My travel report for today looks at travel trends for Canadians, as well as what looks like an inevitable, major expansion of the Toronto Island Airport. I’m also debuting a new “Cruise News and Views” section on my blog to help people keep track of the booming cruise industry. And I’ve got a report on Hilton hotels use of artificial intelligence to help travelers make decisions, as well as an update on European travel. CANADIANS CAUTIOUS ABOUT TRAVEL: DOMESTIC TRIPS STILL A PRIORITY According to the Canadian Automobile Association’s Travel Wise survey, more than half of Canadians (51%) now say geopolitical and Read more
Spain
I love a good travel list, so today I’m going OVERBOARD with three fun ones: the top cities in Europe, the best places to visit in Canada, and the best beaches in Australia. I also look at Las Vegas tourism, Air Canada’s plan to increase flights to India, and plans for Hilo, Hawaii. THE BEST 100 CITIES IN EUROPE The experts at Resonance Consultancy, who take an exhaustive look at the world’stop cities every year, have come out with a list of the best cities in Europe for 2026. The company looked at 34 factors, including livability, prosperity and nightlife, Read more
Florida tourism set a new record last year, welcoming 143.3 million visitors, according to data released by Visit Florida. That represents an increase of 0.2% over 2024 and represents the highest yearly total in state history. Domestic tourism represented nearly 92% of all visitors. Overseas visits were up 4%, with almost 9.3 million visits. But visits from Canada were down a substantial 14.7%, reaching roughly 2.9 million for the year. Visit Florida, which markets the Sunshine State to the world, says it’s engaging in talks with Canadian travel groups in an effort to change that. But it may not be Read more
According to travel app Skyscanner’s latest research, while 66% of Canadians are planning to head abroad in 2026, only 48% have taken the plunge and booked their flights. Destination indecision and concerns over cost are reported as the biggest booking barriers, as nearly half (45%) share they are still deciding on destination, and 43% are still trying to find the best deals. Canadian travellers’ perception of flight pricing in 2026 is not the reality of the great value deals on offer. While 69% of Canadians think their round-trip flights are going to cost more than $500 this year, Read more
Fall is almost here for folks in the northern hemisphere, which means the summer crowds are pretty much gone from many of the world’s – and North America’s – top destinations. Shoulder season is an ideal time to visit Europe, with the usual hordes having departed cities like Rome and Barcelona but with warm weather still lingering. Not to mention warm Mediterranean water. It’s also a great time to visit Northern California, which often sees it warmest temperature of the year in September and (usually) very little fog. And a fabulous time to visit Hawaii for deals and for Australia Read more
