DITCHING NIGHTFLIFE FOR NATURE
New Year’s Eve notwithstanding, travellers are increasingly prioritizing authenticity, nature and mindfulness over partying and nightlife according to Global Rescue Traveller Sentiment and Safety Survey.
THE YEAR OF HAPPINESS: Where to travel your heart out in 2026
Each year, G Adventures releases its annual ‘Where to Travel’ list, looking at hot destinations for the upcoming year. But, this year, the travel company is doing things differently, focussing on how travel can change people, and its power to create lasting happiness.
U.S. VISITS TO CANADA RISING
Trips by Americans to Canada rose for the first time in eight months in October, Statistics Canada reports. The number of trips to Canada by U.S. residents in October totalled 1,814,406, up 3% compared with 1,760,987 the same month last year.
PRETZELS OR COOKIES?: WestJet solves age-old mystery
As 2025 comes to a close, WestJet has revealed a list of some of its quirkiest and most critical stats of the year – such as the most-watched movies at 35,000 feet and whether guests consumed more cookies or pretzels.
WHERE ART MEETS ICE: Amazing ICEHOTEL boasts Canadian touch
Sweden’s ICEHOTEL – the world’s first (since 1989) – has opened in doors for the season, inviting guests to sleep surrounded by shimmering art made of ice and snow created by 33 artists from 12 countries, including Canada. A highlight this year is a grand piano – a full-scale piano made of ice – which will be played during the winter season.
ROUND-UP: Dec. 22-26, 2025
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.
THE ULTIMATE FLIGHT TRACKER: NORAD continues Santa tracking tradition on Christmas Eve
Call it the ultimate flight tracker. For 70 years, the NORAD Tracks Santa hotline has been tradition at the North American Aerospace Defense Command – a joint U.S. and Canadian operation charged with monitoring the skies for threats since the Cold War.
CHRISTMAS AT THE CASTLE: Windsor puts on its holiday best
Tis the season: Windsor Castle, the oldest and largest inhabited castle in Britain, is always a holiday delight, bedecked in seasonal décor and offering visitors a festive experience steeped in royal history. For those who can’t be there in Christmas morning, here’s a wee peek at what the royal family will wake up to.
IT’S BETTER DOWN WHERE IT’S WETTER: Underwater Santa shares Christmas spirit in Keys marine sanctuary
Trading the North Pole for a tropical atoll, Old St. Nick took his annual holiday plunge in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary on the weekend, where 35-degree weather and streams of sunshine offered stark contrast to the ice and snow in Santa’s more familiar habitat.
LISTENING IN: Keen listeners will remember this twisted Christmas tune
By Michael Baginski/ Robert Earl Keen may not be as famous as his old college roommate Lyle Lovett, but he’s no less accomplished. A consummate storyteller, the Texas troubadour suitably has a keen sense of humour, as evidenced by his holiday classic, “Merry Christmas from the Family.”
COULD ‘HOME ALONE’ TRAVEL CHAOS HAPPEN TODAY?
Panic erupts in the McCallister household as soon as the day begins. The parents’ alarm clock never rings, bags and coats spill across the floor, and the family barrels out the door to catch a flight to Florida in “Home Alone 2.” The pandemonium intensifies at the airport.
FAM FRENZY: TTC Tour Brands, Intrepid, and Quark Expeditions launch agent offers
In the spirit of the season, several tour operators are launching (or relaunching) extensive FAM trip and/or prize opportunities that will enable travel advisors to experience some new or favourite destinations, and, at the same time, gain hands-on experience with a supplier that will help build their business.
BALKANS BONANZA: Air Transat taps into Albania, and beyond
Direct flights from Canada to Albania? Credit Air Transat for tapping into the Balkan country’s growing reputation among savvy travellers as an up-and-coming travel destination that is off the mainstream track in Europe but not lacking in amenities or charm.
TOY STORY: Sandals Foundation brings cheer during holidays
This holiday season, the simple joy of opening a new toy is reaching tens of thousands of children across the Caribbean through an annual toy drive led by the Sandals Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Sandals and Beaches Resorts.
THERE’S NOWHERE LIKE DUBAI AT NEW YEAR’S: An experience of light, luxury, culture, and joy
With Christmas festivities barely packed away, Dubai lights up again for New Year’s, staking a claim as one of the world’s most spectacular places to turn the calendar from one year to the next.
OUTSET COLLECTION: Hilton adds to growing lifestyle brand
Hilton has launched the Outset Collection by Hilton, the company’s 25th brand and eighth in its growing Lifestyle portfolio. The new brand underscores Hilton’s dramatic growth trajectory and focus on offerings for customers in the fastest-growing segments, particularly the collection and lifestyle spaces.
