Travel Industry Today

BEEN NICE KNOWING YA: Sunwing takes final flight as WestJet integration complete
by Staff Writer - 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.
ACTA INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ANNOUNCED FOR SPAIN
by Staff Writer - 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.
NOTHING TO SEE HERE: Tourism flourishing despite global turmoil
by Staff Writer - 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.

ONE CARIBBEAN CANADA HELPS MAKE CONNECTIONS
by Staff Writer - 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.
CANADA COMPASS: Festivals adds colour to Quebec summer
by Staff Writer - 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.
TOURISTS EAGER TO RE-VISIT VIETNAM’S TROUBLED PAST
by Staff Writer - 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.

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CRUISE CLUES: CLIA breaks down sector’s wave of success
by Wallace Immen - 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.
CARIBBEAN NEEDS MORE FLIGHTS FROM CANADA
by Staff Writer - 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.
ACTA SETS OUT AGENDA FOR NEW GOVERNMENT
by Staff Writer - 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.
RETAIL ROUND-UP: Agent news, fams & incentives
by Staff Writer - 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.
WHAT MOMS WANT: Spoiler alert, it’s a nap
by Staff Writer - 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.
NEW HOLOCAUST MUSEUM HONOURS OSCAR SCHINDLER
by Staff Writer - 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.
IRISH EYES SMILE ON CANADIAN TRAVEL TRADE
by Staff Writer - Tourism Ireland recently hosted its ‘Senses of Ireland’ roadshow in Canada, with over a dozen partners taking part (banner photo) and close to 200 travel advisors in attendance at events in Victoria, Kelowna, Edmonton, and Ottawa.
AN INDUSTRY FIRST: Hawaii taps tourists, cruise ships to fund climate change fight
by Staff Writer - Lawmakers in Hawaii have passed a first-of-its-kind legislation that will increase the state’s lodging tax to raise money for environmental protection and strengthening defenses against climate change-fueled natural disasters.