A new Flight Centre Canada survey reveals that eight in 10 Canadians (78%) agree adventure travel today is defined by discovery, not adrenaline. In fact, 91% say a trip can feel adventurous without any thrill-seeking at all. This mindset is shaping how Canadians plan travel ahead of the busy summer season.

It’s Travel Advisor Day (the first Wednesday of May) – and month – and suppliers and friends of agents from near and far are showing the love with a host of special incentives designed to make their efforts feel more appreciated, and, better still, a little more lucrative. Here’s a sampling of some of the heartfelt sentiment, and offers, ranging from bonus gifts cards to resort stays and love letters to cruise trips.

José Luis Amate López hasn’t had a customer in almost two weeks, not counting the scrawny brown kitten that slinks around the bodega where he works in central Havana. The shelves once laden with goods during his childhood sat nearly empty in late April, with barely anything to offer the 5,000 clients who depend on the state-run store for subsidized food.

According to the latest Longwoods International tracking study of Canadian travellers, 57% of them report U.S. government policies, trade practices and political statements make them less likely to travel to the U.S. in the next 12 months. 

By MICHAEL BAGINSKI/ There’s no better time to be a travel advisor, says the head of one of Canada’s leading IC organizations, Trevello. In fact, it’s sexy, laughs Zeina Gedeon, who has seen both sides of the coin – as a top gun at Air Canada/ACV and now as CEO of the former TPI – which has been around for over 30 years in Canada, yet is still energetically building for the future.

A Dutch cruise ship with nearly 150 people aboard, including 17 Americans, was waiting for help off the coast of Cape Verde in the Atlantic Ocean on Monday after a suspected outbreak of the rare hantavirus killed three passengers and left at least three others seriously ill, the World Health Organization and the ship’s operator said.

This week: Trevello advisors convene in Belfast, Northern Ireland; Maritime Travel boosts its tech platform; Collette hosts its BDMs Down Under; Utah tourism’s three-city Canadian sales mission; and Visit Malta’s new agent training program.

The federal government plans to quadruple to $1 million the maximum fine for airlines that repeatedly violate passengers’ rights. Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon says fining airlines is a last resort, but the current system isn’t working.

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.

After weeks of delay, the U.S. House voted Thursday to fund much of the Department of Homeland Security and send the bipartisan package to President Donald Trump to sign, ending the longest agency shutdown in U.S. history. The funding will notably pay Transportation Security Administration and other agency airport personnel.

The federal government aims to outsource the air passenger complaints process to a third party in a bid to clear the massive backlog – nearly 100,000 complaints – at the country’s transport regulator.

Officers with bomb-sniffing dogs circled cars and searched bags of tourists filing into historic Teotihuacan pyramids outside of Mexico City just days after a lone gunman opened fire on tourists, killing one Canadian and injuring a dozen more.

Please fasten your seatbelt, make sure your tray table is in an upright and locked position, and prepare for delivery.