CAN YOU CUT IT ON AN OCEANIA GOURMET TOUR?

How hard is cider in Halifax? How do you forge a Japanese knife worthy of Kobe beef? They’re among the insights you can gain in an expanded range of ‘Culinary Discovery Tours’ from Oceania Cruises.

LISTENING IN: Dreaming of Supertramp

Supertramp is synonymous with the ‘70s with a still memorable string of hits like “Give a Little Bit,” “The Logical Song,” and “Breakfast in America,” but the first was “Dreamer,” the British band’s initial hit from what was to become arguably their best (if not top-selling) album, “Crime of the Century.”

SAFETY IN THE SPOTLIGHT: But how often do aviation accidents actually occur?

A number of recent airline incidents – including a Delta Air Lines plane flipping completely upside down while landing at Toronto Pearson on Feb. 17 – has put the safety of the global airline industry in the spotlight. But how often do aircraft actually have accidents, whether in the sky, or on the ground?

WHO NEEDS A TRAVEL AGENT?: Gen-Zedders do 

New research from Contiki has zeroed in on the travel preferences of the Gen Z generation, which, amongst other revelations, suggests that the current age 12 to 27 cohort prefers travel advisors to book their trips.

CANADIAN AMONG FIRST TOURISTS TO NORTH KOREA IN FIVE YEARS

A small group of foreign tourists has visited North Korea in the past week, making them the first international travellers to enter the country in five years except for a group of Russian tourists who went to the North last year.

WELCOME BACK: Turks and Caicos re-establishes presence in Canada

Once coveted as a Canadian province (how does that feel now?), Turks and Caicos bears no ill will. Quite the opposite in fact, as Canada rates as the Caribbean islands’ second largest market after this country’s current would-be colonizers, the US.

HISTORIC CRUISE LINER SET TO SWIM WITH THE FISHES

The historic, aging ocean liner that a Florida county plans to turn into the world’s largest artificial reef departed from south Philadelphia’s Delaware River waterfront last week, marking the opening segment of its final voyage.

DECODING THE CANADIAN TRAVEL ADVISOR CLIENT

Expert advice, saving time, or something else? New research from Expedia Group provides deep dive insights into the preferences, values, and planning habits of travellers – including why Canadians choose to use a travel agent.

NO KIDDING: It’s safer to keep babes buckled in plane seats

The crash landing of a Delta Air Lines flight in Toronto last week highlighted the potential dangers of flying with a young child sitting on an adult’s lap. The plane flipped over, which would make holding onto a baby extremely difficult. Authorities haven’t said whether the 18-month-old child who was injured in the crash was riding on a parent’s lap, but young children have died in previous crashes.

CONSOLIDATON PLANNED AT NORTHERN AIRLINES

A Winnipeg firm that owns several northern airlines has announced plans to buy Canadian North, the airline that serves the Arctic. Exchange Income Corp. said it made a deal to buy Bradley Air Services Ltd., which operates as Canadian North, for $205 million from the two Inuit organizations that own the airline.

ACV HEATS UP SOUTH AMERICA WITH NEW CHILE TOURS

Air Canada Vacations is expanding its South America program with new guided tours to Chile that will complement extended multi-country options in South America that include destinations like Peru and Colombia, as well as existing ePackages (Flight & Hotel) and Flight & Cruise vacation offerings.

HOTEL HAPPENINGS: Bangkok putting on the Ritz

A new Ritz-Carlton has debuted in Bangkok. Part of the Luxury Group portfolio by Marriott International, the hotel is set in a 216-m. high tower at One Bangkok business and lifestyle destination in the heart of Bangkok with a mandate to “blend Thai tradition seamlessly with global influence” while reflecting the dynamism of the Thai capital.

AIR CANADA BREAKS DOWN SNOW DAYS DELAYS

On an average day, approximately 47% of Air Canada’s flights and 46% of its customers pass through Toronto Pearson – the airline’s global hub. Because many of its aircraft and customers connect through Toronto at some point in the day, the airline says a disruption at Pearson can impact flights elsewhere in the system, creating a domino effect that can also affect flights not immediately travelling to or from Toronto.

CANADIANS CHANGING ‘HOW’ THEY TRAVEL

2025 is shaking up travel amid persistent financial pressures, geopolitical uncertainty and rising over-tourism and climate change concerns, says a new study by Blue Cross. But Canadian travellers are adapting their habits to consider such external factors, while a new generation of adventure lovers is driving change towards a more conscious future of travel, the report adds.

CALIFORNIA DREAMING: ‘It ticks so many boxes’ for Canadians

As the snow was piling up at home, even in the torrential rain California was a more desirable place to be than Canada. Such was the case earlier this month as Visit California and some 35 destination partners hosted a couple of dozen members of the Canadian trade for a reverse mission in San Diego, followed by post conference FAMs throughout the state.

