I’ve often been an advocate for travelling to popular places in shoulder season. Europe, in particular, is jammed with visitors in summer. But it can be just as delightful in April or May, or in October or even November. Places like the Algarve in southern Portugal and Sicily in southern Italy are delightful most of the time in winter, and Spain’s Canary Islands usually sport January temperatures in the low 20s, which makes it a great destination all year long. I received an email this week about Spanish tourism, and it said nearly half of Spain’s tourism activity (47%) now Read more
Spain
Air Canada Adds Seville Flights, Expedia Top Travel Spots for 2027 Includes Niagara, Japan and Italy
A new flight to Spain from Air Canada, top trending destinations for 2027 includes Niagara, and a new tourism campaign for Monterey, California. A busy news day! AIR CANADA ADDS SEVILLE NEXT YEAR Air Canada’s expansion into Spain shows no signs of slowing down. The airline has announced its newest European destination is Seville, with the addition of non-stop, seasonal service out of YUL starting 08SEP, 2027. Seville marks the fifth destination in Spain for Air Canada. “The addition of Seville further bolsters Air Canada’s growing global network and cements Air Canada as the largest airline by seats offered between Read more
The World Economic Forum has come out with its biannual list of the world’s best countries for tourism and travel. And the news isn’t great for Canada. The highly respected group looks at factors and policies that enable sustainable and resilient development in the travel and tourism space, under broad pillars like air transport structure, price competitiveness and safety and security and then comes up with a Travel and Tourism Development Index. Japan, which is seemingly near the top of everyone’s travel list these days, came out on top, rising from number three last year. The U.S. was second (the Read more
Expedia’s Fall Travel Outlook reveals that as Canadians continue to focus on domestic travel, two traditional top destinations are seeing even greater interest as autumn approaches. Always a popular spot for Canadians looking for a European-style cultural experience closer to home, Montreal ranks as the third-most popular Canadian destination overall, even as it also ranks fifth on the list of trending locations, with a 45% increase in searches over the same period in 2025. Meanwhile, Vancouver sits second overall among all Canadian destinations, while jumping up to sixth on the trending list, with a 40% YoY search increase. “Canadians are continuing to favour domestic travel over international trips, and the Fall Travel Outlook indicates Read more
Barbados is celebrating its 60th anniversary as an independent nation. I first visited in 2009 or so, and have been at least four or five times since. It’s one of my fave places in the world; beautiful and safe and relaxed, but with many elegant places to stay. This list is mostly about food and drinks, so here’s a link to a story I wrote after a great food tour of the island a few years ago. Barbados Food & Rum Festival – One of the Caribbean’s premier culinary festivals brings together renowned local and international chefs each year. Meet Award-Winning Read more
