MSN has a fun (maybe not to him) look at European travel expert Rick Steves’ fave places – and not so fave – places in Europe. Rick (I dealt with him briefly when I was travel editor at the Toronto Star) doesn’t hate anyplace in Europe as far as I can tell, but there do seem to be places he recommends more highly than others. Here’s what MSN Travel and xxx published in a story about Steves’ personal faves – and not so faves. RICK’S FAVES Bruges, Belgium Istanbul, Turkiye Rome, Italy Prague, Czechia Mosel River Valley, Germany Norway NOT Read more
flights to Cancun
Is the Canadian Elbows Up Movement losing steam? Statistics Canada this week reports that Canadian visits to the United States rose to 1.9 million last month. That’s up 9.5% from the same month in 2025. This marks the second month in a row that Canadian visits to the U.S. have gone up. Overall numbers are still well below 2024 levels, but the steady increase in Canadian visitors to the States is encouraging news for U.S. travel and tourism. “Canada remains a vitally important market for the U.S. and we warmly welcome our Canadian neighbors to our 50 states, five territories Read more
A great, new golf course and hotel development in the mountains of British Columbia, expanded Air Transat service to Europe, and a new Porter Airlines flight to Nashville. I also have news on Ontario tourism sponsoring the Toronto Blue Jays and Montreal hosting qualifying events for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. CABOT REVELSTOKE GOLF OPENS THIS FALL: HOTEL IN THE WORKS Cabot, a leading developer and operator of luxury resort and residential golf destinations, announces expansion plans for Cabot Revelstoke, its four-season mountain destination in development in British Columbia. Highlights include a new 155-room hotel, Cabot Revelstoke Mountain Lodge Read more
A strong increase in Canadian domestic visits helped Montreal boost its visitor numbers by more than seven per cent last year. Tourisme Montréal today (Feb. 17) said the city attracted 11.8 million visitors last year, up 7.3% from 2024. Domestic travel continued to rise, with the Canadian market up 10%, fuelled by strong gains from several provinces, especially those in the Atlantic region (+17%). U.S. visits dipped in the middle of 2024, but the year ended with a more moderate decline of 5%. Overseas markets posted 2% growth overall. France set a new record with more than 470,000 visitors, a Read more
Visiting China is about to become a lot easier for many Canadians. As of tomorrow (Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026), holders of Canadian passports can travel to China without having to pay for a visa. A China travel visa currently costs about $140 CAD, so this would mean a savings of almost $300 for a couple and more than $550 in savings for a family of four. The CBC reports Canadian passport holders will be “exempted from visa to enter China and stay for up to 30 days for business, tourism, family/friends visit, exchange and transit purposes.” The policy also applies Read more
