As kids of all ages get pumped over pumpkins and giddy over ghosts this week, Tourism Ireland reminds that the event can be traced back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, thereby rendering the destination as the true “home of Halloween” – a “holiday” that is still taken seriously around the country while lending traditions that are rooted in Irish folklore to the rest of the modern world.
This week: Nexion Travel Group announced its 2026 Summit in Vancouver in 2026; Virtuoso’s Chairman’s Event recognized top performers in Mexico; Voyzant lit up Vancouver with Diwali celebrations; TRAVELSAVERS Canada is showcasing its professional development; and a new-look Club Med University is back in session.
From space to sea, and air to ice, Kensington says its new Expeditions collection is set to “push the boundaries” of luxury travel, blending highly customized travel experiences – such as curated visits to next-generation space stations – with immersive adventure across land, sea, air and space.
Hilton is celebrating a major milestone: more than 200 hotels now open in Canada. The achievement, highlighted by the most recent openings of Hôtel Vallea Bromont, Tapestry Collection by Hilton, Home2 Suites by Hilton Woodstock ON and Spark by Hilton Toronto Mississauga – reflects the hospitality company’s successful multi-brand growth strategy.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is amending its policies to require that all non-citizens – including Canadians – be photographed when entering or leaving the United States.
The Cuba Tourist Board has confirmed the temporary closure of airports in Santiago de Cuba and Holguín on Tuesday and Wednesday (Oct. 28-29) as Hurricane Melissa – a category 5 storm that has tied for the strongest on earth in 2025 – approaches the island tonight and into Wednesday.
With travellers increasingly turning to tools like ChatGPT as a quick way to plan their trips, an insurance expert is warning that users might not realize the potential travel disruptions they could face caused by misinformation the technology may provide, such as missed flights or incorrect visa information.
Scotland is welcoming more international visitors than ever, making it the fastest-growing UK nation for inbound tourism, and VisitScotland is planning to continue the momentum at its Connect 2026 event in Glasgow in April. The annual trade event remains a vital platform for Scottish tourism businesses to connect with international tour operators and travel advisors while showcasing the country’s landscapes, culture, heritage, and welcoming experiences.
The guided tour isn’t dead yet, according to Globus family of brands, which commissioned a new survey showing that three in four next-gen travellers still embrace the traditional means of travel as it continues to offer balance, value, and smaller group sizes.
The robbery at the Louvre has done what no marketing campaign ever could: It has catapulted France’s dusty crown jewels – long admired at home, little known abroad – to global fame. Over a week on, the country is still wounded by the breach to its national heritage –even as authorities have announced arrests tied to the haul.
Hurricane Melissa is forecast to reach the southern coast of Jamaica as a major hurricane late today (Monday) or Tuesday morning and people on the island have been urged to seek shelter immediately as the slowly moving storm threatens to dump over 1,000 mm (40 inches) of rain on some areas of the island.
Accessibility is moving from the margins to the mainstream of Canadian travel. A Flight Centre survey conducted by YouGov reveals that 42% of Canadians place high importance on accessibility when making their travel plans. This figure outpaces even the most recent Statistics Canada data: that 27% of Canadians aged 15 and older – and a striking 40.4% of individuals 65 and older – are affected by disability.
The FAA issued a temporary ground stop Sunday at Los Angeles International Airport – one of the world’s busiest airports – soon after the U.S. secretary of transportation predicted that travellers would see more flights delayed and cancelled in the coming days as U.S. air traffic controllers work without pay during the federal government shutdown.
Viking named its nine newest river ships – including the company’s 100th ship – during a simultaneous ceremony last week that spanned six countries. The main celebration took place in Basel, Switzerland, on board the Viking Honir, and was connected virtually to the eight other new ships located across five additional countries.
Madrid’s streets were baa-dly jammed last weekend – not by protesters or soccer fans but by a flock of sheep and goats being led through the Spanish capital in an annual festival that honours the area’s rural heritage.
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.
