Having kicked off operations at Downsview Park on Sunday with a performance by K-pop group Stray Kids, Toronto’s new 50,000-capacity Rogers Stadium (not to be confused with the Rogers Centre), is set to stage 14 concerts this summer featuring some of the world’s biggest acts, including Oasis and Coldplay, and attracting tens of thousands of fans.
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.
With more Canadians opting to vacation in their own backyard this summer, travellers and advisors are being reminded that having insurance protection is just as important as when travelling internationally, particularly when considering that provincial healthcare will not necessarily provide coverage.
Amidst all the hoopla at IPW in Chicago last week, Brand USA, the country’s destination marketing organization, did cut through the noise and unveil a new global marketing campaign. Under the slogan, “America the Beautiful,” the campaign is accompanied by a dedicated digital hub, AmericaTheBeautiful.com.
A group of tourists were sitting at an outdoor table in the Spanish city of Barcelona, trying to enjoy their drinks, when a woman raised a cheap plastic water gun and shot an arc of water at them. Her weapon of choice – the cheap, squirt-squirt variety – is an increasingly common fixture at anti-tourism protests in the southern European country, where many locals fear that an overload of visitors is driving them from their cherished neighbourhoods.
Add Greece to a growing list of destinations charging fees for cruisers to visit on a day in port. Mykonos and Santorini are charging 20 euros per passenger for the summer season from July 1 to Sept. 30. The tax goes down to 12 euros in October and just 4 euros in the winter months.
What could be a better memorial to Queen Elizabeth II, Britain’s longest-reigning monarch, than a pod of faintly psychedelic giant lily pads? Perhaps a big bronze tree or a recording of the late monarch’s voice. All those ideas feature among the five finalists for a permanent London monument to Elizabeth, who died in September 2022 at the age of 96 after 70 years on the throne.
By Michael Baginski/ From Hendrix to Heart and Brandi Carlile to the Foo Fighters, Seattle has consistently rated as one of North America’s premiere music cities. Perhaps most notably, the Pacific northwest city spawned “grunge,” the gritty sound that captured the zeitgeist of the late 1980s and early ‘90s.
Porter Airlines phenomenal growth is set to take another giant step with the launch of the carrier’s first sun destination flights, which initially will include Mexico, the Caribbean and Costa Rica this winter. Porter supporters will be able to choose from five destinations and 13 routes originating from Toronto Pearson, Ottawa, and Hamilton, Ont. International Airport.
By Michael Baginski/- Not unlike its ubiquitous flying fish, Bahamas tourism is calmly skimming along above the surface of the world’s choppy waters and having a definitive moment in the sun, both generally and with its integral Canadian market.
While more than half of travellers are unconcerned about natural disasters disrupting their travel plans, that’s not the case when it comes to manmade trouble. According to the recent Spring 2025 Traveller Sentiment and Safety Survey conducted by Global Rescue, travellers are increasingly factoring geopolitical instability and civil unrest into their trip planning decisions, with a majority saying these risks influence not only where they go but whether they travel at all.
Royalton Luxury Resorts will launch a new adults-oriented brand in Barbados next year.
Maine Governor Janet Mills tried hard to convince a skeptical New Brunswick business crowd that people from the province had nothing to fear about travelling to her state. But when she and New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt took questions on Tuesday from a Chamber of Commerce audience in Fredericton, local financial adviser David Dennis said his own family member had serious anxiety about such a trip.
The Dominican Republic’s rich and diverse culinary flavours are an important part of the country’s history. Aside from its taste profiles, the region’s unique gastronomy is a lesson in every dish. The indigenous Taíno population, along with Spanish and African populations have called this island home, the latter bringing with them new ingredients and cooking methods that have helped shape Dominican cuisine into what it is today.
By Michael Baginski/ I’m usually the one asking the questions. But this year at IPW, the U.S. Travel Association interviewed me – on camera – about my views on Canadian travel south of the border during these troubled times. And as a Canadian, I told them we were pissed.
