.
A new survey south of the border says a growing number of American travellers are deliberately steering clear of certain countries – including Canada – due to fears of being unwelcome. The attitude is driven largely by concerns over the global fallout of US foreign policy, according to the Spring 2025 Traveller Sentiment and Safety Survey conducted by Global Rescue.
Thailand plans to tighten regulations on cannabis sales after cases of tourists attempting to smuggle the drug out of the country soared in recent months. Thailand became the first country in Asia to decriminalize cannabis in 2022, which has boosted Thailand’s tourism and farming and spawned thousands of shops.
Ontarians are travelling this summer, but confidence is low that their plans will go as expected according to new data from the Travel Industry Council of Ontario (TICO), which also shows a strong domestic travel trend across all age groups in 2025. At the same time, international and U.S. travel intentions reveal a clear generational divide, with older Canadians more likely to steer clear, according to the provincial regulator.
With 28 active wildfires in the province – 10 of which are out of control – and the province under a state of emergency, Manitoba is urging tourists to reconsider visiting as it works to find shelter for a flood of wildfire evacuees now reaching 21,000.
President Donald Trump’s new ban on travel to the U.S. by citizens from a dozen countries took effect Monday with relative calm, as some travellers with valid visas reported extra scrutiny at American airports before being allowed entry.
Air Canada’s newest international flight from Toronto launched service to Prague, Czech Republic, on the weekend, the latest of the carrier’s newly inaugurated European routes, which also included Montreal-Porto, Portugal last week.
The Nobu Hotel Toronto is now officially open. Following the opening of its popular restaurant in 2024 and the debut of its residences, the hotel completes the Nobu’s first integrated property under one roof, located in the city’s entertainment district.
Sunwing Vacations and WestJet Vacations Québec are set to introduce Managua, Nicaragua, as an exclusive sun destination for Quebecers this winter. Beginning Dec. 18, weekly nonstop service from YUL to MGA will be operated on board WestJet every Thursday until April 9, 2026.
The American ambassador to Canada is pushing back on Ottawa’s travel advice on travel to the U.S. that warns Canadians should “expect scrutiny” of electronic device when entering the country. “I’m not denying that it happened, but I’m saying it’s an isolated event and it is not a pattern,” said U.S. Ambassador Pete Hoekstra. He further stated that some Americans are complaining about getting a frosty reception at Canadian customs.
The U.S. State Department instructed U.S. embassies and consulates on Friday not to revoke visas previously issued to people from 12 mainly African and Middle Eastern countries now under President Donald Trump’s new travel ban, which went into effect today (Monday).
By Michael Baginski/ More than 250 travel advisors turned out last week in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver to experience the La Pura Vida lifestyle as a delegation of more than a dozen suppliers from Costa Rica, plus the country’s tourism minister, made the case that there’s no better time for Canadians for visit.
Transat AT Inc. says it has restructured its pandemic-era debt in a deal that forgives hundreds of millions of dollars owed. Most of that reduction is due to about $380 million of debt forgiven under the agreement in principle. The Montreal-based company, which owns Air Transat, said it had cut its total debt with a federal Crown corporation by more than half to $334 million from $772 million.