We are in a time of unexpected, incomprehensible events, no doubt about that. I don’t need to make a list to support that claim. At this point, nothing should surprise us anymore. And yet some things still do.

At the USTOA Conference & Marketplace in early December, I learned of something I never would have thought possible. The Jordan Tourism Board closed its North American office in New York. Fortunately, I was able to catch Malia Asfour, the leader of the North American office for 30 years, for a brief interview.

I didn’t hear back from my request to interview the Jordanian Minister of Tourism. I wanted to hear what the reasoning was for closing that office. It was bewildering to me, and to anyone I know…

The name says it all, says AIC’s VP of global sales Ash Tembe. The whole idea behind Unico 20°87° (Unico Hotel Riviera Maya All-Inclusive | Unico 20° 105° Riviera Nayarit) is to immerse guests into these exact coordinates on Mexico’s Pacific coast and give them a “unique” elevated modern Mexican experience, from the F&B to the room product.

And indeed, the 80 travel advisors and trade press on our December fam trip to AIC’s beautiful new adults-only, all-inclusive resort agreed, this second property in the Unico portfolio delivers on the promise.

The property was built with lots of feedback from the travel advisor community that helped make the first Unico a success, and their professional input show. There are no buffets here, and the…

Today is December 29th, 2025. In a few days, you will have to learn to discipline yourself to write 2026. Another 52 weeks will be staring us in the face. The question is, what are you going to do with the time currently unspent?

The slate is clean. At the moment, you have no regrets. It is all blue sky and nothing but possibilities lie before you. To borrow from a well-worn-out phrase made famous by Wayne Gretzky, the National Hockey League Hall of Famer, “You will miss 100% of the shots you don’t…