ACTA MAKES WAVES IN WESTERN CANADA

The ACTA Western Canada Travel Industry Summit in Richmond, B.C. welcomed an audience of 300 travel advisors and 75 exhibitors – making it the largest ACTA event in Western Canada to date.

PERU SAYS MACHU PICCHU BACK ON TRACK AFTER PROTESTS

The Commission for the Promotion of Peru for Export and Tourism (PROMPERÚ) says that train services to Machu Picchu, as well as tourist activities within the Inca citadel, have officially resumed after local protests halted visits to the UNESCO World Heritage Site last week, affecting thousands of visitors.

ROUND-UP: Sept. 15-18, 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.

LATE TO THE PARTY: Why hurricane season has been uncommonly calm

Not a single named storm has formed in the Atlantic Ocean in nearly three weeks, even though it’s the peak of hurricane season. “Where the heck are the Atlantic #hurricanes?” Philip Klotzbach, a meteorologist at Colorado State University, wrote recently on X.

AIR CANADA REVEALS TOP RESTAURANT FINALISTS

Air Canada has revealed the finalists for the 2025 Best New Restaurants list, spotlighting 31 trailblazing establishments shaping Canada’s dining culture today. From St. John’s, Newfoundland to Victoria, BC, the finalists reflect the talent, diversity, and creativity fuelling the country’s culinary scene, says the airline.

OCEANIA VISTA’S SISTA HAS TASTES OF HER OWN

By Wallace Immen/ Looks can be deceiving. While Oceania Cruises’ newest ship Allura is a near twin of fleet-mate Vista, she’s got a personality of her own. That’s especially evident in the innovative cuisine on board.

LISTENING IN: Blackberry Smoke no joke

By Michael Baginski/ Like Rush and AC/DC (amongst a few other others), you’ve got to love a band like Blackberry Smoke that has the hops to have its own beer (Blackberry Smoke American Lager, sold on its website); better still, you’ve got to love a band that recalls vintage Lynyrd Skynyrd and Black Crowes, yet with enough of its own style to be fresh and original within a swampy southern rock context.

THE FUTURE OF THE ALL-INCLUSIVE: Royalton boss reveals resort sector’s next chapter

This year marks the 15th anniversary of what began as Blue Diamond Resorts and has now evolved into the “all in luxury” Royalton Hotels & Resorts brand and company president Jordi Pelfort is feeling reflective, not just about the company’s past, but on the future of the all-inclusive – a resort category that has always been a mainstay of Canadian holidaymakers.

ALL THAT JAZZ: Air Canada to upgrade regional fleet

With elbows-tourism flourishing, Air Canada has begun a major upgrade program on its regional fleet. Under the initiative, 25 De Havilland Dash 8-400 aircraft operated for Air Canada Express by Jazz Aviation LP (Jazz) will undergo a full cabin redesign to install new seating, new interiors and, on select aircraft initially, flying from Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, free Wi-Fi.

BRITAIN MAKES A STRONG CASE FOR CANADA

By Michael Baginski/  As Canadians “pivot” towards alternative destinations to the U.S. amidst ongoing Trump tribulations across the border, Britain is poised to pick up some of the pieces, with all signs pointing to a banner year for the destination this year and into 2026, according to VisitBritain.

SERVING NOTICE: WestJet flight attendants also miffed over unpaid work

Now it’s their turn: The union representing WestJet flight attendants says it has given the airline notice to begin contract talks with a key issue being compensation for unpaid work. CUPE 8125 said it has served notice to bargain a new collective agreement with its current contract set to expire on Dec. 31. The union says WestJet flight attendants are seeking better treatment. 

DESCHAMPS JOINS GROWING TRAVELBRANDS TEAM IN QUEBEC

TravelBrands has appointed Sylvie Deschamps as the newest member of its Quebec sales team, taking on the role of Business Development Manager for additional regions in Quebec including East Montreal, the North Shore of Montreal, Quebec City, Saguenay, Beauce, and the Gaspé Peninsula.

SKY’S THE LIMIT: Dubai’s most thrilling urban and rural adventures

With a skyline that defies gravity and a backdrop of endless desert, Dubai is redefining what it means to be an adventure destination. It’s not just a city of luxury shopping and world records – it’s a high-octane playground where visitors can zipline between skyscrapers in the morning, dash across desert dunes by afternoon, and dive into the world’s deepest pool right before dinner.

CANADIAN HOTEL RATES SET TO SOAR

While global hotel rates are expected to remain relatively stable through 2026, with geopolitical instability and uncertainty surrounding potential U.S. tariffs limiting demand and restricting sharp increases, rates in Canada are expected to soar, according to American Express Global Business Travel’s (Amex GBT) Hotel Monitor 2026.

