WestJet and Aeromexico have expanded their codeshare partnership, offering guests on both sides of the continent enhanced access to a broader network of destinations in the two countries with the ease of a single booking.
The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority is set to launch the “ultimate recognition experience” this summer for Canada’s top-performing travel trade professionals. The initiative will spotlight “the best in the business – those who go above and beyond to sell and promote Las Vegas” with special perks, exclusive invitations, and iconic Vegas experiences.
Transat Distribution Canada (TDC) recently celebrated the exceptional performance of approximately 60 of its top travel advisors. The professionals, hailing from Transat Travel/Voyages Transat agencies, the agent@home program, and its franchise and affiliate agencies across Canada, were treated to a seven-night dream trip to Club Med La Palmeraie in Marrakech, Morocco.
By Anita Draycott/ When the International Association of Golf Tour Operators awarded Wales the “undiscovered Golf Destination of the Year in 2003,” that kudo, plus the Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor in 2010, put the country on the global golf map. Wales hosted The Senior open in 2014, 2017 and 2023. This year the AIG Woman’s Open comes to Royal Porthcawl (July 30 to Aug. 3).
The French Riviera resort of Cannes is imposing what its city council calls “drastic regulation” on cruise ships, banning any vessels carrying more than 1,000 people from its harbor starting next year. The home of the world’s premier film festival is joining a growing global backlash against overtourism, which recently saw uproar over Jeff Bezos’ and Lauren Sanchez’ Venice wedding last weekend, water-gun protests in Spain, and a surprise strike at the Louvre Museum.
U.S. President Donald Trump has instructed his top Cabinet officers to review U.S. policy toward Cuba, ordering them to examine current sanctions and come up with ways to toughen them within 30 days. In one potential significant change, the order said the U.S. should look for ways to shut down all tourism to the island and to restrict educational tours to groups that are organized and run only by American citizens.
Barcelona recorded its hottest June in over a century, the summit of the Eiffel Tower in Paris was closed to visitors and hundreds of French schools shut on Tuesday as Europe sizzled in its first major heat wave of the summer.
WestJet and Saudia have signed a new interline partnership agreement that will enhance global connectivity to more than 100 destinations across both carriers’ networks and includes single-connection access to Jeddah via Toronto Pearson as well as both Jeddah and Riyadh from London Heathrow and Paris Charles-de-Gaulle.
Pierre Jean Jeanniot, O.C., passed away in Montreal on June 22, 2025, at the age of 92. A pioneering figure in civil aviation, he played a transformative role as President and CEO of Air Canada and later as Director General of the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
This week: Air Canada Vacations and Sandals hosted travel execs in Jamaica; profit sharing continued at Ensemble; Tully Travel was honoured by Forbes; three Canadian travel advisors got a taste of Utah on a special FAM; Fora Travel touted new tech; and First in Service has expanded into Mexico.
Hard Rock International has turned up the volume in Canada with the opening of the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Ottawa today (July 3). The venue is the first fully integrated Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in the country, also featuring a 2,200-seat auditorium.
Schools out for summer, and Canadians are ready to hit the road for vacation – perhaps this year content to stay in their own back yard (relatively speaking). With this in mind, Mazda Canada, in partnership with the Coffee Association of Canada, has unveiled the official Mazda Coffee Tour, inviting Canadians to explore their country through the lens of coffee, culture, and road trip adventures.
The Canada Strong Pass is now in effect, offering free admission to national parks, national historic sites and marine conservation areas maintained by Parks Canada. The program, which runs until Sept. 2 also includes a 25% discount on camping fees at national parks.
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.