TORONTO — Tour operators had plenty to celebrate in 2025, with strong sales, new itineraries and innovative programs that deepened connections with travel advisors.

This year, Canadian travellers showed a growing appetite for small-group and customised trips, off-the-beaten-path adventures and low-season escapes, while sustainability and meaningful experiences became top priorities across the industry.

As 2025 wraps up, we checked in with leading tour operators to highlight the year’s biggest wins and get a glimpse of what they’re most excited about in 2026.

Air Canada Vacations — Nino Montagnese, Vice President

ACV marked a major milestone in 2025 with its 50th anniversary, a celebration Montagnese calls the company’s standout moment of the year. “It brought together our entire community of trade partners, suppliers and team members,” he says. ACV rolled out a year-long series of initiatives to thank the trade, culminating in its Product Launch events and a Destination Celebration in Cancún. According to Montagnese, the anniversary “honoured our heritage and reinforced our commitment to our partners.”

He adds that ACV is entering the new year with momentum and a strong pipeline of growth. “We have an exciting lineup of new destinations with Air Canada, including Palma de Mallorca, Catania, Budapest and the Azores,” he says, noting the expanded portfolio will open more opportunities for advisors. He also says that significant upgrades are coming for Air Canada Rouge along with a refreshed fleet and new interiors across Air Canada. “These advancements will set new standards for comfort and style, further solidifying our reputation for quality and innovation,” he says.

Air Canada has an exciting lineup of new destinations including Budapest, Hungary

Collette — Brett Walker, GM, International Operations

For Collette, 2025 was defined by the resilience of Canadian travellers despite economic uncertainty and tariff concerns. Walker says the standout highlight was simply seeing demand hold strong. “Despite all the talk about tariffs, Canadian travellers have been undeterred,” he says. While there was a noticeable drop in near south travel, domestic and long-haul trips performed extremely well. “Statscan data has supported that every month,” Walker adds. “Canadians are resilient and determined, and our industry had a very good year.”

Walker says the hope for a more peaceful world is closely tied to the outlook for travel. “A peaceful world is way more important than our industry, but in fact our industry thrives from it,” he says. He also notes that booking windows already give Collette some insight into the start of the new year. “I don’t have a crystal ball, but things do look promising,” he adds, reflecting optimism that Canadian travellers will continue to support both domestic and long-haul travel in the year ahead.

DH Tour — Karen Burwood, Sales Manager

For DH, 2025 was defined by the continued growth of its small coach “Back Roads” tours across the UK, Italy, Spain, Portugal and France. Burwood says the year’s highest high was seeing travellers embrace a more leisurely touring style in smaller groups. “Clients really seem to appreciate touring at a relaxed pace with a maximum of 18 travellers,” she says. Burwood also notes that London remains a perennial favourite. “Our numbers to London in the off-season, November, were the highest they’ve been for several years,” she adds, reflecting strong year-round demand.

Burwood expects 2026 to build on the same trends. “The appeal of Britain and continental Europe as travel destinations will continue to grow,” she says. She adds that DH’s experienced travel counsellors are ready to advise and support clients, helping them make the most of their trips. 

Exoticca — Mike Quinto, Vice President, North America

It was a year of many highs for Exoticca, says Quinto, noting the deepening connections with the travel advisor community. “Without the agents, we wouldn’t be where we are today,” he says. Quinto notes that their insights and support helped Exoticca improve its product, customer experience and agent experience, contributing to record growth. “We had our highest turnout ever for our North America Roadshows at all 25 events,” he adds, reflecting on a year of strong engagement and gratitude.

Next year’s agenda will focus on strengthening relationships with advisors and providing full support across the team, he adds. Quinto also highlights a growing commitment to sustainable travel and giving back to local communities. “Lastly, I’m excited for the growth of our luxury portfolio and group offerings,” he says. “In 2026, we will have a new system for agents where they can get group quotes online with a click of a button.”

Explore Worldwide — Katy Rockett, Regional Director of North America

For Explore Worldwide, 2025 brought a defining moment in Canada as the company leaned into shifting traveller behaviour and an unpredictable tariff environment. Rockett says the company’s Tariff Timeout sale became a standout milestone thanks to its strong consumer uptake and the signal it sent about Explore’s growing foothold in the market. “The sale gave Canadians a bit of relief from the impact of tariffs and marked our real emergence here,” says Rockett. She adds that the response revealed a wider trend: Canadians are looking farther afield than they have in recent years, with year-over-year growth into Africa and the Middle East up 75%, Asia up 50% and Europe up 20%. “Canadians, and our industry, are resilient,” she says.

Looking ahead, Rockett says 2026 is shaping up to be a year of expansion and deeper trade support after a period of groundwork building. Explore’s Canadian team has grown from one employee at the start of 2024 to nine by the end of 2025, with more roles on the way early next year. “We’ve built an enthusiastic team that’s excited to share Explore’s affordable small-group adventures with this market,” she says. With growing demand for authentic cultural experiences and active outdoor escapes, Rockett believes Explore is well positioned. 

G Adventures — David Green, VP, Customer & Sales Operations and Managing Director, Canada

For G Adventures, 2025 was a year of record growth and meaningful impact. Green says the company’s highest high wasn’t a number on a spreadsheet. “That 40% global sales spike in July was epic, but the real win was showing that the heart of G Adventures beats stronger than ever,” he says. The company made history by increasing its Canadian sales by 30% last fiscal, launching more than 300 new trips and increasing its net promoter score by two points. “That single number confirms that the passion our people pour into these trips is resulting in unforgettable experiences and happy travellers,” Green adds.

