HOW TO TRAVEL IN EXTREME HEAT
Sizzling temperatures are more than an inconvenience: They can cause heat exhaustion and life-threatening heat stroke – especially when travelling. Being prepared is the best way to beat the heat.
News
BORDER BLUSTER: Despite claims, drug seizure down at Canada-U.S. border
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials told a hearing on Capitol Hill on Tuesday that there’s been a significant drop in drug seizures at the border with Canada.
VISA TAPS TRAVEL MARKET: Mobile booking platform marks expansion beyond payments
Visa has launched its own travel platform – a move the digital payment service company says marks a strategic expansion of its role beyond simply payments.
OUT OF GAS: Cuba’s famous antique cars sit idle
A worsening fuel crisis across Cuba is testing the island’s famed “almendrones,” the vintage American cars that serve as vital shared taxis and embody the island’s ingenuity and endurance.
CHORUS OF CONCERN: WTTC joins calls to fix chaotic EES system before it’s too late
The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has joined the chorus of concern raised by Europe’s airport and airline community regarding the implementation of the Schengen Entry/Exit System (EES), urging governments to fix the chaotic system before it turns off tourists for good.
TRAVELPORT ADDS AC FLIGHT PASS CAPABILITY FOR NDC BOOKINGS
Travelport has announced the introduction of Air Canada Flight Pass capability within TripServices API and Smartpoint enabling Travelport-connected agencies to shop and book eligible Air Canada NDC offers using Flight Pass credits directly within the Travelport+ platform.
BARCELONA WARNED OVER CRUISE TAX HIKE: Tripling fee may have unintended consequences, says WTTC
Barcelona looks to set to increase its tourist tax on cruise ship passengers – a move approved by city council that would see fees nearly triple to €30 (CDN$48) for passengers on ships that spend less than 12 hours in the Spanish city.
RETAIL ROUND-UP: Agent news, fams & incentives
This week: ACTA agents discovered Iceland with Aurora Expeditions, First in Service agents access the effects of the Iran war; Saint Lucia gave out its Grand Piton Awards; and Transat Distribution Canada took top agents to Portugal; and Collette unveils its new Selling Playbook for Travel Advisors … more
G ADVENTURES KICKS OFF SMALL GROUP SOCCER TRIPS
New (and always) football/soccer fans can carry on the World Cub experience as G Adventures launches “Away Games,” a new series of premium trips, designed to bring football/soccer enthusiasts together to celebrate the community, traditions and the passion that comes with football culture.
JET HITS DRONE: JetBlue incident shows growing threat to passenger planes
A passenger jet reported striking a drone while approaching JFK International Airport on Monday, and just hours later, a helicopter pilot alerted a close call with a remote-control airplane near the same airport.
HOW TO RENT AN RV: And what to consider before a Canadian staycation
Canadians are hitting the road in RVs once again as summer kicks off and vacationers look for cheaper ways to get away. However, enthusiasts say those looking to rent a recreational vehicle should give careful consideration to their travel needs and budget and plan their trip with an eye to everything from RV size to campground locations to electrical hookups.
NOT JUST A TRAIL: Trans Canada Trail reaches 30,000 km, seeks to ensure future
The Trans Canada Trail – the longest multi-use trail system in the world – has reached a major milestone: more than 30,000 kilometres of trail connecting every province and territory and all three coastlines.
INTERIM SCIENCE CENTRE OPENS ON TORONTO WATERFRONT
The interim location of the Ontario Science Centre is now open to the public, as construction gets underway for a new, permanent home at Ontario Place set to open in 2029.
BIGGER IS BETTER AT NEW NUNAUT AIRPORT TERMINAL
Nunavut’s new Rankin Inlet airport building is now operational. Originally planned to open in April, the building is over three times the size of the old one.
‘A BIT OF A SMACK’: Advisors brace for July 1 commission cuts
With reduced commissions from Air Canada coming into effect this week (July 1) industry associations say the cost-cutting move attributed by the airline could hurt the income of thousands of travel advisors.
