In the survey of 112 travel companies worldwide conducted by Responsible Travel, almost 80% (79.5%) of respondents reported a drop in holiday enquiries since the start of the Iran war, with 56% reporting ‘no sign’ of improvement.
WestJet guests now have the ability to book interline itineraries comprised of both WestJet and interline partner segments through the airline’s website and contact centre. The “significant enhancement” for bookings is “in addition to existing options through our travel trade partners,” says the airline.
By MICHAEL BAGINSKI/ Virtuoso On Tour Canada events concluded Wednesday in Toronto, with the leading luxury network welcoming member agencies, advisors and preferred partners over two days at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel. The gathering followed a similar event in Vancouver at the Fairmont Pacific Rim March 31-April 1. Together, 180 advisors and 135 partners took part.
Air Canada has launched an alternative process to resolve compensation claims in a pilot project that seeks to avert the massive backlog at the country’s transport regulator.
Flight Centre Canada has strengthened its leadership team with two strategic appointments as the business continues a period of sustained growth. Angela Bokma joins the business as Director of Marketing, while David Ardagh steps into the role of Commercial Financial Manager, transitioning from his previous position as Senior Financial Analyst within Flight Centre Travel Group.
A UNESCO World Heritage Site in Alberta is enjoying a recent uptick in interest spurred by a random shout out on a popular American television show – and its head of marketing hopes that curiosity translates into a bustling summer season.
The number of safety incidents on Canadian runways is on the rise, having reached new highs in recent years even as the tally of extremely close calls seems to be levelling off. Data from the Transportation Safety Board of Canada shows that so-called runway incursions – when a plane, vehicle or person winds up on or near a runway when they shouldn’t be – hit a record 639 in 2024, the latest full year for which the watchdog has statistics.
By MICHAEL BAGINSKI/ In late March, the Guadeloupe Tourism Committee (GTC) hosted five accomplished travel advisors from Ontario to help them get to know the Caribbean islands intimately and in person – and to share what they learned as the French-Caribbean destination continues to make inroads in English-speaking Canada.
Citing new research from MMGY Travel shows that small group touring is the most appealing travel style for 55% of travellers, Globus is shining a spotlight on its expansion of Small Group Discovery tours, which reflect travellers’ growing appetite for experiences that feel more personal, flexible and immersive.
This week: Canadians agents were treated to a Transat FAM to Rio; ACTA and Los Cabos announce an upcoming Destination Learning Experience; Ensemble has a new Make A Wish partner; Collette updates its learning platform, the Jamaica Tourist Board raises the curtain on a cinematic incentive, and Rocky Mountaineer and Trafalgar offer agent rates.
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines celebrated the 40th anniversary of its service connecting Vancouver International Airport (YVR) and Amsterdam Schiphol (AMS) on April 2.
Newfoundlanders were having a chuckle on Monday over international media reports saying passengers on a British Airways flight diverted to St. John’s last week were stranded on a frozen island somewhere in Canada.
WestJet says it will be introducing a temporary $60 surcharge for certain bookings and has consolidated numerous flights due to skyrocketing fuel prices. The moves come as some U.S. carriers have also announced higher checked baggage fees to cover the increasing fuel costs.
Air Canada will fly to several new destinations for the Winter 2026-27 season, including the only non-stop flights from North America to Tenerife in the Canary Islands (beginning Oct. 25 and 31 respectively from Toronto and Montreal). The flights will operate seasonally.
By ROBIN LAWTHER/ Soccer isn’t just a game – it’s a global movement that mobilizes millions and reshapes travel patterns every four years. In 2026, the world’s biggest soccer event will make history: 48 teams, 16 cities, and three countries – the United States, Canada, and Mexico – hosting an event that transcends the sport and becomes a cultural phenomenon.
Brand USA has announced the appointment of Marion Certain as Trade Manager for Canada, notably filling a position that had been vacant since the death last May of Casey Canevari.
Thirty passengers were evacuated from a cruise ship that ran aground on a reef in Fiji, the ship’s owner said Monday. The MV Fiji Princess, operated by Blue Lagoon Cruises, ran aground Saturday near Monuriki Island, scene of the 2000 movie starring Tom Hanks “Cast Away,” the Fiji-based tourism company said in a statement.
The Cayman Islands welcomed over 49,000 stayover visitors in February, representing a 10.1% increase year over year and marking the second-strongest February on record. Canada led February’s performance and continued its record-setting momentum with double-digit percentage increases in stayover visitation for the fourth consecutive month.
Caribbean tourism continued its expansion in 2025, recording a 2.5% increase in international stay-over arrivals to an estimated 35 million visits, according to the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO). However, a decline in Canadian arrivals tempered the gains.
Russia plans to send a second oil tanker to Cuba, the country’s energy minister said late last week citing the island’s ongoing energy blockade and reiterating Russia’s solidarity with the troubled Caribbean nation. Donald Trump countered with “Cuba’s finished!”
Citing unpaid work as a key issue, the union representing approximately 360 WestJet Encore cabin crew members, has officially served Notice to Bargain a new Collective Agreement.
By MICHAEL BAGINSKI/ May will see the return of Antigua and Barbuda Culinary Month, a tourism initiative that continues to grow with a focus on local Antiguan and Barbudan food and chefs alongside guest chefs who are exclusively of Caribbean heritage.
G Adventures marked the first ‘Jane Goodall Day’ – April 3, on what would have been the late pioneering British primatologist, ethologist, and conservationist’s 92 birthday – with the news that it has renewed its partnership the Jane Goodall Institute of Canada for an additional 10 years.
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.
Despite the rapid rise of generative AI tools in travel planning, 60% of travellers still prefer human-curated recommendations and verified information, according to a survey of more than 7,000 users conducted by Civitatis, a leading global marketplace for guided tours and excursions in Spanish and Portuguese.
By MICHAEL BAGINSKI/ Start with the name. It’s Guad-el-oup – which is to say, not Guad-a -loup-eh (a city in Mexico). You could call it “the biggest small island in the Caribbean,” as some inhabitants boast, or, better still, just call it Gwada, as the locals do in their creole dialect.
With warm weather on the horizon, WestJet says it is underlining its in-flight footwear expectations and putting a ban on bare feet. Guests are required to keep shoes, socks, slippers or other forms of foot coverage on at all times, including during takeoff, landing. and while moving about the cabin, warns the airline.
With over 267,000 islands, Sweden has more islands than any other country on Earth – islands that are defined by calm, rest, clean air and restorative nature, large or small, set in the sea or emerging from a lake. With a rethinking of what luxury means, Sweden is now offering five of them for free to use and care for during a year.
By WALLACE IMMEN/ Explora Journeys has joined a roster of cruise lines changing course from the Middle East and sailing throughout the winter in the Mediterranean. MSC Cruises, and Windstar Cruises are also rerouting to sail in Europe and North Africa through the winter months as the closing of the Gulf of Hormuz continues with no end in sight.
By MICHAEL BAGINSKI/ Last summer I shared my discovery of the year (which held for the rest of the calendar) – a “brand new” 30-year-old band from Scotland I had managed to miss before, prompting an enraged Scottish fellow to point at me at a trade show in Mexico of all places and yell – in full, glorious brogue – “How could ya ha’ missed Primal Scream?”