Takeaways from the 2025 Agents’ Choice Awards
It was a truly remarkable evening. An evening of awards. An evening of conversation. An evening of giving back. An evening of good food and music. An evening of surprises. An evening when friends, colleagues and competitors joined together to recognize individual accomplishments and applaud the collective strength and resilience of Canada’s travel industry community.
The 2025 Agents’ Choice Awards Presentation and Gala was all of that and more as a ‘who’s who’ of Canada’s top travel executives gathered at The Carlu in Toronto for the must-attend event on June 19.
“We’re here to celebrate the favourite travel suppliers of Canadian travel advisors from coast to coast to coast in 2025,” executive editor Bob Mowat told the audience at the Carlu. “The key words there are Canadian and travel advisors because since its launch 25 years ago, the Agents’ Choice Readership Survey has been proudly Canadian and committed to giving Canadian travel advisors an opportunity to show their appreciation to their supplier partners year after year.”
The crowd of close to 500 (482 to be exact) were the first to learn who came out on top as this year’s favourites in the annual Agents’ Choice Readership Survey, which Mowat called, “Canada’s only quantifiable, annual, national survey of Canadian travel advisors.”
The 2025 results marked a special milestone – the 25th anniversary of the survey.
Just like the technology shifts in the industry, Baxter Media’s executive vice president Wendy McClung shared that a lot has changed in a quarter of a century, including a streamlined voting process.
“Since 2000, year after year, we have been asking the question, who is your favourite supplier in various categories, and yes, [in the beginning] hand counting the mail-in votes,” McClung said. “What began with just a handful of categories (nine to be exact) has expanded to 46 this year — a true testament to the industry’s growth, depth and resilience. My, we have grown.”
And to mark the silver anniversary of the awards, each table was also fitted with a polished piece of silver, including a sympathy trophy given to Baxter Media’s president David McClung for his continual losses in the Muskoka cribbage Championship.
Celebrating your favourites
Across 46 categories, there were eight companies that took home an Agents’ Choice Award for the first time — companies like Oceania, HX Expeditions, Globus family of brands, Hyatt Inclusive Collection, Collette, Turkish Airlines, Four Seasons Hotels and Azamara.
There were also seven new favourites for the year in categories like Favourite Hotel Brand Luxury and Favourite Travel Agent Education Program.
Notably, six companies needed multiple hands to carry home their trophies as they celebrated wins across multiple awards during the night including the likes of Air Canada & Air Canada Vacations, TravelBrands, WestJet & WestJet Vacations, Sandals, Air Transat and Transat and G Adventures.
There was also a strong showing of 30 repeat favourites from the previous year like Porter Airlines, the Jamaica Tourist Board, Trafalgar, Softvoyage, Anderson Vacations, Sandals Resorts and AmaWaterways.
With 7,708 Canadian travel advisors taking part in the voting process, 2025 marked an 11% increase in the number of advisors voting compared to 2024.
“For me, one of the notable results of this year’s 25th anniversary survey is the fact that a third of the favourite suppliers picked by advisors are either first-time favourites or new favourites – that’s a remarkable result,” Mowat observed.
The complete results of the 25th Anniversary edition of the Agents’ Choice Readership Survey are available here.
A lifetime of achievement
Over the years, one of the special moments at the Agents’ Choice Awards Gala is the presentation of the W.H. Baxter Lifetime Achievement Award, which recognizes an individual or individuals who have made a lasting and positive impact on the travel industry.
In 2025, Steve Ringuet and Moise Levy, the co-founders and co-presidents of Softvoyage (Sirev/Revnet) were the recipients.
Dan Langevin, chief commercial officer of Softvoyage, introduced Ringuet and Levy, telling the audience that: “Together, they embody the true definition of pioneers, having effectively invented modern travel distribution as we know it today. They took a modest company based in Montreal and developed class-leading technology that is now globally recognized and admired, not just within Canada but across the world.”
Saying he was “deeply honoured,” Ringuet said that he was grateful for the “privilege of working with brilliant minds,” before adding: “Thank you for your belief in what we’re building together.”
As for Levy, he said simply: “We’re very proud to be here tonight.”