By Michael Baginski/ Heading south for the winter has been a Canadian ritual for generations, but this winter a dramatic new shift in Canadian travel trends is emerging, according to the Travel Health Insurance Association of Canada – one that threatens to see snowbirds roosting at home rather flying the Canadian winter coop.
Air Canada plans to launch flights to the U.S. out of Toronto’s island airport in a bid for business passengers that marks a direct challenge to rival Porter Airlines. The airline announced Thursday it will fly planes between Billy Bishop airport (YTZ) and New York (LaGuardia), Boston, Chicago (O’Hare) and Washington, D.C.’s (Dulles), starting next spring for a total of 10 daily return flights.
Visit St. Pete-Clearwater, which counts Dunedin, Fla., – spring training home of the Toronto Blue Jays – among its constituencies, says it “couldn’t be prouder” that the team has reached the World Series this year for the first time in 32 years.
For the first time in nearly 2,000 years, visitors to Rome’s world-renowned Colosseum have the opportunity to walk through a hidden imperial passage that once allowed Roman emperors to reach the ancient amphitheater unseen. The once-secret corridor – known as the “Commodus Passage” and named after the Roman emperor turned into a pop icon by Ridley Scott’s movie “Gladiator” – opens to the next week (Oct. 27) marking an extraordinary milestone in archaeological preservation and access.
By Wallace Immen/ With a secret announcement to insiders, Scenic Group revealed its latest luxury exploration ship – Scenic Ikon – will join the Scenic Discovery Yacht Fleet for its inaugural season in 2028. And its inaugural voyage from Venice in April 2028 is apparently already sold out.
By Michael Baginski/ It’s hard to appreciate now just how subversive – or at least cool – KISS was when they came on the scene in the ’70s. Just like trying to explain to the younger generation how groundbreaking Sgt. Pepper was when everything that followed ultimately rendered it mainstream.
Passengers are living digital-first lives. They manage their finances, health, and mobility from their phones. But when it’s time to fly, they’re often still asked to queue, print, and repeat. And that has to change, according to leading aviation industry IT provider SITA, which says passengers are simply demanding that the aviation industry catch up to them.
At the time when the dollar is dipping, AI is reshaping jobs, and burnout feels like the new normal, Flight Centre Canada has declared 2026 the Year of R&R Travel – “reconnection and renewal” – unveiling 10 trends that show how resilient Canadians are adapting.
By Michael Baginski/ The Visit Portugal Roadshow rolls into Vancouver today (Oct. 23) after stops in Toronto and Montreal earlier in the week, giving over 300 travel advisors and tour operators a chance to catch up on the latest news from one of travel’s bona fide “it” destinations, and one that is particularly popular with Canadians.
With G Adventures set to mark the close of its 2025 educational travel program in December, the Toronto-based tour company is already looking ahead to next year, announcing a series of trips that will see travel advisors FAM-ing it up in a wide range of destinations across the globe, from Ireland to Egypt, and Korea to Peru.
The Louvre reopened on Wednesday to long lines beneath its landmark Paris glass pyramid, three days after one of the highest-profile museum thefts of the century stunned the world for its audacity and scale.
The Niagara District Airport has been part of Niagara’s skies since 1929, witnessing aviation’s evolution from risky early flights to today’s modern operations. Now marking its 96th anniversary, it has grown from its beginnings on the edge of St. Catharines into the certified general aviation hub it is today at 468 Niagara Stone Rd. in Niagara-on-the-Lake.
By Michael Baginski/ It’s certainly no secret that Canadian travel patterns have changed this year, as many travellers look beyond the U.S. for alternative destinations that are not imposing tariffs or teasing about statehood. Indeed, data from Statistics Canada bears out what we all know anecdotally, but it also provides interesting nuance and perspective on how Canadians really feel about travel to Trump’s America – and where else they’re going.
Score one for Canadian passport holders, who have overtaken Americans in terms of their visa-free access to the world. The Henley Passport Index ranks Canada in 9th place for how many countries Canadian citizens can visit without needing to apply for a visa. The U.S. passport is in 12th place.