ACTA has opened nominations for its the 2025 ACTA Awards – six awards that recognize travel agency leaders and travel advisor nominees across a variety of categories. “The ACTA awards promote excellence in our industry and are a chance to nominate those who deserve recognition,” says Wendy Paradis, ACTA president.
VoX International Inc. has been named Canadian representation for Experience Turks & Caicos Islands (TCI), the official destination marketing and management organization (DMMO) for the Caribbean islands.
AmaWaterways christened its newest luxury river cruise ship, AmaSintra, which set off on its inaugural voyage along the Douro River in Portugal. The launch of the vessel further strengthens AmaWaterways’ presence in Europe and bring to three, along with sister ships AmaDouro and AmaVida, the company’s number of ships in the top trending destination.
Coinciding with Earth Day (April 22), Sandals Resorts International (SRI), unveiled its Corporate Social Responsibility Report, offering a sweeping look at the company’s ongoing promise to protect and uplift the Caribbean – “the place it calls home.” Titled ‘Love Exceeds Expectations,’ the report showcases more than 40 years of impact, innovation, and stewardship across education, community, and the environment.
A coalition of North American tourism associations committed to open borders is calling for “innovative solutions and unified action” to protect and promote the “pivotal” role of travel during the current “unprecedented” bilateral crisis between Canada and the U.S.
Canadian travellers (53%) are now conscious of travel’s impact on communities as well as the environment, and two thirds (66%) now want to leave places better than when they arrived, according to a new survey by Booking.com.
WestJet has announced a major expansion of its domestic network with new non-stop service between Halifax and St. John’s and three western Canadian cities for summer 2025 – all boosting domestic travel options as well as connections to transatlantic services from the eastern seaboard.
This week: The Travel Agent Next Door has Flex Pay options for its advisors/clients; Globus family of brands is feeling ‘social’; a booking contest from Explore Worldwide (win a trip!); and loyalty program enhancements from Palladium Hotel Group.
Effective today (April 23), Ritushri Dhankher officially begins her role as National Travel Trade & Aviation Manager – Canada for VisitBritain, based in Toronto. She replaces the retiring Lynda Falcone. Well known for her tenure as a member of the VisitBritain team in Canada, Dhankher’s promotion adds the aviation portfolio to the title.
Turkey has begun a new phase in sweeping restorations of the nearly 1,500-year-old Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, focusing on preserving the monument’s historic domes from the threat of earthquakes. Officials say the project will include reinforcing Hagia Sophia’s main dome and half domes, but will remain accessible to visitors during the work.
By Michael Baginski/ With tariffs, sovereignty threats, and fears over border privacy/security, the number of Canadians currently choosing to travel to the U.S. is clearly waning (by how much depends on the source, and mode of travel, i.e. air vs. car), however, one thing is certain according to a panel of top travel agents at a recent Virtuoso gathering in Toronto: travel advisors would be best advised to be like Switzerland and remain politically neutral on the matter when it comes to clients.
Jack Gurevitch is a Montreal Canadiens superfan and a proud Canadian who’s upset by United States President Donald Trump’s tariffs and threats to annex Canada, but he says he won’t let the political situation influence whether he travels to U.S. cities to support his team in the playoffs. Not everyone in his family agrees.
G Adventures has launched a new Rail Collection, featuring both popular and lesser-known routes across the globe. The collection of 60 trips across 20 countries celebrates the belief that “the journey is just as enriching as the destination, and offers so much more than just getting from A to B.”
The Ontario government is investing up to $50 million over three years to update and expand the McMichael Canadian Art Collection (McMichael) facility and grounds in Kleinburg, Ont. (just north of Toronto). The capital funding is dedicated to preserving one of the country’s largest collections of Canadian – including Group of Seven – and Indigenous art for future generations.
A federal judge on Friday partially blocked the Trump administration from enacting a policy that bans the use of “X” marker used by many nonbinary people on passports as well as the changing of gender markers.
AmaMagdalena has inaugurated the first-ever luxury river cruises on Colombia’s Magdalena River. The historic launch is a significant milestone for AmaWaterways, introducing a new region to its offerings beyond Europe, Asia and Africa and a pioneering tourist development in South America.
Canadians need to “keep the pressure up” on the United States by buying local and avoiding travel there, despite a recent push from California to draw visitors from Canada, British Columbia’s premier says.
A 24-year-old American YouTuber (sigh) was arrested and detained in custody after visiting an off-limits island in the Indian Ocean with hopes of establishing contact with a reclusive tribe known for killing trespassers. He further left a can of Diet Coke and a coconut as offering for the tribe, which he ultimately failed to meet.
Venice began charging day-trippers to the famed canal city an arrivals tax for the second year on the weekend, a measure to combat the overtourism that officials say is putting the city’s UNESCO World Cultural Heritage status at risk. But opponents of the day-tripper fee say it has done nothing to discourage visits. Here’s a look at Venice’s battle with overtourism by the numbers.
ACTA is adding another experiential learning opportunity and has partnered with the Jamaica Tourist Board, Air Canada and Sandals Resorts to offer an Immersive Destination Experience to Sandals Dunns River Jamaica from Aug. 23 to 27.
Travel industry veteran Pat Brady has started a new position as Director, Commercial Operations with Sunwing Vacation Group. Brady left Transat after 30 years last November, having spent the past 10 years as national director of sales at Transat Tours Canada.
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.
Canadians got a break on inflation in March as gas prices fell and a slowdown in travel to the United States helped cool airfare costs, Statistics Canada said Tuesday. The annual rate of inflation slowed to 2.3% last month, down from 2.6% in February. Travel costs in the U.S. also declined.
Snowbird Advisor, a one-stop online resource for Canadian snowbirds, has released a guide to help Canadians visiting the U.S. for 30 days or more navigate the new registration requirements that came into effect on April 11, 2025.
Airbnb’s Spring 2025 Travel Trends Report has revealed a whopping 90% year-on-year increase in solo travel searches, with an average of 17 nights booked per solo spring trip. And female wanderers are leading the charge, making up nearly three-quarters (71%) of all solo travellers, according to Virtuoso.
You’d have to be living under a pretty big lotus leaf not to know that the hit HBO series “The White Lotus” is a travel phenomenon, attracting fans en masse to its seasonal settings – Sicily, Hawaii and Thailand. However, according to a new survey not only is the show driving increased consideration for trips to its shooting locations, but the hijinks of its characters are determining the types of experiences fans want to have on vacation.
With staycations increasingly on the agenda for many Canadians this summer, City Cruises Canada says there’s no better time to check out its offerings in Ontario, which feature sightseeing experiences in Niagara, Toronto, and along the St. Lawrence, including dining options and private event tours.
Before Swedish slow TV hit “The Great Moose Migration” began airing Tuesday, Ulla Malmgren stocked up on coffee and prepared meals so she doesn’t miss a moment of the 20-day, 24-hour event. “Sleep? Forget it. I don’t sleep,” she said.
By Michael Baginski/ Acknowledging that “you-know-who is trying to stir things up back in D.C.,” California Gov. Gavin Newsom is urging Canadians not to let that “ruin” their beach plans and instead come back to a state he maintains is not only 2,000 miles away from the capital, but also “a world away in mindset.”
The Canadian Association of University Teachers is warning its members against non-essential travel to the United States due to the “political landscape” created by the Trump administration and reports of some Canadians encountering difficulties while crossing the border.