Green says 2026 will be a “big, transformative year,” with the full global launch of G’s National Geographic Signature collection. “This represents our most premium offering yet, giving agency partners a high-value product for their most discerning clients,” he says. The collection combines luxury service and curated accommodations with National Geographic’s educational excellence, showing that high-end travel and purpose can coexist. “These trips will be available for bookings starting in January, and they’re going to be unlike anything we’ve offered before,” Green adds.

Globus family of brands — Steve Born, Chief Marketing Officer

According to Born, 2025 marked a turning point in the touring space, with the launch of Globus Choice Excursions reshaping how travellers engage with guided vacations. “Travellers told us they wanted more personalisation, more freedom and more ways to match their passions to their plans without taking on all the planning,” he says. He adds that Choice Excursions allow guests to customise their tours around interests like food, art, history or nature while keeping the ease and insider access that define guided travel. For the trade, Born says the shift “expanded our relevance, especially for Canadians who often prefer DIY or FIT,” noting that Globus has now blended flexibility with guided expertise.

Next year, he says, will be about raising awareness among FIT-minded Canadians. “Next year is our year to reintroduce Globus as the smartest travel hack,” he says. The company will spotlight its growing portfolio of small-group itineraries, expanded Choice Excursions and the value of its tour directors. Born adds that Globus removes the stress of planning and logistics so guests “can stay present in the moment.” He sees 2026 as the year Globus positions itself as “the travel upgrade Canadians didn’t know they needed.”

Goway Travel — Dean Moore, Chief Operating Officer

For Goway Travel, 2025 stood out as both a celebration year and a major engagement push with the trade. Marking its 55th anniversary, the company leaned into advisor-focused initiatives that Moore calls a defining highlight. “It gave us a chance to recognise how far we’ve come since 1970 and to celebrate and reward our travel advisor community,” he says. The year saw roadshows across Canada and the U.S., the first Goway Micro Film Festival in Los Angeles and Toronto, anniversary fams and the launch of a new Travel Advisory Board and the Club 100 advisor program. Moore also notes that the company “gave away $550,000 in rewards” as part of its milestone celebrations.

Looking ahead, Moore says 2026 will be about rolling out the technology investments completed this year. “We’ve been focused on tools that make us easier to book with and that help advisors grow their businesses,” he says. The first launch will be a custom group travel platform for Goway GroupsOnly designed to boost efficiency and improve how advisors market their groups. An FIT platform will follow with an advisor portal aimed at simplifying the quoting process. 

In Australia with Goway Travel

Okushu Tours — Lisa Lau, Managing Director

Okushu Tours marked 2025 with a record-breaking sale, driven by strong demand in Japan and Korea and growing agent support for customised and white-label tours. Lau notes the success of new women-focused itineraries designed to offer meaningful experiences in self-awareness and well-being. “We also demonstrated a long-term commitment to sustainability by contributing to carbon reduction and working with like-minded companies,” Lau adds.

In 2026, Okushu Tours plans to expand its product offerings to destinations explored in 2025, including Brazil, Colombia and the Philippines, giving agents more options to sell. Lau says the company aims to provide “more meaningful, great value, less crowded travel-with-ease experiences” by promoting low-season travel and off-the-beaten-path tours. On a broader scale, she is hopeful that more countries will resolve political conflicts and reopen for travel, benefiting both agents and travellers alike.

Okushu Tours is expanding its offerings in destinations like Brazil (pictured here: Escadaria Selarón, Rio de Janeiro

Royal Irish Tours — Jonathan Sargeant, Director of Sales

Sargeant says the company’s biggest highlight of 2025 was hosting its first-ever Ireland roadshow. “We brought 14 partners over from Ireland to meet with over 250 travel advisors,” he says, adding that the team also kicked off its 25th anniversary with “a good old Irish party” at Noonan’s Irish Pub in Toronto attended by more than 80 industry partners.

Looking ahead, Sargeant says 2026 will be a year of expansion, particularly in Britain. “Ireland will always be our bread and butter, but Britain is growing for us,” he says. Royal Irish Tours is launching seven new itineraries next year, including a coach-and-rail journey through London, York and Edinburgh, plus a 12-day Scottish Island Adventure that Sargeant calls his favourite.

With Canadians making up 99% of guests, he’s confident the new programs will resonate strongly. The company will also continue its 25th anniversary celebrations with events across Canada this spring.

In Ireland with Royal Irish Tours

TTC Tour Brands — Whitney Ramirez, Senior VP of Sales, North America

TTC Tour Brands celebrated major milestones in 2025, including the launch of Trafalgar’s first river cruise product. Ramirez described it as “one of the biggest moves in the history of the company,” noting strong early interest in Trafalgar Verity and Trafalgar Reverie and excitement from both advisors and guests.

Another highlight was TTC Tour Week, the company’s global fam program. The inaugural edition in March drew over 1,000 applicants, sending 500 advisors on 13 trips across five brands. Ramirez says the award-winning program “helped boost awareness, client excitement and selling confidence across the board.”

In 2026, TTC plans to expand immersive itineraries and trip styles. Trafalgar’s river cruises officially launch in April, with inaugural sailings on the Rhine and Danube. Plus, Brendan Vacations will continue growing its Small Group Tours to Ireland and Scotland, pairing castle stays, boutique accommodations and local-led experiences for groups of 18 to 24 travellers. 

TTC Tour Brands, Madrone Winery in Sonoma, California with Insight Vacations