As the conflict in the Middle East drags on and the global oil supply dwindles, the price of gas continues to hover near historic highs, with no sign of dropping before the travel-heavy summer season kicks off in earnest – or even before it winds down.
Virtually no travellers believe international travel is safer today than it was a year ago, according to new Global Rescue survey data – a striking finding that underscores how deeply risk has become embedded in the global travel mindset.
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.
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.
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.
Economic pressures are real, but Canadians are not giving up on travel. A new survey from the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) shows nearly nine in 10 Canadians plan to travel in 2026.
Havana’s broad avenues are empty at night. Theatres are closed. Bars and cafés have curtains lowered. It’s hard to find lights in the streets or Cubans making money entertaining tourists.
With many Canadians facing greater financial constraints, sentiment around tipping culture is shifting. Over the past few years, customers have seen “suggested” tipping amounts rise, and with more people paying on debit and credit machines instead of cash, they are being asked to tip more often.
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.
By WALLACE IMMEN/ A sleek, dark blue ship with interiors by luxury yacht firm Tillberg Design of Sweden is about to start sailing on Europe’s rivers. Gorgeous, but you can’t just book a single cabin, you have to commit to the whole ship. The Transcend Connect is only the first of 12 ships planned by Transcend Cruises, that sees an untapped demand for group charters on Europe’s rivers.
By Michael Baginski/ Bruce Springsteen’s “Cadillac Ranch” (1980) wasn’t a radio hit, but the upbeat rocker quickly became a beloved song in the Boss’s repertoire and a concert staple. But who knew it was based on a real place?
The European Union’s energy commissioner said Wednesday that while there is no immediate threat to jet fuel supplies, the possibility of a longer-term shortage cannot be ruled out.
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?
As talk of privatization swirls, the head of Toronto’s Pearson airport says the existing public ownership model has served travellers well – but she remains open to “enhancements” that tap into private-sector investment.
Over 1,700 passengers and crew on a British cruise ship were ordered to remain on board after an outbreak of gastrointestinal illness, French authorities said Wednesday. They dismissed any link to a deadly hantavirus outbreak on another vessel that has put European health authorities on alert.
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.
Over 50,000 Canadians have visited three casinos in Downtown Las Vegas during the last three months, coinciding with a promotional dollar at par program, which is set to will continue to Aug. 31.
Travel and tourism not only always recovers from a crisis – whether its recession, pandemic, or war – but typically accelerates as well, according to a new report from the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC).
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.
WestJet has signed a new codeshare deal with Fiji Airways, a move that will make it easier for travellers to head to the South Pacific. The agreement will allow guests to travel across both airlines’ networks under a single booking.
This week: Trevello held its annual AGM in Belfast, Tourism Ireland host travel agents on a FAM with TourRadar, and ‘tis the season for travel agent advisory boards, with news from ACV, Antigua & Barbuda, and TICO; also, and Windstar Cruises introduced a marketing program for advisors, while more suppliers offer travel advisor month incentives.
The Hong Kong Tourism Board has introduced a new Director for Canada. Based in her home city, Toronto native Beverly Cheng brings a global perspective to the HKTB, shaped by more than a decade living and working in Hong Kong.
Orlando welcomed 76.7 million visitors in 2025, over one million of them from Canada. The total was the highest ever for the theme park mecca and represented a 1.8% increase over 2024. Canadian visitations, however, declined by 13.3%, but still remained Orlando’s top international market.
By MICHAEL BAGINSKI/ Canadian visitations to the U.S. have bottomed out and are set to rise for the next five years, according to the latest U.S. Travel Forecast. Newly released by the U.S. Travel Association, the report says the turnaround has already started (2026), but it won’t be until 2030 until visitations surpass the heady pre-pandemic numbers of 2019 when 20.7 million Canadians crossed border.
Ontario’s health minister says three people in the province with connections to a deadly hantavirus outbreak are not currently being tested for the rodent-borne illness. Sylvia Jones says the three individuals – a couple in Grey Bruce and a person in Peel Region – are still asymptomatic and isolating.
Air India has slashed its flight schedule due to soaring jet fuel prices, leaving Canadian residents hoping to visit the subcontinent with fewer options and higher fares. In an internal message to staff CEO Campbell Wilson said the airline has cut flight volumes for April and May, with plans for more schedule trims in June and July.
Goway is gathering travel professionals, destination suppliers, tourism boards, and its own team specialists for its inaugural Asia Forum on June 9 in Toronto. The full-day event all about the Asian travel market is inspired by the travel company’s successful Africa & Middle East Gathering and will feature 20 of Goway’s travel partners from across Asia, including China, Japan, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Air Transat has announced the addition of a new destination to its winter 2026-27 program: Spain’s Canary Islands from both Montreal and Toronto. The seasonal flights to Las Palmas (LPA) will start Dec. 12, continuing weekly through April 4, 2027, with Saturday departures from Montreal and Sunday departures from Toronto.
Colombia recently brought its tourism momentum to Canada with a multi-city initiative designed to connect travel professionals with the South American country’s most dynamic and fast-growing tourism offerings.
Air Canada says it’s cutting the number of flights to the United States this summer as the war in Iran creates jet fuel shortages that have sent prices soaring. The airline said in a statement that flights from Toronto to Sacramento, Calif., will cease Aug. 1, and service to Charleston, S.C., will end Sept. 6.