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WHY SUSTAINABLE TRAVEL ISN’T TAKING ROOT: Cost and convenience trump conscience

New insights reveal into how sustainability is shaping travel decisions worldwide, according to data from the Holafly eSIM & Travel Report, which says 42% of travellers surveyed say they actively take steps to travel more responsibly, highlighting a growing awareness of environmental impact among global explorers. However, the data also reveals a clear hierarchy between intention and decision-making.

INTREPID BRAND EVOLVES: Offers properties with purpose

Intrepid Travel has launched ‘Stay Intrepid,’ a new brand extension featuring a curated collection of six properties that offer experience-led, community-driven stays. The range includes five signature properties across Australia, as well as a riad in Morocco, with plans to grow into new destinations in the coming years.  

LIVING LA PURA VIDA: Costa Rica brings special energy to Canada

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.

CHEERS: Ontario extends alcohol service for World Cup

Licensed Ontario restaurants and bars will be allowed to sell alcohol until 4 a.m. during the upcoming FIFA World Cup. The province announced the temporary extension Tuesday morning, saying it would help support tourism and local businesses during the international soccer tournament.

RETAIL ROUND-UP: Agent news, fams & incentives

This week: Ensemble is picking up the pace; a first for TRAVELSAVERS Canada; Travel Counsellors earns royal approval, Brendan Vacations plans Ireland FAMS, Oceania Cruises adds to its Canadian sales team, travel learning platform KORE arrives in Quebec …………

SALT, STEAM AND SOY: Discovering Tokyo’s culinary DNA

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.

JET FUEL FLEXIBILITY: Canadian model gives industry options, says IATA exec

By STUART FOX/ The recent pressure on the supply of aviation fuel globally due to the war in the Middle East has put a spotlight on something most passengers never think about: the fuel in the aircraft. If the war continues, it won’t be long before we see fuel shortfalls in parts of the world. Flexibility could help the industry to make better use of the fuel we have, and airlines keep schedules intact.

ON THE GROUND AT IPW: Sussing out the latest in U.S. travel

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 SQUEEZE IS ON: Transat reveals the cost of high fuel prices

Transat AT Inc. says high jet fuel prices added $70 million in additional costs for March and April compared with the same months last year. The travel company says fuel surcharges have only marginally offset the higher costs because a large portion of its bookings were made before the crisis caused by the attacks on Iran by the U.S. and Israel began.

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC REINFORCES CANADIAN PRESENCE

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.

ROUND-UP: May 11-15, 2026

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.

ICE, ICE, BABY: It’s a banner year for ‘bergs in Newfoundland

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.

TRAVELBRANDS CELEBRATES MILESTONE ANNIVERSARY WITH NEW BRAND

By MICHAEL BAGINSKI/ TravelBrands celebrated its surprising “145 anniversary” at an evening gala at the swank Boulevard Club in Toronto Tuesday evening. And with a ballroom brimming with staff and industry partners – many with long connections to the company – in attendance for the milestone, what better occasion to unveil a new look for the company as it heads into the future?

KEEPING ANTARCTICA DISEASE FREE: Warming world puts visitors at risk

Driven in part by fears that the frozen landscapes of Antarctica may be irreversibly melting away because of climate change, tourism to the bottom of the world is soaring. And experts warn that with more visitors comes an increased risk of contamination, illness and other damage to the continent.

PEARSON TO SPEND BILLIONS ON UPGRADE: Hopes for a third more travellers in seven years

Toronto’s Pearson airport is launching a multibillion-dollar upgrade that aims to boost passenger numbers by more than a third to 65 million a year by the early 2030s. The revitalization plan looks to ramp up traffic and tighten on-time performance with improvements ranging from repaved runways to “modernized retail” and possible terminal expansions.

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