However Caribbean travel faces headwinds from Venezuela tensions
A survey of travel agents in different provinces suggests there are plenty of us ready to pack our bags and head south in the coming months, although enthusiasm for sunspots isn’t distributed equally in these somewhat turbulent times.
Canada-U.S. tensions are continuing to curb travel to the United States, while the American military strike on Venezuela has created unease among some about visiting some parts of the Caribbean, agents report.
Nevertheless, several agents are upbeat about the coming months.
“As we come off of our best December ever, we are full of optimism going into 2026,” says Jamie Milton of Uniglobe Carefree Travel in Saskatoon. “Despite ongoing fallout from the U.S. political situation and lower sales to the U.S.A., our clients continue to plan an abundance of trips for 2026 and even through 2027.
“We are finding that our leisure clients continue to book those larger bucket list trips and that they want to book them 12 to 18 months in advance to secure better pricing and availability. Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and Europe continue to be big sellers. Cruising also continues to be very strong, with cruisers choosing longer and more exotic itineraries than we have seen in the past.”
Milton reports the winter sun market to Mexico and the Caribbean is as popular as ever among Prairie residents, although “we have a decrease in seats this year with the Sunwing/WestJet merger. That is causing pricing to be higher and flights to generally sell out before there any last minute price drops.
“We are excited to see where 2026 takes us!” Milton continues.
Delores Frederiksen of CAA Atlantic in Saint John also is upbeat about this year, although the situation in Venezuela is making some clients wary about a perennially popular region.
“I think that 2026 will be a busy travel year but what will remain to be seen is what destinations will change in popularity,” she states. “We have already received some inquiries about cancellations and overall safety in the Caribbean and current political situation in Venezuela. I am very curious how the winter will trend.”
Frederiksen is confident interest in Europe will remain strong, and she has a lot of clients sailing the Mediterranean in 2026.
However, “any inquiries for U.S. travel I have had have been for family visits and time shares. I have never seen in my career as a travel agent such a switch in travel destination as I have in the last year.”
Frederiksen also reports that within the first couple days of 2026 she has had multiple requests for travel within Canada. “Is this an indication that Canadians will stay closer to home and if so, I think this will be a combination of the economy and the worldwide unrest that we are seeing.
“Either way for 2026 as a travel agent, I would love to see our industry continue the rebound post-COVID. 2025 was a great year and I will remain positive that 2026 will be even better!”
However, Sheila Aue of TPI Trevello Travel Group in Mississauga expects “2026 will be a challenging year to navigate. Uncertainties with the situation that has affected various islands in the Caribbean is leaving guests concerned about the impact on their vacation plans for the busy winter season. Travellers still want to go south to escape the winter weather, it will be a case of where they should go. This makes it that much more important to rely on the advice of a travel advisor to help with travel plans. They may not know exactly what will happen in any country, at any given time, but they can certainly help coordinate the next steps for their clients – should a situation arise that requires travellers to alternate their plans.”
Meanwhile, Ethel Hansen Davey of Uniglobe Enterprise Travel in Toronto says there is still resistance among many when it comes to vacationing in the United States.
“I think that this ‘anywhere-but-USA’ trend will continue throughout 2026,” she adds. “So far, for winter, Costa Rica, Panama, Portugal and the usual D.R. and Mexico are leading the pack. Summer seems to be trending, as usual, to Europe, with Northern Europe for July, August and September and southern Europe more for fall. Scotland and Iceland are the hot contenders.”
