Transat Distribution Canada (TDC) recently hosted 30 franchise and affiliate agency owners from across Canada and their guests on the organization’s Bravo Excellence Club reward trip – this year a seven-night Peruvian adventure that was conducted in collaboration with Transat and G Adventures.
As Nova Scotia gains ground as one of Canada’s top golf destinations, Fox Harb’r Resort, Eastern Canada’s only four diamond, five- star resort is marking its 25th anniversary with a sweeping transformation designed to elevate the guest experience on and off the course.
While Jamaica is famous for its pristine beaches and reggae culture, there’s much more that travellers can experience than meets the eye. Beyond Jamaica’s best all-inclusive resorts are a variety of natural wonders that highlight the island’s incredible beauty and where visitors are virtually guaranteed to get wet!
By Michael Baginski/ I recently spent a minute (several, in fact) in New York – a visit that transpired during the nascent times of tariffs and the 51st state. Perhaps not surprisingly, I was asked by some why I went, and what my experience was like. Simply put, it was New York – no more, no less. Frenetic, mesmerizing, limitless, a world unto itself. And utterly unconcerned, even oblivious, of my Canadianness and critical gaze.
Health officials in the U.S. have changed their advice about measles, saying international travellers should be vaccinated against the virus no matter where they’re going. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention previously emphasized the importance of vaccination for travellers going to countries with outbreaks.
Later this year, the Travel Industry Council of Ontario (TICO) will launch a new online education program and exam to become Travel Counsellors and agency Supervisors/Managers, with the changes focussing on having learners apply the program’s regulatory and consumer protection content, enhancing regulatory knowledge and professionalism.
This week: Flight Centre makes a strategic investment in Toronto; Miami was on the FAM roster with Air Canada; and Virtuoso revealed the location of its 2026 Symposium.
G Adventures and its non-profit partner Planeterra have unveiled details of this year’s GX event, taking place in Jordan this September. Notably, the Toronto-based small group adventure operator has revealed that the mega event will conclude with a performance by The Jacksons.
From epic anniversaries and a reimagined landmark castle to the Knights who say ‘ni,’ here are 10 tidbits of news or note, some even a little bit quirky, emanating from the land of bagpipes and kilts for this summer and beyond.
Despite Canadians’ cross-border travel bookings declining in the “mid-to-high-teens percentage points” in the next couple of months compared to last year, WestJet CEO Alexis von Hoensbroech says his airline is already seeing signs the U.S. market is picking up a bit.
A massive cloud of dust from the Sahara Desert blanketed most of the Caribbean on Monday in the biggest event of its kind this year as it heads toward the United States. The cloud extended some 3,200 km. from Jamaica to well past Barbados in the eastern Caribbean, and some 750 1,200 km. from the Turks and Caicos Islands in the northern Caribbean down south to Trinidad and Tobago.
By Michael Baginski/ There’s no better time for Canadians to discover, or return to, Berlin – on many levels – says the CEO of Visit Berlin, who noted to Canadian media last week that, “When we read the news about south of here, we immediately thought that we should go and visit our friends in Canada.”
Hawaii’s governor has signed legislation that boosts a tax – to 19 percent – imposed on hotel room and vacation rental stays in order to raise money to address eroding shorelines, wildfires and other consequences of climate change. The signing, which includes a 11 percent levy on cruise ships comes nearly two years after a Maui wildfire killed 102 people and wiped out almost all of Lahaina town, and marks the first such levy in the U.S. to help cope with a warming planet.
“The Lion King” will soon utter its final roar in Toronto. Mirvish Productions has announced that the last performance of the critically acclaimed and award-winning musical will take place Aug. 30 at the Princess of Wales Theatre.
Leading travel intelligence provider ForwardKeys has published a joint report, “Caribbean Travel Trends 2025” indicating strong demand for the region this summer, not least as consumers seek to go back to beaches.
‘Canada, naturally’ is the country’s new tourism brand and tagline. Unveiled at the recent Rendez-vous Canada, the country’s largest international tourism tradeshow, the brand is meant to reflect “what comes naturally to Canada – awe-inspiring landscapes and warm-hearted people – and how even the ordinary moments here can feel extraordinary to guests,” according to Destination Canada.
When David Bennett decided to escape Canada’s icy winter with a weeklong trip to the Dominican Republic, he never imagined he’d be fighting to get back on Canadian soil for more than two months. Bennett has finally returned to his Burlington, Ont., home after being arrested in the Caribbean country and accused of smuggling drugs. Even after the charges were withdrawn, he was stuck in the island nation for weeks due to court delays.
Travel advisors who complete Visit Seattle’s new online training program by July 1 will have a chance to win one of three spots on a FAM trip to the Emerald City scheduled for early October. The free interactive program is designed to equip travel professionals with in-depth knowledge and skills they can use to showcase the city’s exceptional experiences to their clients and to do so backed by an official “Seattle Certified” designation.
Following the completion of the transition of the last Sunwing aircraft fleet into the WestJet fleet last week, the company is advising of several changes affecting Sunwing Vacations passengers going forward.
Airline passengers in Turkey who unbuckle their seat belts, access overhead compartments, or occupy the aisle before their plane has fully stopped now face fines under new regulations issued by the country’s civil aviation authority.
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 chief executive of WestJet Group says the federal government should not treat air travel as a luxury in a country as vast as Canada and reducing costs to the industry would help foster national unity.
With warmer than normal ocean waters, forecasters are expecting yet another unusually busy Atlantic hurricane season – which officially starts June 1. But though they don’t think it will be as chaotic as 2024, the third-costliest season on record as it spawned killer storms Beryl, Helene and Milton, one expert warns, “I don’t have the warm fuzzies” about what’s to come.
COVID-19 cases are rising again as a new variant begins to circulate in some parts of the world. The World Health Organization says the rise in cases is primarily in the eastern Mediterranean, Southeast Asia and western Pacific regions and airport screening in the United States has detected the new variant in travellers arriving from those regions to destinations in California, Washington state, Virginia, and New York.
Despite long-standing advice to avoid ice abroad, it’s not the drinks you need to worry about when it comes to food-poisoning and illness, it may be lukewarm lasagna, according to a travel expert, who warns sunseekers to be cautious of lesser-known food poisoning risks – especially E. coli – that often go unnoticed on the buffet table.
Viking’s got good news and that could mean you’ll have a tough time finding available space on one of their ships. But there are many more ships on the way and its fleet will soon top 100 ships.
This year’s U.S. travel trade show IPW kicks off in a couple of weeks in Chicago and one of the best perks for attendees will be the city’s vibrant music scene. The city continues to celebrate the 50th anniversary of House music (ok, not my cup of tea, so don’t worry!), but it is equally renowned for its rock, jazz and, especially, blues history.
With its final flight taking place yesterday (May 28), the WestJet Group says it has officially completed its integration of Sunwing Airlines – an operation two years in the making after the former acquired the latter in May, 2023.
Following its successful inaugural International Destination Conference in 2024, ACTA has partnered with the Tourist Office of Spain for its 2025 event, to be held in Castilla y Leon, Oct. 27-Nov. 1. Applications are now open with a deadline of July 13.
Over 300 million tourists travelled internationally in the first three months of 2025, about 14 million more than in the same months of 2024, according to the May 2025 World Tourism Barometer from UN Tourism. That represents a 5% rise on last year and is 3% more than in pre-pandemic year 2019.