SAFETY AT RISK, CANADIAN AVIATION LEADERS WARN

Amid declining safety ratings for Canada, the country’s air traffic controllers and airline pilots are calling on governments to take decisive action to prioritize and strengthen – not roll back – critical safety protections for air travel in this country.

GLOBUS MOVES BOOST CDN. TRADE COLLABERATION

The Globus family of brands (GFOB) has refreshed its leadership structure in Canada. Specifically, Denise Harper has been promoted to managing director, Canada sales, overseeing national and regional partnerships at the head office and consortia levels. At the same time, Billy Stewart has been named national trade sales manager, taking full accountability for Canada’s Business Development Manager (BDM) team.

SIGN OF THE TIMES: Polish fire-breathing dragon checked for energy efficiency

An iconic metal sculpture of a dragon that spits real fire in the Polish city of Krakow will hold its breath for a month to check why it’s been devouring so much fuel lately. Experts are checking the gas feeds for the six-metre sculpture to find ways of reducing the dragon’s energy bills.

TORONTO PEARSON BACK ON TRACK AFTER CRASH

Toronto’s Pearson airport says operations are back to normal roughly a week after a crash landing that sent 21 people to hospital and led to days of travel disruptions at Canada’s busiest airport.

THE FINAL STRAW: Politics, not dollar, sours some Canadians on US holidays

Making the trip from Vancouver to Seattle to watch baseball’s Toronto Blue Jays play the Mariners has been a tradition for Peter Mulholland and his wife, but not this year. Mulholland was already frustrated over US President Donald Trump’s threats of crippling tariffs on imported goods from Canada and talk about the country becoming the 51st state. The final straw came when Trump referred to Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as a dictator.

EGYPT GOING GANGBUSTERS (AGAIN), SAYS GOWAY

A relative pause in Middle Eastern tensions in Israel and the easing of Egyptian visa processing is seeing Canadians flocking back to the Land of the Pharaohs in 2025, according to Goway, which reports that bookings are up 250 percent in the past few months compared to the year before – a year blighted by full-fledged war between neighbouring Israel and Gaza.

TRAVEL INDUSTRY ALL IN AT OUTDOOR ADVENTURE SHOW

Canada’s travel industry were out in full force as usual at the annual Outdoor Adventure Show, held over the weekend at the International Centre in Toronto. Exhibitors included a host of varied suppliers, including tour ops, resorts, air and cruise lines, outfitters, and international destinations from the Caribbean to US, and Africa to Asia – and of course, across Canada.

AIR CANADA TO RETURN TO ISRAEL IN JUNE

Air Canada says it will resume flights to Israel in June, a year and a half after it halted trips to the region amid the Israel-Hamas war. With a fragile truce in place, the country’s largest airline said in a travel update that four direct round-trip flights per week from Toronto to Tel Aviv will begin on June 8.

GREEK STRIKE TO GROUND PLANES FRIDAY

Greece’s air traffic controllers say they will join a nationwide general strike on Friday (Feb. 28) called to demand justice for the victims of the country’s worst rail disaster two years ago. The air controllers’ participation in the protest, called by labor unions representing public and private sector workers, is expected to ground all commercial passenger flights heading to and from Greek airports.

ROUND-UP: Feb. 16-20, 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.

WHAT’S THE KEY TO SURVIVING A PLANE CRASH?

After watching videos of a Delta Air Lines jet catch fire upon landing and flip over on a Toronto runway, it’s fair to wonder how anyone could have survived. But aviation experts said it was not surprising that all 76 passengers and four crew walked away from Monday’s disaster, with 21 people suffering minor injuries and only one still hospitalized on Wednesday. It’s a credit, they said, to advances in plane design as well as a crew that flawlessly executed an evacuation plan.

SUNWING ACKNOWLEDGES ‘OPERATIONAL CHALLENGES’: Protects agent commissions

Among other air carriers, this has been a difficult week for Sunwing. The airline said in a statement,that there were, “tremendous operational challenges for air carriers across the country.” The problems began, “with the extreme winter weather events experienced in cities across Canada which broadly affected airport operations, both locally and in destination, and air carriers’ flight plans.”

GO WHERE THERE’S NO SNOW – SAINT LUCIA’S GUARANTEE

“Let it snow,” Saint Lucia tourism execs exclaimed while visiting Toronto this week, as the city (and much of the eastern part of the country) continued to dig out from far too much of the white stuff. And to be clear, Saint Lucia Tourism Authority CEO Louis Lewis smiled, there is no snow on his Caribbean island. “Absolutely none!”

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