Travel associations on both sides of the border have banded together to tackle unprecedented challenges facing the industry in 2025 — starting with the ongoing tariff war between the U.S. and Canada. The newly formed Beyond Borders Tourism Coalition (BBTC) brings together the United States Tour Operators Association and the Canadian Association of Tour Operators as well as the Adventure Travel Trade Association, American Bus Association, Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada, International Inbound Travel Association, National Tour Association and Student & Youth Travel Association. “The travel industry’s interconnected nature demands unified voice and action to tackle shared challenges arising from Read more
Caribbean
Hilton Hotels is constantly adding new properties, and fixing up existing ones. Here are some highlights for the next few months. The debut of Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts brand in Japan and Costa Rica, with Waldorf Astoria Osaka and Waldorf Astoria Costa Rica Punta Cacique opening in April A new all-inclusive resort inspired by the Taino culture, Zemi Miches Punta Cana All-Inclusive Resort, Curio Collection by Hilton, will open in June in the Dominican Republic Hilton’s first luxury hotel in the heart of Paris will arrive with Sax Paris, LXR Hotels & Resorts this spring I’m also excited about Read more
Lots of Canadian airline news to share this morning, including more great ways to get to Europe, a new dining option at Montreal Trudeau Airport, and possibly new ways to explore the Caribbean and Mexico. With the Canada-USA tariff war still carrying on, Canadians seem to be increasingly avoiding trips to the United States. Air Canada has started trimming routes to some U.S. destinations, including Florida, New Orleans and Kansas City, and now it seems WestJet is following suit. SimpleFlying says WestJet will go from eight to 11 flights per week for its Toronto-Dublin and Toronto-Edinburgh flights, but didn’t list Read more
With the economy bouncing around like a yo-yo, travellers around the world are looking to save money wherever they can. A website called Hello Safe looked at the cost for accommodation, food and transportation, as well as tourist activities in 131 countries across the globe and came up with the average price for a traveller in U.S. dollars. (The average does not include transportation to the country). The most expensive country to visit? Hello Safe says it’s Barbados, with an average daily price tag of $471 USD. That was followed by Antigua and Barbuds at $443 and Saint Kitts and Read more
Forbes Travel has released its list of the top hotels around the world. It’s a big world, and it’s winter in the northern hemisphere, and I’m based in Toronto, so I’m going to only mention Canadian properties and those in the Caribbean. Toronto claimed four of the five-star hotels in Canada, which surprised me a little. But there are plenty of four-star properties in Montreal and Vancouver, not to mention one each in Banff and Halifax. For the Caribbean, luxury destinations such as the Cayman Islands and Anguilla dominate the five-star list. FIVE-STAR HOTELS IN CANADA Four Seasons, Toronto (haven’t Read more
