Bhutan’s Department of Tourism has launched a new Tourism Services Portal, designed to streamline the experience of visitors to the Kingdom. To date, more than 400 Bhutanese tour operators, nearly 1,000 certified guides, 100 hotels, more than a dozen homestays, and several other service providers in Bhutan have joined the site.
A little town known as a backpacker paradise in northern Laos is receiving unpleasant attention after six young travellers are dead and 11 remain in hospital, following a night out drinking in the town of Vang Vieng. All are suspected of consuming drinks laced with methanol.
Norwegian Cruise Line has cancelled almost six months of sailings between November 2025 and April 2026 on three of its ships – Norwegian Dawn, Norwegian Star and Norwegian Jewel. The cruise line said the cancellations were due to ‘fleet redeployment’ according to a communication sent to booked guests and their travel advisors.
HotelPlanner has announced what it says is “a world first that will change how customers find and book their hotels.” HotelPlanner.ai is the first end-to-end AI hotel booking assistant with access to book over one million-plus properties worldwide.
As Notre Dame gears up to reopen its doors in December, Paris is on the verge of a remarkable eco-revival, bringing nature back to the forefront of the City of Light. Beyond restoring the cathedral’s iconic spire and medieval charm, the city has announced plans to revamp Notre Dame’s surroundings — to the tune of €50 million ($75 million) – into a serene, green oasis.
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.
Matt Perrault has shipped animals in and out of Canada on behalf of owners for more than two decades, handling creatures ranging from birds to bearded dragons, rabbits and ferrets. But lately, it’s requests to haul cats and dogs that have been raining down on him.
As unpredictable weather events become increasingly common, it’s important to understand how travel insurance covers bad weather and natural disasters like hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, snowstorms, and more.
Based on research among more than 27,000 travellers across 33 countries and territories (including over 1,000 in Canada) Booking.com looks at some of the unique spots that are at the top of everyone’s lists for 2025. Their Travel Predictions report highlights a collection of diverse destinations offering a wide range of experiences, from serene beach getaways to cultural hubs and adventure-filled landscapes.
Hurricane-force winds of up to 159 km/h have slammed into parts of the British Columbia Coast as a massive storm swirling off Vancouver Island severed highways and cut power to about 225,000 people. Winds exceeding 100 km/h were recorded in multiple areas late Tuesday, with gusts approaching 80 km/h at Vancouver’s airport.
The chief executive of Delta Air Lines says the incoming Trump administration will be a “breath of fresh air” for airlines after what he called government “overreach” under President Joe Biden. However, consumer advocates are understandably wary of a second Trump administration, fearing that it could try to roll back a rule requiring automatic refunds after cancelled flights along with another – deplorably unfair – rule that requires airlines to advertise the full price of fares upfront, including mandatory fees and taxes.
ACTA’s inaugural International Conference kicked off in Portugal’s Azores Wednesday with 150 travel advisors from across the country, plus several partners and media, including Travel Industry Today, for a program of learning and on-the-ground experience in the island archipelago.
Addis Ababa has a bold cosmopolitan vibe, the Dubai-like cityscape changing almost daily with the addition of new skyscrapers. The Ethiopian capital also boasts a rich cultural mosaic, together demanding more than just a stopover. And when doing so, what better way to discover the East African country’s exotic culture than through its food?
Do LGBTQ+ tourists have a green book-like system for staying safe while traveling in these politically precarious times? They don’t have one. They have many. In recent years, there’s been an outpouring of specialized blogs, cruise and tour operators, and booking sites for accommodations.
Manhattan’s famed luxury store row Fifth Avenue is in line for a major makeover. New York City officials have unveiled a plan to transform a central portion of the thoroughfare between Bryant Park and Central Park into a more pedestrian-centered boulevard. The vision is designed to emulate iconic strolling and shopping boulevards such as the Champs-Élysées in Paris.
Starting Nov. 27, Canadians can apply in advance for the United Kingdom’s new Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) form, which will be required by all Canadians entering the UK effective Jan. 8, 2025. Here is everything you need to know.
