By Michael Baginski/    Despite cross-border travel woes, the sky is far from falling for travel, according to a panel of top agents at Virtuoso’s recent ‘On the Road’ event in Toronto. Indeed, the biggest takeaway from the session was that travellers are mostly going to travel no matter what, though in the current circumstances, that may simply mean changing destinations – and how agents get them there may require some flexibility and finesse.

Air Canada has been ordered to pay passengers more than $10 million in damages by the Quebec Court of appeal in a class-action lawsuit that alleged they were charged more than the ticket price advertised – more than 15 years ago.

A coalition of North American tourism associations committed to open borders is calling for “innovative solutions and unified action” to protect and promote the “pivotal” role of travel during the current “unprecedented” bilateral crisis between Canada and the U.S.

This week: The Travel Agent Next Door has Flex Pay options for its advisors/clients; Globus family of brands is feeling ‘social’; a booking contest from Explore Worldwide (win a trip!); and loyalty program enhancements from Palladium Hotel Group.

By Michael Baginski/    With tariffs, sovereignty threats, and fears over border privacy/security, the number of Canadians currently choosing to travel to the U.S. is clearly waning (by how much depends on the source, and mode of travel, i.e. air vs. car), however, one thing is certain according to a panel of top travel agents at a recent Virtuoso gathering in Toronto: travel advisors would be best advised to be like Switzerland and remain politically neutral on the matter when it comes to clients.

Jack Gurevitch is a Montreal Canadiens superfan and a proud Canadian who’s upset by United States President Donald Trump’s tariffs and threats to annex Canada, but he says he won’t let the political situation influence whether he travels to U.S. cities to support his team in the playoffs. Not everyone in his family agrees.

G Adventures has launched a new Rail Collection, featuring both popular and lesser-known routes across the globe. The collection of 60 trips across 20 countries celebrates the belief that “the journey is just as enriching as the destination, and offers so much more than just getting from A to B.”

A federal judge on Friday partially blocked the Trump administration from enacting a policy that bans the use of “X” marker used by many nonbinary people on passports as well as the changing of gender markers.

Canadians need to “keep the pressure up” on the United States by buying local and avoiding travel there, despite a recent push from California to draw visitors from Canada, British Columbia’s premier says. 

A 24-year-old American YouTuber (sigh) was arrested and detained in custody after visiting an off-limits island in the Indian Ocean with hopes of establishing contact with a reclusive tribe known for killing trespassers. He further left a can of Diet Coke and a coconut as offering for the tribe, which he ultimately failed to meet.

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.

Canadians got a break on inflation in March as gas prices fell and a slowdown in travel to the United States helped cool airfare costs, Statistics Canada said Tuesday. The annual rate of inflation slowed to 2.3% last month, down from 2.6% in February. Travel costs in the U.S. also declined.

Snowbird Advisor, a one-stop online resource for Canadian snowbirds, has released a guide to help Canadians visiting the U.S. for 30 days or more navigate the new registration requirements that came into effect on April 11, 2025.

Airbnb’s Spring 2025 Travel Trends Report has revealed a whopping 90% year-on-year increase in solo travel searches, with an average of 17 nights booked per solo spring trip. And female wanderers are leading the charge, making up nearly three-quarters (71%) of all solo travellers, according to Virtuoso.