WHEN ‘NOT HOT’ IS COOL: Intrepid list looks ahead to ‘26
Intrepid Travel’s annual ‘Not Hot List’ showcases 10 lesser-known destinations ready to welcome more visitors in 2026. The list is designed to direct curious, conscientious travellers towards regions where their presence can have an outsized positive impact.
TRANSAT TURNS PROFIT FOR FIRST TIMES SINCE 2018: Expects increased in capacity in 2026
The head of Transat A.T. Inc. says fallout was “limited” from a strike threat by its pilots and that the company continues to benefit from Canadians’ turn away from U.S. travel, paving the runway for growth in the new year after the tour operator turned its first annual profit since 2018.
GOING SOLO: Goway launches new travel line for women
Goway’s new Solo Women Travel Line is designed to offer female travellers an opportunity to explore the world on their own, with five classic trips featuring Dubai, Egypt, India, Jordan, and Thailand. Every trip prioritizes safety and features single rate pricing and women-focused activities.
AN ICELANDIC CHRISTMAS: 6 traditions that make yule cool in Nordic nation
Many Christmas holiday traditions in Iceland will be familiar to North American and European travellers, such as the Christmas trees that dress their living rooms, the large family gatherings that take place, and the singing of yuletide carols. However, there are some aspects of Christmas in Iceland that set it apart, giving the occasion its own unique charm…
ODDLEIFSON NAMED VP AT VOX
VoX International is enhancing its leadership team with the promotion of Erin Oddleifson to Vice President. Oddleifson was previously Director, overseeing administration, public relations, marketing, sales, operations and human resources.
ROUND-UP: Dec. 15-19, 2025
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.
WHAT TRANSAT PILOTS WILL EARN WITH NEW DEAL
Air Transat pilots begin voting today (Dec. 19) on a tentative deal with the company that would see raises of well over 50%, boosting the salary for most senior pilots to nearly $388,000 a year by May 2029.
TRUMP TRAVEL BAN HITS AFRICA HARDEST: 20 countries added to list
Donald Trump’s administration has added 20 countries to a list of travel restrictions, most of them from Africa, a continent of some 1.5 billion people. The new restrictions expand on the list from June and are broader and more punitive than those during Trump’s first presidency, which largely targeted Muslim-majority countries and which were reversed in 2021.
CASHING OUT: How much money to take when travelling
When was the last time you pulled out cash to pay for something? Many Canadians might have to think long and hard, especially if they’re younger. Canada has gradually moved toward becoming a cashless society, with most people paying for purchases with smartphones or credit cards. However, whether or not you should carry cash – and how much – can still be a point of contention when travelling abroad.
THE MOST BORING TRAVEL STORY YOU’LL EVER READ
Staring into a fire deep in the woods. Watching the stars stretch over Arctic skies. Waiting on a frozen lake for a fish that may never bite. In Sweden, boredom isn’t a problem – quite the opposite, says Visit Sweden, which this winter is leaning into a quietly growing trend in wellness and travel: boredom as a form of luxury – where stillness and silence aren’t just accepted, they’re encouraged.
WHAT A CROC: Discovering Laws of the Jungle in Costa Rica
By Wallace Immen/ You can’t help but be awed by the beauty of the lush Costa Rican coast. And somehow things get more awe-inspiring as you go into the uplands and jungles. We’re about to experience a panorama of the country’s tropical nature and the plethora of wildlife that calls it home on a tour from Seabourn Encore doing a Central American cruise from Panama.
LISTENING IN: Mavericks frontman called to a gig ‘in the sky’
Gone too soon, and we’ll certainly miss Raul Malo, the soulful tenor and frontman of the lively genre-defying, Grammy-winning band The Mavericks who died early this week after battling cancer. He was 60. “He was called to do another gig – this time in the sky – and he’s flying high like an eagle,” his wife Betty Malo wrote on Facebook.
A DAY IN THE LIFE, 2027: When focus starts to pay off
In 2026 Ethan had decided to stop trying to be everything to everyone. He built a narrow lane – small-ship and rail journeys for active, mid-life couples – and promised himself two things: to keep learning and to use technology only when it served his judgement. Twelve months later he’s busier, calmer, and clearer than ever.
TROUBLE IN TRINIDAD? Worries country will be launchpad for US attack on Venezuela
Tiny Trinidad and Tobago, a tourism hotspot known for its beautiful beaches, incredible biodiversity and one of the world’s best carnivals, says it will allow the U.S. military to access its airports in coming weeks as tensions build between the United States and Venezuela.