A new list of top hotels from Forbes. Tourism jumps for Anguilla, Curacao and Shanghai. A new Marriott hotel in Barbados. And a continued drop in Canadian visits to the States. That plus a Cuba tourism update and TPC Sawgrass PGA Tour golf in today’s travel report. FORBES HOTEL, SPA, RESTAURANT AND CRUISE RATINGS FOR 2026 Forbes has come out with its annual list of top hotels, restaurants, spas and cruise ships around the world. Totaling 2,422 properties, the winners include 343 Five-Star, 708 Four-Star and 679 Recommended hotels and 82 Five-Star, 138 Four-Star and 80 Recommended restaurants. They also Read more
Asia
Top places around the world to visit this year includes the Canadian Rockies, southern Ontario, Western Australia, New Zealand, Italy and Argentina. I also have news on new flights from Canada to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, a report on Arizona tourism seeking Canadian visits, and a new kids’ zone at the Chelsea Hotel Toronto. TIME OUT TOP WORLD PLACES FOR 2026 Time Out magazine recently came out with its list of best places in the world to visit this year. It’s an interesting list with a nice mix of well-known and probably unheard of places for some travel fans. Here’s Read more
High-end travellers in the U.S. say Canada is their top choice for an international vacation, followed by Costa Rica. They’re also increasingly interested in cruise and wellness holidays. A new report from Resonance Consultancy, a respected tourism/travel research company, looked at the top 10% and top 1% of travel spenders in the U.S. They found that safety and easy access/proximity to the States were key factors in travel decisions. “Safety is the top factor affluent travelers consider when choosing a destination. Canada scores strongly on political stability, personal security, health care and infrastructure, particularly important for multi-generational family trips and Read more
Japan rules the tourism world. A new look at the world’s best cities gives the top spot on the podium to Osaka, with Kyoto in the bronze medal spot and five Japanese destinations/cities in the top 12 in the world. Yanolja Research recently published its Global Tourism City Attractiveness Index, which it says “objectively measures the attractiveness of global tourism cities from the perspective of tourists—the actual demand side of tourism.” This index directly reflects how tourists perceive and evaluate the appeal and popularity of tourism cities. It is derived through sentiment analysis and the measurement of positive and Read more
A record 28.2 million visitors came to Toronto in 2025, generating a record $9.1 billion in spending. Destination Toronto figures released today (Jan. 28) show overnight visits rose two per cent over last year despite a softening U.S. market. Large entertainment events such as concerts and sporting events like the Toronto Blue Jays helped the city set its new record, officials said. The $9.1 billion in direct spending exceeded the previous year’s record by four per cent, reinforcing tourism’s role as one of the city’s most important export sectors. Toronto is the most visited city in Canada. Domestic visitation remained Read more
