“The Lion King” will soon utter its final roar in Toronto. Mirvish Productions has announced that the last performance of the critically acclaimed and award-winning musical will take place Aug. 30 at the Princess of Wales Theatre.
Leading travel intelligence provider ForwardKeys has published a joint report, “Caribbean Travel Trends 2025” indicating strong demand for the region this summer, not least as consumers seek to go back to beaches.
‘Canada, naturally’ is the country’s new tourism brand and tagline. Unveiled at the recent Rendez-vous Canada, the country’s largest international tourism tradeshow, the brand is meant to reflect “what comes naturally to Canada – awe-inspiring landscapes and warm-hearted people – and how even the ordinary moments here can feel extraordinary to guests,” according to Destination Canada.
When David Bennett decided to escape Canada’s icy winter with a weeklong trip to the Dominican Republic, he never imagined he’d be fighting to get back on Canadian soil for more than two months. Bennett has finally returned to his Burlington, Ont., home after being arrested in the Caribbean country and accused of smuggling drugs. Even after the charges were withdrawn, he was stuck in the island nation for weeks due to court delays.
Travel advisors who complete Visit Seattle’s new online training program by July 1 will have a chance to win one of three spots on a FAM trip to the Emerald City scheduled for early October. The free interactive program is designed to equip travel professionals with in-depth knowledge and skills they can use to showcase the city’s exceptional experiences to their clients and to do so backed by an official “Seattle Certified” designation.
Following the completion of the transition of the last Sunwing aircraft fleet into the WestJet fleet last week, the company is advising of several changes affecting Sunwing Vacations passengers going forward.
Airline passengers in Turkey who unbuckle their seat belts, access overhead compartments, or occupy the aisle before their plane has fully stopped now face fines under new regulations issued by the country’s civil aviation authority.
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.
The chief executive of WestJet Group says the federal government should not treat air travel as a luxury in a country as vast as Canada and reducing costs to the industry would help foster national unity.
With warmer than normal ocean waters, forecasters are expecting yet another unusually busy Atlantic hurricane season – which officially starts June 1. But though they don’t think it will be as chaotic as 2024, the third-costliest season on record as it spawned killer storms Beryl, Helene and Milton, one expert warns, “I don’t have the warm fuzzies” about what’s to come.
COVID-19 cases are rising again as a new variant begins to circulate in some parts of the world. The World Health Organization says the rise in cases is primarily in the eastern Mediterranean, Southeast Asia and western Pacific regions and airport screening in the United States has detected the new variant in travellers arriving from those regions to destinations in California, Washington state, Virginia, and New York.
Despite long-standing advice to avoid ice abroad, it’s not the drinks you need to worry about when it comes to food-poisoning and illness, it may be lukewarm lasagna, according to a travel expert, who warns sunseekers to be cautious of lesser-known food poisoning risks – especially E. coli – that often go unnoticed on the buffet table.
Viking’s got good news and that could mean you’ll have a tough time finding available space on one of their ships. But there are many more ships on the way and its fleet will soon top 100 ships.
This year’s U.S. travel trade show IPW kicks off in a couple of weeks in Chicago and one of the best perks for attendees will be the city’s vibrant music scene. The city continues to celebrate the 50th anniversary of House music (ok, not my cup of tea, so don’t worry!), but it is equally renowned for its rock, jazz and, especially, blues history.
With its final flight taking place yesterday (May 28), the WestJet Group says it has officially completed its integration of Sunwing Airlines – an operation two years in the making after the former acquired the latter in May, 2023.
Following its successful inaugural International Destination Conference in 2024, ACTA has partnered with the Tourist Office of Spain for its 2025 event, to be held in Castilla y Leon, Oct. 27-Nov. 1. Applications are now open with a deadline of July 13.
Over 300 million tourists travelled internationally in the first three months of 2025, about 14 million more than in the same months of 2024, according to the May 2025 World Tourism Barometer from UN Tourism. That represents a 5% rise on last year and is 3% more than in pre-pandemic year 2019.
With interest by, and from, Caribbean countries peaking as Canadians continue to look for alternate destinations for their holidays, the time is certainly fortuitous for One Caribbean Canada to help connect the trade with the region’s representatives in this country.
From stargazing in a Dark Sky Reserve to wrangling brook trout (or bulls), Québec’s most unconventional festivals offer memorable ways to experience the province’s landscapes, culture, and sense of fun this summer. Here are four festivals of notes catering to diverse and unique interests.
Hamburger Hill, Hue, the Ia Drang Valley, Khe Sanh: Some remember the Vietnam War battles from the headlines of the 1960s and 1970s, others from movies and history books. And thousands of Americans and Vietnamese know them as the graveyards of loved ones who died fighting more than a half-century ago.
By Wallace Immen/ First-time cruisers are driving fast growth in cruising, with 31% of passengers in the last two years being new to cruise. But there’s also a rising tide in repeat cruising, the latest annual report of Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) finds.
By Michael Baginski/ Despite a 16 percent increased forecast for flights to the Caribbean from Canada this summer, a new study says lift from this country to the region is not keeping up with travel demand that is peaking due in part to travellers seeking alternatives to travel to the U.S.
With Canada’s new parliament now reconvened after the federal election and throne speech Tuesday, ACTA has laid out its list of key priorities for the incoming federal government, which includes presenting the priorities of travel agencies and independent travel advisors.
This week: TRAVELSAVERS owners were in full “retreat” mode – in a good way; Nexion members cruised to success at an inaugural conference; Transat hosted “rookie camp” for travel advisors; and Trevello revealed the anticipated location of its next annual conference in 2026.
As “sleepmaxxing” searches hit an all-time high in 2025 and with the month of May designated as “Better Sleep Month” by the Better Sleep Council – Sandals Resorts has uncovered what moms really want: a nap. According to a recent survey by the Sandals Institute of Romance, nearly all moms (94%) agree that more sleep would benefit not only themselves, but their families.
A dilapidated industrial site in the Czech Republic where German businessman Oskar Schindler saved 1,200 Jews during the World War II is coming back to life. The site, a former textile factory in the town of Brněnec, about 160 km. east of Prague, was stolen by the Nazis from its Jewish owners in 1938 and turned into a concentration camp. In May it welcomed the first visitors to the Museum of Survivors dedicated to the Holocaust and the history of Jews in this part of Europe.
By Michael Baginski/ Many Caribbean nations are looking further north than usual for visitors as economic turmoil threatens the United States and wary (and aggrieved) Canadians look for alternative destinations to the U.S. for their summer holidays.
Five United States senators were in Ottawa late last week to meet with Prime Minister Mark Carney and underscore the long-standing relationship between the two countries, at the same time stressing the hope that Canadians will continue to visit the U.S. despite the currently fractious relationship between the two countries.
Rendez-vous Canada (RVC), Canada’s largest tourism tradeshow, kicks off today (May 27) in Winnipeg, bringing together 500 Canadian tourism businesses and more than 400 buyers from 22 international markets – including Destination Canada’s nine key markets – to showcase Canada to the world for the rest of the week. The event is expected to generate tens of millions in sales.
Air Transat continues to explore new horizons in South America with the launch of an exclusive new route between Toronto (YYZ) and Medellín (MDE), via Cartagena (CTG). The carrier is also extending service to both Bordeaux, France, and Valencia, Spain, next winter.