Inspired to go Above & Beyond
One of the new awards presented during the evening was the Inspiring Innovation Award, which reflects the theme of this year’s Agents’ Choice Readership Survey and the Gala. The award was introduced to recognize some of the remarkable achievements of Canadian travel companies in the past 25 years. G Adventures took home the inaugural 2025 Inspiring Innovation Award.
“We’re incredibly honoured to receive the Inspiring Innovation Award from Baxter Media,” noted Sara Murphy, regional marketing manager, Canada at G Adventures. “Innovation isn’t just about adopting the latest tech; it’s about challenging the status quo of what travel can and should be — a force for good. It’s about creating new ways for travellers to connect meaningfully with the places they visit, while ensuring those experiences have a lasting, positive impact on local communities.”
Meanwhile, Transat was awarded the Favourite Supplier – Above & Beyond award, presented to the supplier that is keeping travel advisors up-to-date on their products, services and incentives in their efforts to help advisors operate their businesses more efficiently and profitably.
“It is a true honour to have also received the Favourite Supplier – Above and Beyond award, which highlights our team’s dedication to delivering exceptional service and support,” said Julie Sareault, commercial director for Transat Tours Canada. “These honours reflect the passion and commitment of our entire team, and we’re deeply grateful for the continued trust and support from our partners.”
Brand USA remembers Casey Canevari
Following a moving in memoriam tribute to members of the travel industry who are no longer with us, Jackie Ennis, vice president of Global Trade Development for Brand USA, honoured her late colleague Casey Canevari. Canevari served as Brand USA’s director of Global Trade Development, Canada.
“I would very much like to honour my colleague and friend, Casey Canevari, who many of you know. He passed away tragically last month and he left an indelible mark on promoting the United States in Canada,” she shared. “We are incredibly fortunate to have had him in this market and for the impression and his presence and the contacts and relationships that he built over a relatively short time and he will be missed… The one thing that his wife has really told me in this terrible circumstance is how much he loved this job. And he really did and it really showed so thank you.”
Taking time to give back to Ernestine’s Women’s Shelter
It was also an evening when the industry, both those attending the Gala and across Canada gave back.
For the second year, a silent auction and donation drive was held during and leading up to the Gala with all proceeds going to Ernestine’s Women’s Shelter – a non-profit organization in Toronto, providing advocacy, crisis intervention and shelter to women and children.
This year, a total of $44,375 was raised in support Ernestine’s life-saving work at its shelter and outreach programs, increasing last year’s efforts of raising nearly $40,000.
Surprise: Baxter Media launches Travel Press Live
Baxter Media also announced a new immersive special event called Travel Press Live set to take place next summer ahead of the 2026 gala.
Keeping with Agents’ Choice 2025 theme – Inspiring Innovation – Wendy McClung told the gathering: “We’re proud to unveil the concept for our brand-new travel trade experience, happening next June in Toronto. This event is designed exclusively for Canadian travel advisors — and it’s built around three powerful pillars: connection, education, and curated discovery. From immersive activations to meaningful networking and hands-on sessions, this will be unlike anything we’ve done before.”
Part networking, part learning, part discovery, Travel Press Live is designed to be an engaging experience that goes beyond booths and brochures.
Baxter Media’s publisher, Mitchell McClung explained: “This event will break away from the traditional, often outdated formats that are common across Canada. It’s designed to be different — dynamic, engaging, and forward-thinking.”
Mark your calendars for June 16 and 17, 2026.
Celebrating the challenges overcome
With inspiring innovation as the theme of the evening, Baxter Media’s Mowat said that over the course of his 45-year career, the industry’s ability to turn challenges into opportunities has been inspiring.
Just in the past 25 years, “you have lived and worked through Y2K, 9/11, a Gulf War, SARS 1 & SARS 2, the 2008 & 2009 global economic meltdown, COVID and now tariffs and geopolitical upheaval,” he said.
And he continued: “Yet, through all of these upheavals, you have always been able to find the positive. To find hope in what others see as hopeless situations. You have always been able to deliver a message that unites and unifies; that gives this community the strength to confront the challenge at hand and find the opportunity that awaits.”
“I’m celebrating tonight because this industry is all about service and you deliver it with kindness, caring, and empathy. You bring those values with you to your work each and every day – ready to go above and beyond for your partners, colleagues and clients. That’s inspiring,” he concluded.
For more photos, visit the gallery.
–With story files by Ann Ruppenstein, Ian Stalker & Bob Mowat