WestJet has announced its full summer schedule for 2025, and Nova Scotians will be pleased at the return of summer service from Halifax to Paris, along with an expanded service to Western Canada. Travellers headed for Paris will also benefit from the airline’s recently enhanced codeshare partnership with Air France, providing them seamless access to 52 cities across Europe. Additionally, WestJet will kick off service between Nova Scotia’s capital city and Dublin and Edinburgh one month earlier in comparison to the 2024 summer season.
At Israel’s Ben Gurion International Airport, more than a year of war has taken its toll. Global airlines have cancelled flights, gates are empty and pictures of hostages still held in the Gaza Strip guide the few arriving passengers to the baggage claim. But one check-in desk remains flush with travellers: the one serving flights to the United Arab Emirates, which have kept up a bridge for Israelis to the outside world throughout the war.
Thick, toxic smog enveloped New Delhi on Monday as the air quality became increasingly hazardous in the Indian capital. The deadly haze covered monuments and high-rise buildings in the city of some 33 million, with visibility so low that airlines warned of delays.
The ancient Roman Colosseum will be the venue of gladiator fights – albeit staged – for the first time in two millennia under a $1.5-million sponsorship deal with Airbnb that aims to promote “a more conscious tourism.” Critics, however, say the plan is a disgrace that simply eats away at the essence of “the Eternal City.”
Black Friday (Nov. 29) is now considered the biggest shopping day of the year (ahead of Boxing Day), and it’s hard to find a travel supplier that isn’t eager to try to get in on the action which typically extends to Cyber Monday, ‘Travel Tuesday’ (Dec. 3) and, in many cases, the lead up to, and days or weeks following the event. Here, at a glance, are some of this year’s best travel deals – some of them already ongoing and/or offering travel advisors pre-sale access.
Health officials say they have confirmed the first US case of a new form of mpox that was first seen in eastern Congo. The person had travelled to eastern Africa and was treated in Northern California upon return, according to the California Department of Public Health. Symptoms are improving and the risk to the public is low.
Spirit Airlines said Monday that it has filed for bankruptcy protection and will attempt to reboot as it struggles to recover from the pandemic-caused swoon in travel and a failed attempt to sell the airline to JetBlue. But the US’s biggest budget airline said it expects to operate as normal as it works its way through a prearranged Chapter 11 bankruptcy process and that customers can continue to book and fly without interruption.
Direct Travel advisors attended a GEM of an event in Costa Rica; Ensemble has announced its first-ever hosted LGBTQ+ sailing; Virtuoso VIPs assembled in Slovenia; and four Canadian agents were trip winners in Quark Expeditions’ ‘Ultimate Summer in The Arctic Sweepstakes.’
WestJet has released its summer schedule for 2025, featuring 10% growth network wide and domestic growth of 12%. Highlights include two new domestic and three new transborder destinations, along with 11 new routes across its network.
ACTA is encouraging travel advisors to earn Certified Travel Counselor (CTC) or Certified Travel Manager (CTM) status and is offering a 30% discount off registration fees this fall to help them do so. The CTC and CTM certifications are the only designations recognized nationwide in Canada.
As the third named storm to emerge during November, Tropical Storm Sara serves as a reminder that the Atlantic hurricane season hasn’t quite ended. Sara formed in the western Caribbean Sea before making landfall Thursday on the northern coast of Honduras, dumping torrential rains in a slow weekend crawl across parts of Central America.
Some travellers who checked baggage on certain WestJet flights between 2014 and 2019 may now claim their share of a class-action settlement approved by the British Columbia Supreme Court last month and valued at $12.5 million. A statement from Evolink Law Group says anyone in the world who paid a fee for their first checked bag on domestic and international flights during certain periods when they shouldn’t have been charged has until Feb. 10, 2025, to submit a claim.
A bullet struck the body of a Southwest Airlines airplane preparing for departure from a Dallas airport, forcing the cancellation of the Friday evening flight, the airline said. No injuries were reported and law enforcement was contacted after the bullet struck the right side of the aircraft just under the flight deck. At the time, the crew of Flight 2494 was preparing the plane for departure from Dallas Love Field Airport, Southwest said in a statement.
The Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) has unveiled a specialist program for the travel trade designed to heighten awareness of the Caribbean while enhancing visitors’ travel experiences.