AIR CANADA, FLIGHTS ATTENDANTS SKIP TO ARBITRATION

Air Canada says that the union representing its 10,000 flight attendants has asked to dispense with the mediation process over the parties’ tentative labour agreement and have the wage component proceed directly to arbitration – a request the airline has accepted “in a spirit of cooperation.”

CANADA HAS A FRIEND IN LOUISIANA

By Michael Baginski/  A team of close to two dozen tourism professionals from Louisiana, led by Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser, are visiting Canada this week with a simple message: “Come when you’re ready, we’re here with open arms!”

RETAIL ROUND-UP: Agent news, fams & incentives

This week: Air Canada introduces a rewards program for agents; ACTA names its top 2025 travel advisors at the associations Eastern Canada Summit; and Travel Leaders Network announced dates for its fall regionals events in Vancouver, Edmonton, and Toronto.

GO WITH THE SLOW: Ireland delights in the details

In a world that’s always rushing, Ireland is extending a gentle invitation to visitors: take your time. With its winding coastal trails, soul-soothing landscapes, and deep-rooted traditions, Ireland is emerging as one of Europe’s most natural fits for slow tourism – a growing global travel trend focused on deeper, more meaningful experiences over fast-paced itineraries.

GLOBESPAN ACQUIRES KEY TRAVEL, STRENGTHENING US POSITION

Globespan Travel Management, a leading corporate travel management company based in Los Angeles with global headquarters in Toronto, has announced the acquisition of Key Travel Inc., the U.S. division of the UK-based Key Travel group. The acquisition marks a significant milestone in Globespan’s North American growth strategy and deepens its service capabilities within the non-profit, academic, and humanitarian travel sectors.

AVIATION WORKERS AIR GRIEVANCES

As flight attendants from across Canada represented by CUPE descend on Parliament Hill on Tuesday (Sept. 16), to call on Ottawa to act to end unpaid work in Canada’s airline industry, a number of other aviation workers – including Transat pilots and airport screeners in Ontario and the Atlantic provinces – are similarly airing, and taking action, to resolve long-standing circumstances they deem unfair.

FEDS UNDERTAKE UNPAID WORK PROBE WITH CAUTION

Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu says she’s aiming to have a probe into allegations of unpaid work in Canada’s airline sector wrapped up by early December. Hajdu has said this process could result in new legislation – but she also says Ottawa wants to be “very careful” about what it does next to ensure it upholds the right for union members and employers to bargain over terms of their work.

TRANSAT PROFIT IMPROVING, EYES CONTINUES GROWTH

Transat’s revenue is back in the black with the company reporting a net income of $399.8 million in its latest quarter compared with a loss of $39.9 million in the same quarter last year, the company reported late last week.

WINDSTAR DOUBLES DOWN ON TAHITI

With the return of its refreshed sailing yacht Wind Star, Windstar Cruises is doubling down on Tahiti starting March 2027, when the vessel joins the all-suite Star Breeze to sail year-round in French Polynesia – making it Windstar’s most expansive South Pacific deployment yet.

COLONY CLUB IS BACK UNDER MARRIOTT LUXURY COLLECTION FLAG

Barbados’ Colony Club has re-opened as a Marriott International Luxury Collection resort, adding another chapter in the long life of the iconic property, which begin life as a private seaside residence in the 1930s, and later served as the island’s first residential club and and a cherished retreat for over seven decades.

PRAYING FOR RELIEF: Spanish pilgrimage town an overtourism flashpoint

While some Barcelona residents sought to repel a tsunami of tourists with plastic water pistols, a neighbourhood association in Santiago de Compostela opted for a friendlier approach: a guide to good manners for visitors to their town, the endpoint of the Catholic world’s most famous pilgrimage.

GLOBAL TOURISM FLYING HIGH

Despite wars, extreme weather and unprecedented political discord in many countries/regions, global tourism is continuing to roll in 2025, with UN Tourism reporting that almost 690 million tourists travelled internationally between January and June 2025 – about 33 million more than in the same period of 2024.

PROTESTS AND POLITICS PROMPT TRAVELLERS TO RETHINK U.S. TRIPS

Concerns about protests, civil unrest and political tensions in the U.S. are influencing the travel decisions of a growing number of individuals, particularly among international travellers and younger respondents, according to the latest Global Rescue Summer 2025 Traveller Safety and Sentiment Survey. 

INTREPID’S ALTERNATE EUROPE TOURS REFLECT CHANGING DEMAND

After another summer dominated by headlines of overtourism and heatwaves, Intrepid Travel is unveiling new trips that it says reflect how and when an increasing number of travellers are choosing to visit destinations.

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