Global business travel professionals are cautiously optimistic as 2026 unfolds ─ despite concerns over balancing travel budgets with costs, traveller safety and satisfaction, and potentially stricter U.S. border and visa requirements.
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.
Introducing Marek Andryszak, the new president of Sunwing Vacations Group. Effective March 16, the travel industry veteran (banner photo) will take the reigns from the retiring Andrew Dawson, the WestJet Group said Thursday.
Porter Airlines inaugurated nonstop flights between Montreal-Trudeau International Airport and Nassau, Bahamas on Thursday, marking the airline’s first Caribbean service from Montreal. The winter seasonal service will operate up to three times weekly and complement existing service from Toronto Pearson and Ottawa.
With the golf season approaching, Tourism Ireland celebrated the country’s long history on the links at a recent Toronto trade event, as well as looking ahead, in particular, to the Ryder Cup – one of the sports pre-eminent events – which will take place on the Emerald Isle in 2027.
Just in time for the Super Bowl on Sunday, Visit California has announced a new partnership with the National Football League (NFL) that makes the Golden State an Official Partner of the NFL in Canada.
Pointing to new air routes from Canada and arrivals from this country up 15% since November over the same period the previous year, the Cuba Tourist Board in Toronto is countering the recent narrative that the island’s tourism industry has become unstable under the gaze of Donald Trump.
Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon says he will not interfere with the work of regulators after Donald Trump threatened to decertify Canadian-built planes unless the government greenlights Gulfstream business jets.
By Michael Baginski/ The Arizona Office of Tourism called in Canada this week – an annual reverse migration to Toronto and Vancouver designed to emphasize the state’s long-standing relationship with this country, unperturbed by any other rhetoric that may be emanating across the 49th parallel.
The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Investments & Aviation is reporting a historic new milestone for the nation’s tourism industry, welcoming an unprecedented 12.5 million visitors, the highest total ever recorded and marking back-to-back record years.
Luxury and experiential travel network Virtuoso has unveiled its next level of “epic experiences,” aggregated form its 2026 Luxe report – an annual forecast highlighting how, where and why savvy travellers will be exploring in the year ahead.
G Adventures and National Geographic Expeditions have unveiled ‘National Geographic Signature with G Adventures’ – a new collection of high-end travel experiences offering rare access to the world through the lens of National Geographic, focused on expert education and immersive experiences that ensure meaningful benefits for local communities.
Canadians are preparing to spend a record amount on travel this year, according to Allianz Global Assistance Canada’s (Allianz) latest Vacation Confidence Index Study. Total vacation spending is projected to reach an unprecedented $47.6 billion in 2026, a 22% increase over last year, signaling a resilient desire to travel despite financial headwinds.
By Crystal Greene/ Inuvik resident Harley Minakis was on his way home from visiting his daughter in Costa Rica last month – transiting via “Houston” airport – when a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer stopped him.
Cayman Islands closed 2025 with record-breaking December visitation and continued positive momentum in stayover arrivals supported by strong airlift capacity, robust performance in key markets, and notable gains from Canada and the United States, reports the islands’ department of tourism.
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.