New England governors say tariffs and anti-Canadian rhetoric by the United States government is taking a bite out of tourism, with some states seeing a drop of up to 60% in visitors from north of the border. And they say they understand our hostility – and are ticked off too.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has accused the European Parliament of meddling in operational and commercial issues that it doesn’t understand, following moves to make cabin luggage allowance obligatory, regardless of whether the passenger needs it or not.
This week: Lovell is leaving Travel Leaders Network; TTAND is tops at TLN; FAM winners discover Nevada; and Tully’s Crystal vision.
Margaritaville at Sea says it is implementing a series of “impactful initiatives” designed to strengthen its commitment to the trade, including a full-scale push to reward, engage and empower travel advisors through an expanded Travel Trade team, improved sales tools, and exclusive perks, including FAMs and advisor rates.
The COVID-19 variant that may be driving a recent rise in cases in some parts of the world has earned a new nickname: “razor blade throat” COVID. That’s because the variant – NB.1.8.1. or “Nimbus” – may cause painful sore throats. The symptom has been identified by doctors in the United Kingdom, India and elsewhere, according to media outlets in those countries.
Dozens of airlines – including Air Canada – are cancelling more flights to the Middle East as the war between Israel/the U.S. and Iran escalates, including an attack by the latter on a U.S. military base in Qatar on Monday.
With Chicago now in the books, Fort Lauderdale is now on the clock for next year’s IPW, the U.S. Travel Association’s signature inbound travel trade show, to be held at Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center from May 17-21. And as the future host, Visit Lauderdale shared a snapshot at last week’s IPW in the Windy City of what guests can expect from the South Florida destination in 2026.
Canadian airlines were once again flying high as this year’s prestigious World Airlines Awards, conducted by Skytrax. Dubbed “Oscars of the aviation industry,” the awards saw five Canadian carriers rank in the top 100 worldwide, as well as taking home hardware – including top spots – in several other categories.
Known as a vibrant melting pot with residents from more than 170 countries, Greater Fort Lauderdale’s richly diverse community has long shaped its inclusive dining scene. This summer, that global influence takes centre stage as Visit Lauderdale kicks off a season of culinary celebration marked by the return of Dine Out Lauderdale restaurant months, first-time MICHELIN guide recognitions, and notable new restaurant openings.
Air India is facing disruptions – including temporary service cuts to Canada – following the airline’s recent fatal crash. Additional safety inspections on its Dreamliner fleet have also led to flight delays and cancellations.
Visit Lauderdale’s ‘Lauderdale Loyalist’ program is an interactive training and sales experience for travel advisors designed to help sell the South Florida destination, but also to provide deals and discounts that can help agents discover Greater Fort Lauderdale for themselves.
Suitcases rattle against cobblestones. Selfie-snappers jostle for the same shot. Ice cream shops are everywhere. Europe has been called the world’s museum, but its record numbers of visitors have also made it ground zero for concerns about overtourism.
By Michael Baginski/ IPW wasn’t a doozy – at least in the way I predicted in this space a week ago. To be clear, the annual U.S. Travel Association tradeshow was absolutely first rate thanks to the organizers, and particularly host city Chicago; however, any anticipated fireworks inside the show were quickly doused by a thorough glossing over by U.S. Travel and Brand USA of the affairs going on outside the convention space.
Maine’s governor is in the Maritimes today (Monday) with hopes a charm offensive will slow the rapid drop in Canadian tourist visits to her state. In a release issued Friday, Janet Mills says she’s aware the historically close relationship between New England and its northern neighbours has been challenged by U.S. president Donald Trump’s tariffs and his rhetoric about Canada becoming the 51st state.
The recent cyberattack against WestJet remains unresolved, as questions linger about the nature and fallout of the breach. The airline said last week it was working to assess whether sensitive data or customers’ personal information was compromised after hackers accessed its internal systems.