70,000 MISSING: Here’s how to help Venezuelan earthquake victims
Efforts by local and international rescue teams to pull survivors from the rubble grew increasingly desperate in Venezuela on Sunday, four days after two powerful earthquakes shook the northern state of La Guaira.
BRITISH AIRWAYS, PORTER ANNOUNCE CODESHARE
Effective July 8, a new codeshare agreement between Porter Airlines and British Airways will take effect, giving British Airways customers seamless access to travel on 17 select Porter Airlines domestic routes in Canada including Ottawa, Edmonton and Winnipeg.
EUROPE OVERWHELMED BY HEAT: Record-breaking temperatures spreads east
Temperatures soared to record highs from Switzerland to the Czech Republic and Denmark on Saturday, as a heat wave that baked western European countries last week moved to central and eastern parts of the continent.
CALIFORNIA, HERE SHE COMES: New York’s Coker takes top tourism post in Golden State
Visit California today announced Julie Coker has been named the organization’s next – and only second ever – president & CEO, succeeding longtime leader Caroline Beteta, who announced her retirement earlier this year. Coker will assume the role Oct. 1, swapping coasts from New York, where she was president & CEO of NYC Tourism + Conventions.
LAST WEEK THIS MORNING: June 22-26, 2026
A round-up of 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.
DISPLACED CUBA PAX CHOOSING D.R. AND MEXICO
Sunwing Vacations, now Canada’s largest former supplier of Cuba vacations, says it has seen a dramatic switch in bookings to the Dominican Republic in place of the troubled Caribbean island.
WESTJET LATEST TO TRIM FUEL SURCHARGE, OTHERS HOLD STEADY
Some Canadian airlines are scaling back fuel surcharges as fuel prices fall, while others are holding steady for now.
WATCH WHAT YOU SAY: Tourist faces five years for racist remarks in Brazil
Brazil’s federal police detained disembarking airline passenger in Sao Paulo’s international Guarulhos airport for racism on Wednesday, the latest in a series of high-profile arrests of foreign tourists on similar grounds.
IT’S ONLY NATURAL: Natural phenomena outshine events as travel catalyst
Rare natural phenomena such as auroras, solar eclipses, wildebeest migrations and volcanic eruptions are the strongest catalysts for event-driven international travel, surpassing sporting events, concerts and festivals, according to a new survey of global travellers.
TRADING VOLUME FOR VALUE: Longer, higher spend trips are driving strong summer
Canadian travellers are prioritizing longer, higher-value trips that are driving strong growth for the summer, according to new data from Virtuoso. Notably, while demand for travel to the U.S. has softened, the travellers who are going are spending significantly more, and Canadian summer travel overall is pacing well ahead of last year.
‘MORE CHILL THAN AMERICA’: Toronto gets high marks from soccer fans
Halfway through Toronto’s World Cup hosting journey, visitors from around the world say the city has offered them much more than soccer.
WESTJET POSTS TOP ON-TIME PERFORMANCE
Hailing the ranking as a “major milestone in operational excellence,” WestJet reports it has earned a place among the world’s most on-time airlines in the latest Cirium On-Time Performance Report.
QANTAS PLANS WORLD’S LONGEST FLIGHT: 22 hours much better than four days
Qantas Airways plans to launch the world’s longest direct flight next year, a service of up to 22 hours nonstop between London and Sydney.
WESTJET HITS NEW HEIGHTS WITH JAYS: Unveils branded plane to mark partnership renewal
By MICHAEL BAGINSKI/ With nearly 1,000 WestJetters, Toronto Blue Jays representatives – including legendary players Pat Borders and Edwin Encarnacion – and community members in attendance, WestJet celebrated the renewal of its long-standing partnership with the Toronto Blue Jays Tuesday by unveiling a new co-branded plane that will take the iconic Jays logo to 35,000 feet, and wherever the plane flies.
CUBA ‘EMPOWERS’ TRAVEL SECTOR: Details emerge from unprecedented economic package
As part of an unprecedented emergency economic package designed to open up Cuba’s struggling economy, the Cuban government has announced the rollout of a historic package of 176 free-market reforms designed to completely revitalize the island’s travel sector.